Just this morning I was approached by a regular I know from the gym asking how to get rid of shoulder and elbow pain. He was complaining of numbness running down his arm and just an overall ache. He admitted having the habit of sleeping on his shoulders, and leaning to that same side while watching TV in his favorite chair. And of course still insists on doing heavy bench press with a barbell.
I helped him understand that it was quite possible that the elbow pain he was experiencing was likely due the the lack of alignment in his shoulder. And it may be possible that merely stretching and aligning his shoulder could allow his elbow to reset itself. If not, I had an excellent sports chiropractor I could refer.
Knowing him, I realized I was not likely going to talk him out of doing heavy bench press with a barbell. At least not yet anyway.
So I gave him a little taste of what I've been sharing you all this past month. We first went through some specific rotator cuff movements to warm the shoulder capsule. Then I showed him some general stretches to open up the chest and shoulder area. Followed by the movements from my previous posts this month, as well as the one below.
Whether it's to get rid of pain or avoid having it in the first place, don't neglect your shoulder -- rotator cuff work.
Here's this week's shoulder saver.