SHOULDER PAIN DURING PUSH-UPS?

Push-ups are the king of exercises. Heck, it’s the first exercise many kids learn and is the judge for pound for pound strength by many. However, many of the clients I work with at first do not perform them properly.

My family is a family full of engineers. Many of the thought patterns and techniques they use with engineering go hand and hand with the biomechanics of the human body.

With the push-up it’s real simple. Think of the architecture of a house. The support beams in the basement are perpendicular to the ground. If they started to tilt or were constructed at an angle that would be cause for worry. Same thing with your push-ups. 3 things need to be in alignment. Gravity, your elbow, and your wrist all need to be in the same plane of motion and perpendicular to the ground. Your forearm is the support pillar in this analogy.

Many times I see, and you may even experience your elbow being ahead of your wrist (profile view). This then cause internal rotation of the humerus (upper arm bone) in the shoulder capsule. The excess internal rotation with resistance (like in a push-up) can cause the humerus to jam into the connective tissue of the shoulder causing an impingement.

Below is my favorite method of teaching a proper push-up. That is the release push-up. It ensure shoulder positioning and proper arm angles. The release push-up forces scapula retraction which prevents rounded shoulder posture, impingement, and poor arm angles.

Depending on strength levels you may choose to start with an elevated push-up off a chair, bench, or step. If this is the case be aware that the resistance angle (body-weight) has now changed and your arm will no longer be perpendicular to the ground, but rather match the angle on your body.

Remember it’s always quality over quantity when it comes to your exercise repetitions.

To Your Health,

Mark Radio

Mark Radio

BA in Exercise Science, certified personal trainer, and certified nutritional counselor. Mark’s ability to connect, motivate, and educate has made him one of the most sought after health and fitness professionals in the industry.