Shoulder pain · shoulder injuries
Strength training for shoulder pain: moving freely without pain again
Your shoulder hurts when you reach overhead, when you press, or just when you lie on your side at night. You’ve done exercises with resistance bands, maybe had an injection. It got better, and then worse again. Time to tackle the cause.
Why shoulder pain often lingers
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body. That makes it vulnerable when it isn’t strong enough for what you ask of it. After an overload, many people start protecting the shoulder. Logical, but it makes it even less resilient, and it reacts faster to every movement.
Passive treatments often give temporary relief. What a shoulder needs in the long run is strength in every direction and the confidence to use it fully again. For boxing, swimming, climbing, lifting, or just picking up your child.
Complaints I can help with
- Pain when raising your arm or reaching overhead.
- Shoulder pain that returns with sports like boxing, tennis or gym training.
- A shoulder that feels stiff or unreliable after a previous injury.
- Pain linked to lots of computer work, stress or poor sleep.
The DYBS method
How I tackle your shoulder pain
01
Map it out
When does your shoulder hurt, and when doesn’t it? What have you already tried? And which sport or movement do you want to do again without fear?
02
Discover
We test in a controlled way: pressing, pulling, overhead. I look at where your shoulder responds and where you start compensating or avoiding. That’s often where the key is.
03
Build
12 weeks of making your shoulder strong in every direction, with cable, dumbbell and barbell exercises. Step by step back to what you want to be able to do.
Client review
“Doing nothing at all isn’t really an option. I dare to box again. My body works with me again, and that gives me the freedom to do what I want.”
Walter, client · back to boxing after years of shoulder pain · translated from Dutch
Questions about strength training for shoulder pain
Can I train with shoulder pain?
Usually yes. During training the pain can be at most a 3 or 4 out of 10, and the sensitivity should settle within 24 to 48 hours. Within those limits your shoulder gets stronger without your complaint getting worse.
Can I come to you if I’m also seeing a physio?
Yes. With your permission I’ll coordinate with your physio, so you don’t get conflicting advice and everything reinforces each other.
Can I get back to my sport?
That’s often exactly the goal. We build up towards the movements your sport demands, so you’re not just pain-free, but come back stronger.
Desley Baars is a personal trainer and strength coach for long-term pain in Amsterdam-West. He is not a doctor and does not diagnose. If you have severe or unexplained symptoms, such as radiating pain with numbness, loss of strength or night pain that doesn’t go away, see your GP first.
Want to fully trust your shoulder again?
In a free movement assessment we find out why your shoulder keeps flaring up and how to make it strong.
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