Until recently I always had problems with my shoulders. They would hurt almost all the time, I guess the 15+ years of benching did not help ...
I read tons of articles on internet about shoulder health and how to get them back to normal so I started rowing more, as all the gurus said. I rowed several times a week for some really solid volume: barbell rows, DB rows, low cable rows, you name it. Guess what, it did not help. Shoulders were still bad and the clicking and popping was even worse.
So, I introduced another weapon, direct rotator cuff work. Nothing. Still no results.
I dug even deeper and then it hit me. If your shoulders are tight and in a bad position, no amount of row work will get them back, you still row with your shoulders in a bad position and reinforce the wrong movement patterns all over and over again. I also could not understand why all the Russian lifters who do little rowing or none at all, can bench up to 4 times a week and their shoulders seem to be just fine.
4 things helped me with tight and hurting shoulders:
Benching frequency
I noticed when I went from benching once a week to frequency 2-3 times a week, my shoulders started getting really solid. First few weeks were not easy but the body adapted and shoulders got more stable and grew.
Trading max weight for volume
When I stopped maxing out in training and started training in blocks, such as 6 sets of 5 @ 60% or 6 sets of 3 @ 80%, I built strength and mass and shoulders were not as beat up as before. I now NEVER max out in training. If I can do 5 sets 2 with 85% and the 85% is 10kg bigger than last cycle 85%, I am stronger. Blocks give you a great advantage, you still lift heavy, you do tons of volume and your technique is always perfect. Because you hone your technique several times a week over many sets, there is a pretty good chance your 1RM lift at the meet will be with the same form and technique.
Overhead pressing
I noticed on many vids that the scapulae move very little during benching and also very little during rows. But they move a lot when overhead pressing. Once I added overhead pressing 1-2 times a week 6 sets of 8 with moderate weight, my shoulders not only grew bigger but the pain all went away. It is crucial that you move your head forward at lockout, your scapulae lift up and rotate, you should feel a very strong contraction in delts and upper traps. Pause a second at lockout to fully engage the small scapular rotators, they will thank you later when benching. Aim for the position on the very right on every single rep:
Upper back and shoulder mobility
We have very unhealthy life styles. We sit at computers all day long, we do not use our arms and legs as our ancestors did, we move very little in general, we drive a lot. All this means reduced mobility and tight upper back. Search the internet for upper back mobility and shoulder girdle mobility drills. Yep, all those simple movements we all did in elementary school during physical education classes. Arm circles, upper back rotations, twists in all angles, all kinds of shoulder dislocates with a broomstick or a jumping rope. You should do upper back and shoulder mobility several times a week. The more directions and planes of movement the better. Are you a desk jockey and travel frequently like me? You can find 10 minutes in your hotel room, right? Just do it. It's not sexy or badass but it is damn helpful for your pain-free lifting.
Hmmm, no rows ..... when in doubt add some heavy rows to the points above and you are bulletproof and ready to bench big. With pain-free shoulders ;-)
