How the Endurance Athlete Can Ease a Shoulder That Hates Them
As a strength and conditioning coach who works a lot with cyclists and triathletes, people often react with surprise or disbelief when I bring up this topic. They’ll say things like, “What? I didn’t know that was a thing!” If I had to describe it, I’d say I understand exactly how Scott Evil feels: not quite “strength coach” enough for one crowd, and not quite “cycling” enough for the other.
There’s a lot we can learn about posture and shoulder health from our pedal-powered friends, who spend hours in positions a bit more extreme than the couch potage. The difference is that while we chow down 2,000 calories with Buffalo wild wings and ranch, they burn calories climbing mountains.
Posture and shoulder health have a huge impact on our overall well‑being and can drive long-term effects, often not felt until it’s too late. This matters especially for road cyclists, runners, and triathletes, whose sports demand long work periods with energy efficiency as a target.
When I first started coaching cyclists for performance and strength, I focused on the glutes and their big impact on the pelvis, spine, and rib cage since they power the bike and support the upper body. But it became clear that there was something even more fundamental limiting performance: posture. After hours in a closed riding position, cyclists bear about 30% of their weight through their hands and arms. If you feel you’re supporting more than 30% of your weight with your arms, consider a bike fit first and then start with the exercises we’ll cover.
This led me down a rabbit hole, but unlike Alice, I had a clear destination: better performance, better quality of life, and avoiding looking like a time-trial cyclist or a hunchback in everyday life.
Let’s get to basics. There are two diaphragms in the torso we want aligned to help the body function well, manage internal pressure, support optimal muscle function, improve breathing, and boost rib mobility:
– Thoracic diaphragm — the primary muscle of respiration between the chest and abdomen.
– Pelvic floor — controls pressure between the pelvis and abdomen.
In the general population we often see issues mainly with the pelvic floor and the thoracic diaphragm, but among cyclists these problems tend to be more pronounced due to the extreme riding position. Add that cycling is unique in that the feet rotate around a fixed axis while terrain, wind, and rider movements vary, and you have the perfect setup for movement issues.
Every sport develops its own movement deficiencies through repetitive tasks, and cycling is no exception. Cyclists may be competitive on the bike but a bit out of balance overall. The posture you adopt on the bike makes you vulnerable—and it’s made worse by traffic. Please give riders at least three feet of space when passing; it’s not only safer but often the law in many places.
Too often, the cycling and triathlon communities accept injuries as a rite of passage for riders who train hard year after year. Frozen shoulders, lower back pain, neck tension, and limited hip extension are common. But they don’t have to be inevitable.
If we work on a few simple moves off the bike, we can improve both performance and health, from the spine to everyday life. The goal is to open the shoulder girdle, restore proper scapular rhythm, and align the cervical, thoracic, and pelvic diaphragms. These gains come with time—months or even years for some riders—not a few weeks. Consistency is key.
While it’s hard to say which diaphragm is most important, the shoulder girdle is a great starting point for most cyclists, since they often shift into a compromised position during longer or tougher rides. Keeping the shoulder balanced can relieve pressure on the brachial plexus, reduce the risk of a bony overgrowth, and ease tension in the neck extensors. A well-aligned shoulder also allows the thorax and rib cage to move properly, which helps the pelvic diaphragm relax and the glutes and pelvic floor engage to stabilize and move the body more efficiently.
If joint position drives muscle function, the many compensations in cycling can leave some muscles “cast away” from reality, as if they’ve forgotten how to work. Improving shoulder health not only supports performance but also helps you maintain daily activities—like reaching into back pockets on a ride or confidently steering with one hand.
Enough talk—here are practical moves you can do 3–5 days a week, in about 10–15 minutes, to restore posture and unlock your true conditioning, no matter your sport.
Before you start the exercises, take 4–6 minutes to foam roll or use a lacrosse ball, focusing on:
– Lats
– Chest
– Neck using a gentle approach with an ACUMobility-type tool if you have it (it looks promising, though it’s not required)
Just don’t spend too long on mobility work. If you’re rolling or releasing for more than 10–12 minutes, you’re probably overdoing it and you should check your recovery. It’s not about pushing hard in the session; it’s about recovering well between sessions and staying consistent.
Breathing & Diaphragm Reset
All Fours Quadruped Breathing – Reset the Diaphragm
– 1 set of 5 deep breaths through the nose, out the mouth, each breath held for 4 seconds
Crocodile Breathing – Filling the Cavity Evenly
– 1 set of 5–8 breaths
Opening the Shoulder with Thoracic Rotation
– Side-Lying Windmill
– 1 set of 8 reps per side to loosen the lats, pecs, and mid–lower thoracic spine
Strengthening the Stabilizers
– Wall Scapular Slides
– Activating the Serratus anterior, and the mid and lower trapezius
– 1 set of 8, making sure the ribs don’t flare and the chin stays tucked
– Behind-the-Back Band Pull-Aparts
– Activating the lower trapezius and rhomboids
– 1 set of 8
– Chin Nod, progressing to Chin-Tuck Head Lift
– Activating the deep core and neck muscles
– 1 set of 8
Wrap-Up
These exercises can be done in this order 3–5 days a week in about 10–15 minutes. The key to progress isn’t how hard you train in a single session; it’s staying consistent over time. Regular, steady practice will yield meaningful improvements.
