Far too often I hear stories of people being told not to lift overhead because it’s “bad for your shoulder”. That is very far from the truth. Guess which type of shoulder pain is the toughest to treat. The shoulder that is stiff and can’t get overhead, and is usually accompanied with a stiff thoracic spine (mid/upper back). The shoulders that have the flexibility to get overhead, but still have pain, they tend to be weak.
So, what do we learn from that?
- Make sure you have the thoracic spine and shoulder flexibility to reach overhead
- Get your shoulder AS STRONG AS POSSIBLE overhead
Not convinced? Do you ever reach into the upper cabinets, hammer overhead, put a kayak on your car, or a Christmas tree as shown here?
- Make sure you have the thoracic spine and shoulder flexibility to reach overhead
- Get your shoulder AS STRONG AS POSSIBLE overhead
First, make sure you have the proper shoulder mobility. Follow the video below.
If you’re lacking shoulder mobility, there’s a whole host of things that could be contributing. If you want to be efficient, see a PT and we can help you identify the specific limitations and really help you focus your exercise. If you want to try to self treat, you can try the general thoracic and shoulder mobility below. I have hybrided this with The Shop’s Crossfit warmup. Test your mobility before and after with the test above. You can start working on your strength, even if your shoulder mobility isn’t quite there, but keep hammering on your shoulder mobility until it’s solid!
Now, it’s time to build on your strength. Shoulder movement is very complex, but ultimately, if you get your cuff and your shoulder blades strong, you’ll be set for success. Depending on your goals in life, these accessory strength movements may be enough for you. A great goal would be 3×10, 2-3x/week
If you are more active overhead with house projects, construction work, heavier labor, or an overhead athlete, you should definitely continue to work the accessory work above, as well as these primary overhead exercises. These you can challenge more at 3-5×3-8, 2x/week. If you go heavier, make sure to add some variation of these movements to change how you stress your body.
In summary, life is better when you can reach overhead. In order to be most successful at this you need to, first, have the shoulder and thoracic spine mobility, and second, get that sucker strong! If you need some guidance on how to do this more efficiently, schedule an appointment and we’ll get you going!
Get those hands up in the air!
Dr. Dane Happeny, PT, DPT, OCS, CF-L1
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Board Certified Orthopedic Specialist
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
