The Complete Shoulder and RC Injury Article

[echoareone]

Here's a question for all you guys who are somewhat experienced, as it were, with RC stuff. I've got a shoulder issue that my physical therapist diagnosed as a weak rotator cuff and imbalance between anterior and posterior delts. I've been doing stretches and strengthening for about 4 months, and I've severely limited my lifiting, took 3 months off, and now I do 3x a week, light.

My shoulder still hasn't gotten that much better. Is there another injury that could be confused with RC?

[outofshapetin]

Here's an article that I've alluded to a few times that I had been working on. It's finally finished. I hope you like the final product. If you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know. I'd be happy to hear constructive criticisms on the article. My goal with this article was to make a single body of text that contained enough information for people to be busy with for awhile. I hope that people like it enough that the next time someone posts a thread asking about a shoulder injury, that they will get linked to this thread. I have tried to cover a lot of material (not just "OK, here's some RC exercises, now go do them" and that's it), and I hope you get something out of it. Thanks in advance for reading this article--I put a lot of time into it, so I hope you like it.

very useful info. gracias amigo

[seems]

That is some real nice article. i am going to take care when I work out that there is no such injuries.
Thank you!

[RobotFood]

well, I'm glad this thread is routinely bumped! I've had a problem with my shoulder since overdoing a workout a few months back.. and spending long hours in front of a computer with my arm at an angle only added to the strain. this thread was exactly the kind of information I was looking for, and so I will be incorporating this stuff into my warm-up pronto.

cheers to the OP, wherever you may be these days!

[rsrose007]

Your quote was very informative.
actually i'm beginer to body building your information has helped me a lot.
I had doubt regarding exercise and training but this quote gave a massive information.
thank you very very very much!!!!
Nice of You
Keep posting like this
bye!!!sweet!!!

[dEntremont]

Just thought I'd drop in to say that the information in this article has helped with my shoulder a lot. The last time I hurt my shoulder I took a month or so off but with the tips in this thread I've made much faster progress with my shoulder.

I'm just about back to normal and I am definitely going to make the external rotations and broomstick stretches a regular part of my routine. I know the OP doesn't hang out here anymore, but thanks!

[motionOne]

ately, i've diagnosed myself with a minor rotator cuff issue. I'm pretty sure i did something to it using smith machine for benching, incline benching and especially smith seated shoulder press. I think i had the bench in a poor position relative to me, and pulled something that way. I also think i've exacerbated it by continuing to do heavy presses (shoulder, incline, flat) somewhat incorrectly (shoulderblades not back). That, and heavy overhead tricep extensions, which i've read rely heavily on rotator cuff.

So, today is supposed to be my shoulder/bicep day. Instead of doing my normal shoulder routine (standing MP, seated db press, plate raise, lateral raise), i'm going to do the following all with very light weight:

internal rotation 3x10
external rotation 3x10
cubans 3x10
scapular retraction 3x10

then, proceed to my bicep routine with normal weight.

so, my questions are these..

should i do these before every work out
should i cut my chest routine out until this feels better? (flat BP, incline BP, cable cross, wide chest iso machine)
should i not do any sort of shoulder exercises for a while?

has anyone else had a similar issue?? how have you incorporated these types of exercises into your routine? i don't want my shoulders to fall behind relative to the rest of my body.

squats, deads, any of my back or bi exercises don't hurt it so id on't plan on really modifying/stopping them

[ndedekian]

Ok, so i'm having a very annoying and odd problem with my left shoulder. The initial injury occurred when I was wrestling my friend for fun about 3 years ago. He made the a-hole move of twisting my arm behind me. It went too far and I felt some pain initially but it went away. However immediately afterward it felt as though my shoulder needed to be stretched back out, like it was compressed somehow.

Since then i've been having that same feeling. It's in the rear of the shoulder but not so much the meaty part of the rear deltoid. It's basically right as the side of the shoulder bends around towards the back. It feels like I need someone to pull my shoulder out in front of me and pop it out. It's the biggest physical annoyance i've ever dealt with. Since then I haven't been able to get my shoulders as huge in my mind.

