​​Defeat Shoulder Pain once and for all, Get Stronger, and Build Muscle with this Simple 5-Step Process

ALL of these players play a pivotal role in shoulder health and strength. If you have a dysfunction in one of these areas, you are going to have a shoulder problem--guaranteed.

The most common mistake a person can make (and boy do a lot of people make this one) is to focus on stretching the glenohumeral joint only.

This is a MAJOR PROBLEM.

The Glenohumeral Joint is already the MOST MOBILE JOINT IN YOUR ENTIRE BODY...so what happens when you try to stretch it MORE? You actually create what's called joint instability. You see, your joints actually require two things--Mobility AND Stability.

Stretching the hell out of the most mobile joint in your body is going to cause more pain and suffering--and in some cases, this process isn't reversible--because you aren't stretching muscle here--you are stretching ligaments. Ligaments don't stretch like a rubber band, the way muscles do. Ligaments stretch more like silly putty--you can't shove it back together once you overstretch it.

So don't just stretch your damn GH joint!

Not only do you need to address function in all five areas, but the ORDER that you address them in is critical.

In fact, many people already know that you need to have a functional scapula and a mobile thoracic spine (middle back) in order for your glenohumeral joint to work well.

BUT...

If you don't address the breathing, and core strength FIRST, all the shoulder rehab in the world isn't going to fix the problem.

To sum up so far, you need to address the key players, in sequential order.

Let's go into some actual details regarding these players.

First, understand that your breathing is driven by one primary muscle (diaphragm) and assisted by a myriad of others.

Many people use the wrong muscles to drive the movement--the most common problem is often referred to as "chest breathing."

"Chest breathers" use the neck and shoulders excessively to help drive breathing, and this causes inappropriate muscular tension.

Proper muscular tension creates something called Joint Centration--this is the ideal joint position ("centered" in the socket).

You see your body is designed in a rather masterful way. The structure is set up for your joints to have an ideal mechanical advantage for movement. The only way that your joints maintain this ideal position, is if the muscles acting on a joint have the correct amount of tension. Not enough tension and you lose STABILITY--too much and you lose MOBILITY.

In fact, if these neighboring muscles lend a hand with core stability work, they can't do their own jobs properly anymore, and they'll be overworked. So now your shoulder muscles are too busy being a core to hold the shoulder joints in the right position and move your shoulder around.

For this reason, it is important to properly activate your core. The Core gets weak, and lazy from lack of use. To properly activate the core, you need to focus on 3 key things.

This is going to cause havoc on your shoulder function.

Not only that, but a mobile thoracic spine and neck are REQUIRED for your scapula (shoulder blade) to be adequately mobile and stable.

To address these areas, a combination of multi-planar mobility drills (mainly extension and rotation) are a necessary step in the process. These easy drills are the next step in Simple Shoulder Solution.

Careful though, most people overstretch their Lumbar Spine (low back) instead of the thoracic spine, which can actually cause more low back problems AND NOT help with your shoulder mobility.

Can you draw a circle with your shoulder blade?

How about with your arm completely straight?

How about from a push-up position?

Or hanging from a bar?

These movements are rarely done, but are necessary for strong, healthy, and flexible shoulders. This is especially true for the scapular muscles, which are NOT adequately strengthened with traditional weight training exercises.

If the shoulder blades don't work properly, they do not provide a solid foundation for the GH joint to move from--and you know how that story ends...

The last key player is that pesky glenohumeral joint. The most mobile joint in the body. The most vulnerable. The biggest pain in the ass for lifters and desk-bound individuals alike. It's also where most people FEEL the pain.

IF the proper steps have been taken in addressing the prerequisites (breathing, core, spine, scapula) it is important that you give that GH joint the right exercises.

The ideal exercises for this are going to be hybrid exercises. Exercises that require and train BOTH mobility and strength.

Usually, though, addressing the prerequisites takes care of the problem. The culprit is almost never the GH joint itself--and yet people just crank away on that poor joint.

​All Steps Complete! Time for RE-INTEGRATION

By properly dialing in all of the key players and placing your shoulder in the ideal joint position (centration)--you can have strong and healthy shoulders EVEN if you have a mechanical injury.

Not only that, but repairing the damaged tissue might not be the best choice either. Studies have shown that exercise and surgery provide equivalent relief--BUT those who exercised were stronger and less likely of re-injury.

I know (intimately) how an injury can make you feel powerless-- whether you want to smash weights in the gym, or reach for the top shelf without fear of a sharp pain. I've been there myself, and I've worked with hundreds in person (and thousands via the internet) to solve these problems.

Handstands, L-sits, Skin the Cats, and other advanced strength movements really separate this program from most "shoulder rehab" today. These "Multi-Vector" exercises are essential to healthy shoulder function. Just staying in the normal planes of movement (Like bench press and overhead press) don't train the entire shoulder.

You see, I believe that "good enough" just isn't good enough.

I want to take you ALL THE WAY from aches and pains into an athletic beast with shoulders like cannonballs. By smartly progressing into advanced strength and mobility movements, you significantly lower your risk of re-injuring your shoulder.

Max Shank

Coach, Author & Creator