What was that? Was that him? It was around 1:30 a.m.—maybe 2:17—the times blur when you’re sleep-deprived, and my wife nudged me to check on the baby. I cracked an eye, turned on the monitor, and there was Julian, our newborn, making his case for one of us to get out of bed.
Our little guy just turned four weeks, and in that short time Lisa and I have learned the crash course of sleep deprivation and baby talk—the kind that goes, “What are you trying to tell me? Please stop crying. I’ll do anything. No, really, anything….” [Jumps off roof]
We don’t have much to complain about in the grand scheme of things. Julian has been amazing. Like any baby, when he cries it usually means one of a few things: it’s time for a diaper change, a feeding, a swaddle, a pacifier, or a bit of rocking or movement. Maybe he’s overstimulated, or maybe he just needs a little extra cowbell. As time goes on you stop panicking, run through the checklist, and before long you become a pro at soothing a fussy baby.
It’s funny how being knee-deep in baby life makes me notice parallels with my professional work coaching athletes and clients. I see a pattern I encounter almost every week. Many new clients are beginners or intermediates who’ve been dealing with a stubborn shoulder issue that keeps them from training as hard as they want. It’s frustrating, and my job is to peel back the layers to find the root cause.
THE SHOULDER HURTS CHECKLIST
1) Technique
The most common culprit is how the shoulder is being used during bench presses. If something hurts, stop doing it. That said, I don’t jump to conclusions; sometimes a few small tweaks to technique or setup can make all the difference. I’ll start with the setup: begin in a bridge position to engage the upper traps and press the shoulder blades together and down. That stability translates to strength. Many people flare their elbows out too much when benching, leaving the shoulders exposed. Since that video I recorded a couple years ago, I’ve adjusted my thinking a bit with cues from Tony Bonvechio at Cressey Sports Performance. Elbows tucked on the way down is still important, but a tiny flare at the start of the press, with leg drive, can help keep the joints stacked and improve the triceps’ leverage. In the end, more often than not, the pain fades with a few small setup tweaks.
2) Stop benching, for a while
This part can feel like bad news. If benching hurts and technique tweaks haven’t solved it, I’ll tell someone to avoid barbell pressing for a few weeks. Barbell pressing locks the shoulder into internal rotation and can contribute to impingement. If benching hurts, switch to dumbbells with a neutral grip, rotate the shoulders a bit more outward, and open up space above the joint. Or try a decline press, which reduces the amount of shoulder flexion. Pressing off a foam roller is another option to work on better joint centering and allow the scapulae to move. If all else fails, you may need to tell someone to stop benching for a bit to let things settle down.
3) Let the scapulae move
While bringing the shoulder blades together and down helps stability, sometimes the opposite is needed. If lifting hurts, we might need to let the shoulder blades move more freely. When the scapulae are stuck, the movement can affect shoulder health. Push-ups are a good example: they’re a closed-chain exercise that encourages scapular movement, unlike the bench press. Letting the scapulae move can be a game changer for comfort and strength.
4) More rows
Keep this short and simple: add more pulling work. Many lifters are too front-docused and neglect the back, which creates muscular imbalances and postural issues. For every pressing movement, aim for 2–3 rowing movements. Any row will do. Balancing push with pull helps restore symmetry and protect the shoulders.
5) Address scapular positioning
Most shoulder issues come down to how the scapulae move. The scapulae perform many tasks: they rotate up and down, rotate externally and internally, tilt forward and backward, retract and protract. If they don’t move well, the shoulder can pay the price. Some people are too shruggy—upper traps dominating overhead work—or stuck in downward rotation and may need serratus or lower-trap work and better eccentric control. I’ve seen many clients come in after seeing others who never checked how the shoulder blades move. I don’t want to overcorrect, but if pain persists after the above, it’s time to dig deeper. If you want a deeper dive, you’ll find plenty to explore. Just be careful not to go too far into glenohumeral extension (letting the elbow drift past the midline), which can push the shoulder forward and cause scapular anterior tilt—the other common source of pain.
