Confession Numero Uno: there is one physical ailment that drives me absolutely nuts when it comes to lifting. Over the number of years I have actively trained clients, I have run into a handful of occasions where I was faced with working around a shoulder impingement. A shoulder impingement occurs when there is impingement of tendons or bursa in the shoulder from bones of the shoulder. Repeated overhead activity of the shoulder is a risk factor for shoulder impingement syndrome. For yours truly, the Powerful Presser, this means that the military press, and the repeated overhead presses and pulls from the Powerful Pressing Program could be. . .um. . .problematic.
EEFFF!!!!!!
A shoulder impingement can cause persistent pain that can affect everyday activities. Motions such as reaching up behind the back or reaching up overhead to put on a coat or blouse, for example, may cause pain. Over time, this can lead to inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons (tendinitis) and bursa (bursitis). If not treated appropriately, the rotator cuff tendons can start to thin and tear. OOOOUUUUUUCCCCHHHHH! This is no bueno folks! A tear in the rotator cuff will lead you to surgery with a lengthy recovery time. You can forget your lifting routines at that point.
Confession Numero Dos: I am a kettlebell strength coach by trade and have the repertoire for serious over head lifts which has lead me to become one of the strongest coaches in the nation, but I am not a doctor. I’m stating the obvious here only to make a point that strengthening the shoulders themselves when you have an injury, ESPECIALLY and impingement, is NOT is your best interest. I have referred more and more clients for adequate help with such physical ailments (and sometimes against their wishes) because lifting through injury is just not safe. While I realize that we all want to be a better, stronger, more powerful version of ourselves, sometimes we have to do some additional work before unleashing our full potential.
THAT is where my friend, Dr. Scott Mills comes in to play with his Full Body Fix!
Dr. Mills is a Chiropractor with a MS in Exercise Science. He previously spent 6 years as a collegiate certified athletic trainer and has served thousands of patients over 15 years of patient care across various practice settings. His The Full Body Fix addresses the most common musculoskeletal complaints. Of particular interest here for all you pressing types is the upper body fixes Scott has for shoulder impingement. I have been diving into the corrective exercises that Scott has revealed, and had I known about these correctives in the past I would have been able to improve more clients with such troubles (hey! it’s a learning process, right?)
Here’s what I LOVE LOVE LOVE about Dr. Scott’s upper body fixes in relation to shoulder impingement.
- Dr. Scott has outlined six specific corrective exercises that are targeted to getting you out of pain from impingement. All of the exercises are laid out in sequence that make sense, creating a treatment protocol. So, instead of just trying a bunch of different exercises and hoping one works, you will have a detailed explanation of all the target exercises you are to complete in order to fix your pain. Brilliant!
- Dr. Scott focuses on adhesion removal through Active Release Techniques (ART). Adhesions (or scar tissue) can form in the body due to an usual amount of physical stress, and these adhesions can constrict muscles to the point of not being able to strength, flex, or just work properly in generally. Through the use of Dr. Scott’s ART methods, he is able to show you how to remove these pesky adhesions so you can strength better and move into all the more mobility and stability you need to be your most powerful self.
- MOBILITY AND STABILITY WORK! For those of you how already have a copy of Powerful Pressing, you will notice that I have required mobility and stability drills that are to be performed both before AND after each training sessions. There is a reason I have required the pre and post mobility and stability work. There exists in our world a disordered pattern of training behavior called “lifter syndrome”. Lifter Syndrome is a disordered pattern of behavior that negates mobility and stability work for the sake of lifting more weight in session (and I SWEAR this is in the DSM somewhere :-p). Here’s the deal folks! If you stop all your mobility and stability work, you’ll significantly increase your likelihood for being injured. If you want to move well and under the demands of heavy weights, you MUST be sure that your body is up to speed. Lifting more weight is NOT always better for you, and Dr Scott has outline all the mobility and stability drills you will need to be your strongest self.
Ready for more?
If you’re ready to eliminate pain and start pressing on into your most powerful self, be sure to do the extra credit and sign up for the Full Body Fix from Dr. Scott Mills. HEADS UP! When you click the ink to register for the Dr Scott’s Full Body Fix, be sure to use the coupon code “powerful pressing” and you will receive $10 off any purchase. This, dear reader, is the 1-2 punch to you becomeing stronger than you ever though possible.
Thanks for taking the time to read the blog today! Be sure to sign up for the Full Body Fix and us “powerful pressing” for $10 off your purchase. Don’t forget! Our Powerful Pressing coaching forum kicks off April 4th! Snag your copy of Powerful Pressing today and you’ll be added to our coaching forum to work with myself and the rest of the trainees on the program.
PRESS ON!
-Janelle
