Folks,
does anyone have any additional resources for dealing with shoulder pain.
I am in week 7 of novice progression things are going well but during the last 2-3 days of overhead press (real time elapsed 1 week). it felt like my left arm was tweaked or strained a bit.
It mostly felt like it was in the meat of the bicep so I thought I just tweaked the muscle and would watch it. It felt like I was getting to a failure to complete the sets and I was preparing to deload and continue on.
Surprisingly I was able to complete 5 sets of 5 at 95#, then 100# and finally 105#. must be the bench helps more than I expected or it is just newbie gains.
the day after 5x5 at 105 the tweak felt much worse and felt more concentrated near the shoulder and less in the middle of the bicep. so much so that lifting my arm over my head really hurt, it was painful to grip the steering wheel or rest my left elbow on the window while driving. Ibprofin/NSAID barely took the edge off.
I am scheduled to press again today so I have been moving my arm a lot more to “loosen” everything up. Lifting elbow away from centerline to 90 degrees, opening/closing shoulder while arm bent at 90 degrees, rising arm over head straight in front of the body, it helps to arch lumbar spine some. I also read thru the 4 part article on shoulder injury, imaging, “impingement”, rotator cuff, surgery and effectiveness.
Lastly I am in my early 50’s, way overweight so am used to pain in the knees as just as part of life, good days and bad days, but even while squatting the knees are not in agony. keeping things warm with a tight brace really prevents most discomfort. I was kind of expecting the same type of pattern with the shoulder try and get a good wrap to hold the heat in, “loosen” things up, and ice after a work out and power thru.
Looking for resources to help assess and determine path forward. Current progress over the last 7 weeks has been great and looking to finish the 5x5 12 weeks and then run the bridge at least once and maybe twice…
thanks
Larry
Hey Larry, thanks for reaching out. More than anything we are happy to hear that you have started training and are seeing progress. Unfortunately, part of this process can be encountering your first setback. If you feel like you had a strain a week ago, it is not uncommon to have some re-“tweaks.” You likely need to deload a good bit on the press and focus on staying subthreshold for a few sessions as this heals. There is plenty of time to press and make gains and the fact you are training is more important than adding five pounds to a lift. Have you been implementing RPE at all in your training thus far? Even if you are trying to run NLP this can be helpful to start learning to regulate intensity for yourself. Overhead press tends to be the first lift in which people find their rate limiting step in training. If you’re finding every session approaching RPE 9 or 10, especially if you have been experiencing symptoms, that is likely not the most advantageous way to train. If you haven’t been using RPE I would highly recommend starting with a read of what Drs. Feigenbaum and Baraki has put out in The Beginner Prescription as a contrast to novice linear progression.
Derek, thanks for the response. I actually took the week of July 21 all off and started seeing a Physical therapist just to get a jump on some basic strengthening exercises and booked an appointment with an Ortho Dr. the PT work is really helping to get my range of motion back. the Dr appointment was non conclusive…some x-rays showing a bit of arthritis and some cysts that might be related to a rotator cuff issue but no direct evidence of a tear or anything. I am going to stick with the PT for a month or so and see what is what…I did start back at the gym today… still could not grip the bar properly for squats so deloaded a bunch because of a missing a a week and hit the inclined bench leg press and did a couple sets of deadlifts
I could actually bench the empty bar but I would not want to put any weight on it.
No go on the press 
regarding RPE and the beginner prescription I have been “practicing” rating where I am at but really every time I started to get close I able to complete 5 sets of 5 for all the lifts at all the weights. I started to get close on the press first and even the last time I had 1 or 2 left in the tank on the 5th set. Bench was the next and had a lot left on the final set of those as well. Bottom line I think in week 8 I was just getting to RPE 8 or 9 on the press and 7 or 8 on the bench…the row was next maybe 7 8 as well on the 5th set and squat and deadlift I am guess still around a 7 after 5 sets of 5.
I had intended to finish out weeks 9 to 12 of 5x5 then run the bridge once or twice before looking at the group programming options.
Over the next week or 2 I want to determine which lifts I can still perform and find alternatives for those I cannot and just maintain… maybe add 5 every week verse every day for a slower progression.
Then when I am healed up look at the bridge and the group programming options then. Oh yea I need to through a form check in there sooner or later but the squat is what I want to check the most so I need to get my arm able to wrap around the bar again.
Thanks again for the response. Really appreciate it