The complexity of the shoulder joint, combined with the fact that it is used in every upper body exercise means that it is particularly vulnerable.
In this article, we will look at 9 shoulder exercises for shoulder pain. They’ll help you build strong, healthy and injury-resistant shoulders, and they can all be done at home.
They are simple exercises, using only home gym equipment and the techniques are easy to learn. They are very safe shoulder exercises and they are effective.
By following this program you will be able to rebuild your shoulders, improving strength throughout the range.
Side note – A Total Gym it’s a great piece of equipment if you’re recovering from an injury, as it uses a full free range of motion using your body weight as resistance.
Shoulder anatomy and possible causes of pain
Before we start talking about shoulder exercises, we need to look at what might be causing the problem.
By taking a basic look at shoulder anatomy, we can understand more about where shoulder pain is coming from.
Disclaimer – This is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. If you have severe shoulder discomfort, seek the diagnosis of a qualified professional first.
The shoulder is a very complex joint. It is a union of four bones and eight different muscles. There are also tendons, ligaments and nerves in there.
If you zoom out slightly, there are eighteen muscles that can affect the movement of the shoulder joint. To simplify, we are interested in the following four main muscles…
• Anterior deltoid (front shoulder)
• Lateral deltoid (lateral shoulder)
• Posterior deltoid (back shoulder)
• Trapezius (one of the upper back muscles)
Often, when one or more of them are weak, tight, or overtrained, it can lead to reduced movement, which causes shoulder pain.
This pain ranges in severity from “annoying” to “requires surgery.”
The structures combine to give the shoulder the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body.
With the combination of so many tissue types, a wide range of motion, and such heavy use, you can understand how vulnerable the shoulder is.
Combine that with a poor training plan and you could be asking for trouble.
My point is that when we say “shoulder pain”, it’s often a more complicated issue than we imagine.
By performing the exercises on this list, you will train the different muscles of the shoulder, hopefully rebalancing the strength of the joint and removing these problems.
You could prevent potentially serious issues down the line with some early inclusion of these moves.
Exercises for shoulder pain that you can do at home
To complete this set of exercises without processing, you will need the following equipment…
• A Total Gym
• Resistance band
• Dumbbells
• Push Ups handles
• Pull up bar
If you have all these, you can build a set of strong and healthy shoulders at home. Nothing else is needed.
Follow the exercises below and your shoulders will be bulletproof in just a few weeks…
1. With “Y” band (3 x 10)
The banded Y is a fantastic exercise for shoulder health. It uses a resistance band, so there’s no risk of overexerting yourself with weights. Secure the belt in place.
Keep your posture upright, engage your core and smoothly pull the bands up and slightly apart. Back under control. Make the shoulders do all the work.
2. Banded ‘T’ (3 x 10)
The banded T is similar to the Y, but the arms remain horizontal. When the belt is secure, lean back very gently. Keep your arms horizontal and the belt tight. Pull your hands away.
Make sure the movement is smooth throughout. Don’t pull the bands back, move under control. Again, make sure the shoulders are doing the work.
3. “W” Band (3 x 10)
The banded W is a bit more advanced in the sense that it involves twisting as well as pulling. Fasten the belt and keep it under tension. Always move with control.
The idea here is to make the shoulders do the work as you rotate. As always, maintain good posture and core control.
4. Total front raise in the gym (3 x 10)
The front raise is an exercise that specifically targets the anterior deltoid (the front of the shoulder muscle).
Using the total gym you can control the resistance and make the movement smooth.
Keep a tight core, then pull the exercise smoothly. Keep shoulders engaged throughout.
You can find a whole library of exercises to do at Total Gym here.
5. Total Gym Shoulder Press (3 x 10)
The Total Gym Shoulder Press is a way to push through a full range of motion. Thanks to the tension on the string, the shoulders work throughout the exercise.
Additionally, the lack of weight can make exercise safer. Adjust the angle of your Total Gym so the resistance is a challenge. Move slowly and under control.
6. Total Standing Exercise Set (3 x 10)
The standing row is a way to engage the upper back and rear deltoids. It is part of our strategy to train all the muscles surrounding the shoulder.
Set the Total Gym so that the resistance is challenging, but you can still perform sets of 10 reps. Press the shoulder blades together as you perform the movement.
7. Push Ups on handles (3 x 10)
I like this exercise because it not only strengthens the muscles, but also stretches them. By adding more range of motion, you increase the time the muscles are under tension.
By allowing your chest and shoulder muscles to stretch, you improve tissue elasticity and range of motion, which helps prevent injury.
Keep the pace smooth and lower yourself to full extension with each repetition.
8. Dumbbell Lat Raises (3 x 10)
The dumbbell lat raise is a simple exercise that effectively targets the medial deltoid (middle of the shoulder muscle). The key to doing this exercise correctly is to lift a reasonable weight.
It should be heavy enough to challenge you, but light enough that you can perform a full range of motion with control. Keeping your core engaged, stand up straight and lift smoothly.
9. Passive Hang (2 x 30 seconds)
You might be wondering why it’s here, but passive cling is a cheat code for shoulder health. You just hang from the bar, keeping your shoulders loose and relaxed.
The idea is to stretch the lats (muscles on the side of the back), which are connected to the shoulders. It is also a good exercise for grip strength.
Shoulder exercises in a home gym
All of these exercises are home gym friendly. You don’t need anything with advanced or specialized equipment. The benefit of doing these exercises at home is that you are in your own environment that you can curate.
By building your own home gym you can make it perfect for your needs.
Some people out there prefer to have one Television in their home gyms, some like music and others prefer silence. The important thing is that it’s a place that makes you want to exercise.
The good thing about working out your shoulders in a home gym is that you can do it whenever you want.
No need to wait for equipment, no need to travel, no need to pay a monthly fee. Just walk into your gym and get busy!
How often should you do shoulder exercises?
I would suggest that you fully perform the shoulder pain exercises about twice a week.
This way you build the strength and endurance of the shoulders to stop problems coming back in the future.
The reality is, however, these exercises release hormones which can help improve your mood. As long as you don’t go crazy, you can do them as often as you want.
They are designed to improve shoulder health, so they don’t put too much strain on the body. You could easily get away with doing them as a full shoulder day.
If you want to perform a refined selection of these, then I recommend the Y, T, W exercises, Total Gym Exercises and the passive hang.
These are the ones that will give you a lot of benefits and arguably the most bang for your buck when it comes to exercises for shoulder pain.
