Shoulder Pain

This guide is for educational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The guidance here is general, and you should always listen to the advice of your personal healthcare provider.

A painful shoulder is incredibly frustrating. It can make simple daily tasks like reaching into a high cupboard, putting on a jacket, or even brushing your hair feel like a major effort.

When it comes to exercise, especially with weights, it’s completely understandable to feel nervous. The last thing you want to do is make it worse.

But here’s the crucial message: staying active and building strength is one of the most effective ways to manage shoulder pain and make it more resilient for the long haul. This guide is your plan to do just that, safely and confidently.

"Why Is My Shoulder Sore?"

There are many different reasons a shoulder can get sore. You may have been given a specific label for your pain, such as:

• Rotator cuff disorder (e.g. tear or tendinopathy)
• Impingement
• Bursitis
• Frozen shoulder
• Osteoarthritis
• A cartilage or labral tear

Hearing a term like "full-thickness rotator cuff tear" can be frightening. However, the research is very clear: even in these cases, strength and fitness exercise is overwhelmingly beneficial and safe. In fact, many people have rotator cuff tears with no pain at all !

For most of these issues, the label doesn't change our plan. Our goal is to calm the shoulder down and gently build its strength, not to get stuck on the specific diagnosis.

Your Game Plan: Modify and Keep Moving

Whatever the cause of your shoulder pain, it's vital to find a way to keep moving. Stopping exercise altogether often leads to more weakness and stiffness, which can make the problem linger.

Continuing with your workouts is the best path forward. The exercises in your program are designed to build the strength and capacity your shoulders and upper body need.

The key is consistency. We don't need perfection, but we need to show up. This is where our motto "Do something rather than nothing" comes in. Always try your best do some amount of exercise, whatever you can manage, rather than giving up on exercise altogether.

What about 'clicking,' 'grinding,' or 'clunking' sounds?

These noises are very common and rarely a sign of damage. The shoulder is a complex joint with many moving parts that can make lots of strange noises. If the sounds aren't painful, you are safe to continue.

Your 3-Step Modification Toolkit

Our goal is to find a version of the exercises that feels "tolerable."

We use this word very intentionally. It does not mean the exercise must be 100% pain-free. A little discomfort (e.g., 2-3 out of 10) is often fine. It’s ultimately up to you what you consider to be "tolerable", but if it’s making your pain obviously worse for the hours or days after exercise, that’s probably a sign you’re pushing it a bit too hard.

Here are the 3 main ways to modify any exercise to make it tolerable:

1. Reduce the Weight: This is the simplest fix. Just lower the weight a bit. It make take some trial and error to find a weight level that feels tolerable.
2. Reduce the Range of Motion: For an overhead press, this means not pressing the weight up as high. For a push-up, it means not going as deep.
3. Substitute the Exercise: If for example, an overhead press just isn't working today, no problem. Swap it for a different upper-body move that feels fine, like a front raise, a bicep curl, or a tricep kickback.

Overhead pressing movements and push-up movements are typically the most problematic for sore shoulders. For a detailed guide on modifying them, check out these articles:

Link: How to Modify Overhead Pressing Movements

Link: How to Modify Push-Up Movements

What if an exercise is just too painful, no matter what modifications I make?

Then it is okay to skip it. Just do the rest of the workout. You can try to reintroduce that exercise next week, starting with the easiest possible version.

When to Get Your Shoulder Looked At by a Professional

While most shoulder pain responds very well to this approach, it's always smart to get an in-person assessment from your local doctor or physio if you experience any of the following:

• Constant or severe pain
• Pain that is progressively getting worse
• Pain during the night, especially if it wakes you up
• A specific recent trauma (like a fall or injury to the shoulder)
• Significant swelling, heat, or redness
• Pins and needles, numbness, or weakness in the arm or hand

The Takeaway: You Are in Control

A sore shoulder is a frustrating challenge, but it's one you can absolutely manage. You are not fragile, and your shoulder is designed to move.

Remember your game plan:

• Find what feels "tolerable."
• Use your 3-Step Modification Toolkit (Weight, Range, Substitute).
• Always aim to "do something rather than nothing."

Want to Learn More?

For a more detailed look at specific shoulder pain topics, check out the following videos:

1. Rotator cuff tears. Education and exercises - https://youtu.be/0-FfIMInN8I
2. Shoulder bursitis. Education and exercises - https://youtu.be/5dLwX7VDnlk
3. Frozen shoulder. Education and exercises - https://youtu.be/EeaVa8aw0r4