I have been dealing with R anterior shoulder pain for some time. I am currently running the Strength III template. I previously ran several cycles of the bridge, but I got so fed up with this pain that I removed any kind of benching variation from that program and replaced it with variations of the OHP. I had great success with it and got very strong.
However, I am now committed to tackling this issue with my R shoulder, but I am unsure how to proceed. The pain ONLY is aggravated by bench pressing/pushups. no other movement aggravates it at all (OHP, low bar back squat, etc). \
The actual pain itself occurs during the eccentric and concentric phases. I played around with the intensity yesterday and found that I can bench up to 85lbs on a 15 degree incline for 3x10 with only mild aggravation on the last few reps on the third set. I am unsure if I should run the shoulder rehab template, or another option.
I am considering:
A.)running the shoulder rehab template
B.) continuing the strength III template but with modifications for finding entry point for the R shoulder.
C.) Running the Strength I template (only 3 days lifting per week, feels less complicated than option B)
I am curious to hear about what other may have tried.
Any of these are reasonable options to try, and we can’t predict which, if any, may work better than another without trying it.
Recommend ensuring that you are familiar with our basic content on pain, here:
You mention a low incline at 85 lbs with pain at the end of your sets. I’m curious about other variations as well, such as a 3-0-3 tempo flat bench press, for sets of 10-15, tempo single-arm dumbbell bench press, DB front/lateral raises, etc. As discussed in the article, we typically try to incorporate multiple variations, both unilateral and bilateral movements, and using tempo if needed to control loading.
If you are interested in further individualized guidance, a consultation with our rehab team would be a good next step.
Thank you for the prompt reply to my original post. I have not tried the tempo work yet, nor have I tried unilateral work. That being said, I have decided to utilize the shoulder rehab template but with increased intensity for the lower body. I am combining the “Strength I” template for the lower body with the shoulder rehab template.
Those videos are outstanding, and I found the second one very helpful for me.
I have worked with the rehab team in the past, and I have had great results for a previous hip issue. Thank you for the recommendation/reminder.