I have no range of motion problems, and I can still bench my normal weight and everything. It just feels like it's holding me back from hitting even more weight and feels like i've lost the explosiveness in the shoulder because it is not as stable. However i've always had a stiffer neck/shoulders so i'm not sure how much of this is just how I am. All I know is when I lift heavy incline and military press, the back of my shoulder starts acting up and feels inflamed. It pops alot but has never felt dislocated or anything.

I have no pain in the front of the shoulder (it's my non-throwing shoulder). It's only in the outer rear of the shoulder. Any ideas on what this could be?

[KappaRaiders]

bernied, id rep you if i could. added these exercises to my routine 3 times so far and it's made AMAZING progress. shoulder doesn't hurt like it did anymore. now it just feels "wierd". we'll see what happens with chest day, but so far so good. this thread made a world of difference in my shoulder agitation. thanks.

[Tallbill]

Anyone have a link to the broomstick exercise? Link is dead.

[bango skank]

[blkbelt42]

subb'd for later reading. great thread.

[Cosmonaut]

What does AC stand for? Acromion Complex?

[Richie_Awesome]

What does AC stand for? Acromion Complex?

acromioclavicular joint

[Richie_Awesome]

ately, i've diagnosed myself with a minor rotator cuff issue. I'm pretty sure i did something to it using smith machine for benching, incline benching and especially smith seated shoulder press. I think i had the bench in a poor position relative to me, and pulled something that way. I also think i've exacerbated it by continuing to do heavy presses (shoulder, incline, flat) somewhat incorrectly (shoulderblades not back). That, and heavy overhead tricep extensions, which i've read rely heavily on rotator cuff.

So, today is supposed to be my shoulder/bicep day. Instead of doing my normal shoulder routine (standing MP, seated db press, plate raise, lateral raise), i'm going to do the following all with very light weight:

internal rotation 3x10
external rotation 3x10
cubans 3x10
scapular retraction 3x10

then, proceed to my bicep routine with normal weight.

so, my questions are these..

should i do these before every work out
should i cut my chest routine out until this feels better? (flat BP, incline BP, cable cross, wide chest iso machine)
should i not do any sort of shoulder exercises for a while?

has anyone else had a similar issue?? how have you incorporated these types of exercises into your routine? i don't want my shoulders to fall behind relative to the rest of my body.

squats, deads, any of my back or bi exercises don't hurt it so id on't plan on really modifying/stopping them

Just general info. IMO. Cut out things like upright rows. Do all pushing with elbows tucked in(PM if you have Qs on that).

I'd do those exercises after any pushing or shoulder adduction. I do RC work 2x per week, one heavy workout, and one volume workout.

[user345008781]

When doing these on a light weight e.g. 4-5kg for 10-12 reps for 4 sets should one feel at all sore the following. I felt i was positively pushing myself on the last rep or so on each set (not too much). My shoulder does not feel sore in the slightest unless I place my palm on my chest and push down using my arm (in which case i can feel a tiny bit of soreness on the upper deltoid region (around where the RC is). Is this okay? I don't have a history of RC injuries, just trying to strengthen them as i have the occasional click in my shoulders(along with other areas e..g ankles, wrists etc).

Thanks!

[timmer77]

ately, i've diagnosed myself with a minor rotator cuff issue. I'm pretty sure i did something to it using smith machine for benching, incline benching and especially smith seated shoulder press. I think i had the bench in a poor position relative to me, and pulled something that way. I also think i've exacerbated it by continuing to do heavy presses (shoulder, incline, flat) somewhat incorrectly (shoulderblades not back). That, and heavy overhead tricep extensions, which i've read rely heavily on rotator cuff.

