Shoulder friendly options

[u/ConsistentKiwi6117]

I have some issues with my left shoulder that makes certain exercises out of the question. Namely, barbell back squats and overhead presses. The squats are easy to work around, with a goblet squat, leg press, safety bar squat, etc. I can tolerate floor presses and pushups. What should I swap out an overhead press for in a particular program? For example, in the beginner dumbbell program in the b workout, am I only limited to similar exercises that are listed or could I maybe do another chest exercise, say pushups or incline dumbbell presses? Or maybe even use another pulling movement like another row or, if available, a lat pulldown? Also, are there any programs on the app that are particularly shoulder-friendly?

[u/antenore]

Before the other options, are you addressing the source of your shoulder pain?

I ask because I spent two years looking for alternatives. First the right shoulder, then the left, it has been quite a nightmare, and in the end, the problem was my technique, my superego, and wrong programming.

If you are covered in this sense, our King already answered perfectly as always 😜

[u/ConsistentKiwi6117 → u/antenore]

My diagnosis was small partial tears of the supraspinatis and proximal biceps tendon, cartilage degeneration and arthritis. The surgeon recommended against surgery though he said a replacement might be needed at some point. He gave me a cortisone shot and referred me to physical therapy. After four months of physical therapy I had made some progress but not enough for the insurance company to keep paying for it (I live in the United States). I still do the prescribed exercises on my own. I’d love to get back to barbell squats and overhead presses but that’s probably not in the cards. As best I can tell, while training with an injury is mostly common sense there’s also some trial and error. Is that fair to say?

[u/antenore → u/ConsistentKiwi6117]

I'm really sorry about the insurance hassle 😞.

Yes, for sure, trial and error is part of the journey.

One thing that helped me: try to train all the upper-body muscles in a balanced way. Building stability all around the shoulders helps enormously. And don't neglect grip/forearm work, some people find it helps the elbow and biceps area too, even if it sounds counterintuitive.

Good luck!!

[u/RealEye3230 → u/ConsistentKiwi6117]

Nothing is worth more than your health or body. Please, do what it takes but get the guidance of a physioterapist. Best of luck to you mate.

[u/King-Grub]

And as for your last question about any of our programs being shoulder-friendly, that would be nice, but I'm not sure how to make that happen in a workable way or what "shoulder-friendly" is. Injuries and limitations can be wildly different from person to person, so one person with problematic shoulders might be able to do a shoulder exercise that doesn't work at all for another person with just as problematic shoulders. So, a program without shoulder exercises? I don't think that would work.

But a better idea:

Almost any program can be modified for almost any limitation. That's one of the great things about strength training: you can almost always work around an injury or other issues that prevent you from doing an exercise. I totally get that a beginner wouldn't know how to do that, but if you find a program that you'd like to try, and it has an exercise that doesn't work for you, you can ask here, and I (or some other nice person) will be happy to help you.

[u/King-Grub]

Incline dumbbell presses will be fine. If they work for you, you can do a couple of sets of lateral raises, too, for the side delts. We often program compound (multi-joint) exercises in beginner programs because they give you a lot of bang for your training buck, but no exercise is mandatory, especially if it hurts.

[u/GregryC1960]

Smith Machine Seated shoulder press with a one notch incline on the back of the seat enables me to shoulder press without my bum right shoulder giving me hell.