Strong and supple shoulders can take some serious work, and if you have ever worked your way through some nagging shoulders , perhaps some frozen ones (adhesive capsulitis), or worse (hopefully not!) then you know what we mean.

There was a period in my life where I was advised to get surgery for both of my shoulders and I decided to take another path for as long as I could. A little over a decade later I can do things that I couldn’t do back then when I was trying to avoid the knife, but I still get a little aggravation from time to time. Overall, MUCH better.

This article and video isn’t to dissuade anyone from surgery as everyone (and circumstance is different), BUT, if you can do anything that is really tried and true to prepare yourself against injury it’s getting really strong and supple. Doing things that prepare (and overprepare) your body for forces that it can encounter “out in the wild” is possibly better than anything. This can be done in a variety of ways, but this video showcases a workout/template that works on loading in deep ranges for motion, getting very heavy, and then also working isometrically for some added endurance “pump”.

The workout I chose this day included a shorter format warm-up that included arms first (blasphemy!) for some added isolation work for the arm/shoulders along with some deeper ranges of motion once warm and ready. There are a couple of options if you don’t yet have the capacity to do something like a skin-the-cat. There is a heavy push and pull component for the muscles of the shoulder and upper body as a whole. It concludes with a very fun grip and shoulder isometric endurance style finisher.

If you missed our last fun one that involved bands for a full body pump while travelling, check it out here.

Why Both Supple and Strong?

Making sure your body can withstand the forces applied to it and do so throughout the full range of motion it is capable of is a great way to bulletproof yourself if there ever was one.

While we can’t every guarantee that you won’t get hurt like some exercise styles or guru like influencers would like you to believe, you can certainly get stronger in all the ways a really mobile joint like the shoulder can move. You can also just get generally very strong in more limited motion as there is still transfer. The ability to prevent injury through forces that may be similar to ones you train in is a thing. This is also why aside from doing things really heavy with great forces applied gradually, you can also do things that are fast and heavy (or lighter). Adaptations at the brain and nerve level happen as well as at the joint and tissues.

In this workout below, we focus in on specific deep ranges of motion as we are warm and the body is more prepared, then we break out the heavy weight, then burn out some endurance.

Workout Breakdown:

Here is the brief 1 minute video. In about 30 minutes, I got really warm and tested some heavier but controlled loads on my shoulders starting with lighter dumbbells, kettlebells and bodyweight, and then also used my full bodyweight on my shoulders in a deep range. You can try the first 2 motions that nearly mimic the skin-the-cat if that is not in the stars. I used a heavy barbell and dumbbell to push and pull at the peak of my workout for a few tough sets with plenty of rest in between. I concluded with only 1 big max effort/distance set of kettlebell holds and carries. I knocked out my arms in the warm-up so I didn’t need to include separate work later and they also served to prime my shoulders. Bicep and triceps (arm work) is very underrated and is not-so-low-key shoulder work.

In Order-

1. 3min FanBike (not shown)

2. Get Warm = 1min per station x 3 Rounds = KB Kneeling Clean + Press (:30/arm), Zottman Curls, Triceps Extension (:30/side): Manageable weights here and you can build a little each time through

3. Get Supple: Shoulder extensions on floor + arm bars x 10 each (or 5/side). You can also do something like a dislocate or skin the cat.

4. Get Heavy: Barbell Strict Press + DB Row = 5 Sets Each (2-3 HEAVY) of 4-6 Reps, rest as needed between all movements.

5. Isometric Endurance Burnout= MAX KB Waiters/Overhead Hold, KB Front Rack Hold, Distance Farmer’s Walk : Use Heavy weights you can hold positions for at least :30 seconds or more. Try not to put them down. 1-2 Rounds (or more if you like).

   NOTE: Choose the versions and weights that challenge you in the times and rep ranges. It takes time to build both control in deep range and strength.

As always, have fun! Let us know what you think and if you’d like to see more similar workouts and workout ideas!

Interested in what you can do to get the most out of your daily exercise routine and work 1:1 with a coach? For a free consult, sign up here.

Want an awesome 4 day workout plan that check all the boxes in 40-60 minute? Check out the RB build daily programming- https://www.resilient-body.com/rb-build

As always, if you have any questions or just want to say hey, shoot us a message.

More workouts to come. Catch you next week…