So, today is supposed to be my shoulder/bicep day. Instead of doing my normal shoulder routine (standing MP, seated db press, plate raise, lateral raise), i'm going to do the following all with very light weight:

internal rotation 3x10
external rotation 3x10
cubans 3x10
scapular retraction 3x10

then, proceed to my bicep routine with normal weight.

so, my questions are these..

should i do these before every work out
should i cut my chest routine out until this feels better? (flat BP, incline BP, cable cross, wide chest iso machine)
should i not do any sort of shoulder exercises for a while?

has anyone else had a similar issue?? how have you incorporated these types of exercises into your routine? i don't want my shoulders to fall behind relative to the rest of my body.

squats, deads, any of my back or bi exercises don't hurt it so id on't plan on really modifying/stopping them

Restrict the ROM to the upper half of the movement on any pressing, stay away from overhead stuff and heavy curling until the pain subsides.

Nothing against Richie...but I would not do direct heavy RC work, especially if the is an issue. It gets a ton of work during pressing (and pulling for that matter) of any kind. Endurance (volume) work is important to increase the time to fatigue, because you use the RC any time you use your arms. It needs to be able to.

Your warmup is good, keep it up!

Use a baseball to massage all of the muscles around your shoulder, this will help break up any scar tissue that is forming in there. And stretch the RC both internally and externally.

Also, take out the widegrip benching (unless it's light and for volume), and do your flyes from a cable machine or on a stability ball. This allows your scapula to move freely and does not cause a "prying" type force on the shoulder joint.

hope this helps!

[timmer77]

When doing these on a light weight e.g. 4-5kg for 10-12 reps for 4 sets should one feel at all sore the following. I felt i was positively pushing myself on the last rep or so on each set (not too much). My shoulder does not feel sore in the slightest unless I place my palm on my chest and push down using my arm (in which case i can feel a tiny bit of soreness on the upper deltoid region (around where the RC is). Is this okay? I don't have a history of RC injuries, just trying to strengthen them as i have the occasional click in my shoulders(along with other areas e..g ankles, wrists etc).

Thanks!

Clicks and ticks are ok if there is no pain, probaly just a tendon "snapping", which just means it's rubbing up against a process of the bone. The pain when you press on your chest is just muscle soreness from directly working the RC. You are feeling your internal rotator or your subscapularis. It's the muscle that is used when pressing or throwing something.

Go easy on lifting until it subsides!

[user345008781]

Clicks and ticks are ok if there is no pain, probaly just a tendon "snapping", which just means it's rubbing up against a process of the bone. The pain when you press on your chest is just muscle soreness from directly working the RC. You are feeling your internal rotator or your subscapularis. It's the muscle that is used when pressing or throwing something.

Go easy on lifting until it subsides!

No, there was no pain when i pressed my chest muscle, just some soreness on my upper delt region, which is better today (although not completely gone). I guess it is just my RC's adjusting to the exercise. They probably won't be sore next time. My next workout is not until Saturday anyway, so it has plenty of time to recover.

[TLotou]

allright if anyone can help me out to kno whats wrong or give me an insight on what they think might be wrong .

first off what muscles exactly r involved in a side lateral raise?

whenever i do side lateral raise or if i do dumbell rows my rom is very limited becasue if my arm was to be locked out w/ a weight on the otherside there would be a sharp stinging pain in the back shoulder area , feels like the upper lats. the Pain started when i was doing dumbell rows a couple weeks ago , i was doing a set of 10 then at the end of the set i dropped my weight down, and i think the sudden change of tension in my muscle ****ed somethin up

anywho idk if its a hyper extension ?? prolly not a muscle tear cause i wouldnt be able to lift then...


anyone?

[user345008781]

allright if anyone can help me out to kno whats wrong or give me an insight on what they think might be wrong .

first off what muscles exactly r involved in a side lateral raise?

whenever i do side lateral raise or if i do dumbell rows my rom is very limited becasue if my arm was to be locked out w/ a weight on the otherside there would be a sharp stinging pain in the back shoulder area , feels like the upper lats. the Pain started when i was doing dumbell rows a couple weeks ago , i was doing a set of 10 then at the end of the set i dropped my weight down, and i think the sudden change of tension in my muscle ****ed somethin up

anywho idk if its a hyper extension ?? prolly not a muscle tear cause i wouldnt be able to lift then...

anyone?

