pain in shoulders while squatting

[Starzz]

ive been recently getting pain in my shoulders after squatting. right after i deweight and come out of the rack my shoulders are killing me. i put my arms wide or narrow it doesnt matter. it still hurts. i am not pushing on the bar or anything it is comfortably on my traps.

[Do-Win]

Try resting the bar on your posterior delts with a narrow grip. That will take the weight off of the bone... If that is where the pain is.

[Juic3]

Maybe try another position? Sometimes that happens to me but it goes away if I put it at a different spot.

[Starzz]

posterior delts? wouldnt that mean id have to bring my shoulder blades together. my shoulders are very forward for some reason and my posterior are ahead of the rest of my back. i think this is called rounded shoulders?? im not sure.

[Starzz]

bump

[Power Of Metal]

I've been experiencing the same transient soreness straight after squating. But it goes away after some dynamic stretching. How long does your pain last?

[Starzz]

it stays the whole day and gets worse on the days i do barbell rows. then it goes down a bit the next day but still hurts especially when i raise my arms.

[Uriel_da_man]

I know what it's like. Eyther build up traps so insanely thick the bar doesn't even touch your shoulders and use a realy wide grip, or use a safety squat bar, or don't do barbell squats at all. It may sound extreme but if squats hurt your shoulders they probably always will and trust me, they aren't worth that.

[KopyKat]

it stays the whole day and gets worse on the days i do barbell rows. then it goes down a bit the next day but still hurts especially when i raise my arms.

Do alot of shoulder girdle retraction movements. Even once in awhile in the day try it a couple times with no weight just trying to squeeze your shoulder blades together hard.

In the gym, use movements that mostly emphasize the retraction and even some elevation and then retraction (shrugs going up and back ending in the shoulder blades squeezed together position).

BB rows at close to 90 degrees with elbows out and squeezing the shoulder blades together of course (notice the pattern here)

Face pulls with full retraction.

But i think you get the idea, use lots of movements with retraction mostly and it will probably correct the issue.

[slackdaddy]

When I squat, I push my elbows forward to force my chest out and back straight. Sometimes I push too far during a set and get shoulder soreness from the stretch. You may want to look at your form and make sure that the pain is not from putting your shoulders in a bind rather that just hurting from the weight setting on them.

[Starzz]

I assumed my shoulders just not flexible or something. Can someone tell me whats wrong with them first.

[GoJu]

how long have you been squatting, it's probably that your shoulders just aren't used to having the barbell put across them yet, IF this is the case I suggest keep squatting the way (NO PAD) and eventually your shoulders and back will adjust on their own.

[KopyKat]

I assumed my shoulders just not flexible or something. Can someone tell me whats wrong with them first.

They are protracted. This means you might have stretched and weak rhomboids, chest might be tight and inflexible, shoulders internally rotated.

The best way to correct it is with the opposite counter movement, which would be retraction. This will strengthen your rhomboids, stretch your pecs out and take stress off the shoulders and possibly lats.

[Starzz]

Ive been squatting for about 3 or 4 months. I have been doing rows at 90 degrees but with elbows as close as possible to body. Should i keep doing clean presses. Also what are face presses? Can you recommend some more exercises its jus killing me.

[Cinderfella]

You might want to try front squats. That should eliminate most of the problem.

[81Ort]

Power of Metal and Kopy Kat both make a good point. Also, warm up your rotator cuff beforehand. I used to have this problem too but doing some light ext. and internal rotations with a stretch band as well as some side lateral raises will get the whole shoulder girdle warmed up and the pain should be reduced.
In addition to stretching your shoulders stretch your upper back (as well as strengthen it), your tri's and your lats.

[Starzz]

Ive started to do broomstick stretchs and exercises for rotary cuffs and the pain has gone away. I will see if it still hurts this monday.

[Tyciol]

I know what it's like. Eyther build up traps so insanely thick the bar doesn't even touch your shoulders and use a realy wide grip, or use a safety squat bar, or don't do barbell squats at all. It may sound extreme but if squats hurt your shoulders they probably always will and trust me, they aren't worth that.

That's a neat idea, I've always wondered if there should be some kind of ratio between your max on shrugs and max on squats, for ideal trap development for reduction in squat pain.

Plus, honestly, for some reason big traps intimidate me a lot more than big quads.

[Starzz]

Yeah but unlike having big quads, big traps just make you look like you belong in the circus.

[Starzz]

I tried pinch my shoulder blades together and it helped alot for the first set but on the 2nd and 3rd set the weight would speerate my shoulder blades and i couldnt keep them together. Ive also started doing the wide grip barbel rows with elbows out and rotary cuff exercises. I will update on how it goes.