Hmmm. Do you feel a tendon sliding over your shoulder when you lift your arms up during lateral raises?

[essawi]

Does this work for shoulder tendonitis?

[essawi]

bump

[amittiz]

Two weeks ago while doing dumbbell rows on a flat bench I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulders and I stopped immediately and did not do any weight lifting that irritates my shoulder for some time. The pain was not at the shoulder but near the front side into my collar bone (where the shoulder joins the collar bone) and when I sleep on that side it extends towards my side upto my biceps. Then one week later when the pain subsided I went and tried to do cable flyes for chest and I felt like something was loose in my shoulder joint but did not have much pain it was just like a slip in the joint when I did the exercise but the next day it started to pain again inside my collar bone. Day before yesterday I went to a doctor and he pressed on my shoulder and analyzed my situation and since I did not have any pain when he did that he told me it was not a tear and told me I could do those exercise that does not irritate my shoulder. So Yesterday i felt completely normal I did some pushups and the pain was not there so I felt confident and happy so I tried to do flat barbell bench-press I started out with very low weight 15lbs then 25 lbs and when I tried to increase the weight I felt the joint was getting loose and it was kind of some muscle in my shoulder joint is loose but it did not pain that much when I did the exercise It was just like something was moving around in my shoulder. But today I can feel some pain in the shoulder.

[amittiz]

Am I not giving enough time for my shoulders to heal??

but this thread is amazin it has all the information I ever need for shoulder injury. But just curious how long should I take a time out ??

[mkit8971]

My shoulder seemed to be a bit tweaked after a benching session, so i gave it a couple days. Went back to the gym and it still had a slight dull pain, so i finished up the workout and went home. Next session I did strictly RC exercises with light weight/high reps and the shoulder feels great right now. I honestly feel like I got a better shoulder workout today doing RC exercises then using heavy weights and doing arnold presses, military presses, etc. I will continue to warm up with some light RC exercises and reserve some time on my shoulder days to isolate the RC. I never realized how important training this muscle capsule could be.

[amittiz]

Hi friends I found this link and I think it is very useful if you are suffering from a shoulder problem as I'm now. I know it is frustrating
http://www.t-nation.com/article/perf...ure_injured&cr

[The Shoeless Wonder]

hopefully someone can help me with this: Until last week I wasnt working out for about 3 weeks or so due to an illness. About a week after I stopped lifting, I noticed a slight pain in my right shoulder (im righty). I really didnt think anything of it, until it would start hurting when I bowled. Last week I finally got back into the gym and while doing bench press, it was slightly bothersome. I also noticed that when I would do an overhead tri stretch, it was painful. Now yesterday, I was doing bench press and it was hurting, but only when I was using an overhand grip. I didnt notice anything with a hammer grip. I had to give up on cable flies tho. The pain is between the side and the rear of my shoulder and goes halfway down my tri. Also, around my right shoulder blade has been tight. Is this RC related? Are the 2 even related?

[jscatton21]

i had a question i have been working out for like 3 months now... and for some reason the other day when i went to do incline bench press i got this extremely bad pain in the front of my right shoulder i was horrable.. people said i may have had to much weight on which was not true i only put a 10 on each side which i usually use 25's... anyidea what i may have done? the pain goes away within a few minutes but for those few minutes it is horrable and now it happens everytime i do incline but no pain at all on regular bench or decline.... i would be a great help to hear what you guys think it may be!!

[jscatton21]

i had a question i have been working out for like 3 months now... and for some reason the other day when i went to do incline bench press i got this extremely bad pain in the front of my right shoulder i was horrable.. people said i may have had to much weight on which was not true i only put a 10 on each side which i usually use 25's... anyidea what i may have done? the pain goes away within a few minutes but for those few minutes it is horrable and now it happens everytime i do incline but no pain at all on regular bench or decline.... i would be a great help to hear what you guys think it may be!!