Mobile Shoulders Push Big Benches
If you’re reading this, you probably bench press. You also probably want to bench press more than you currently do right now. I’ll also assume that you do some sort of soft tissue work with a foam roller, rumble roller, or a lacrosse ball if you really hate yourself. At the very least, you stretch out every once in a while. These are all very good things to do and will most certainly help keep all the sliding surfaces of your muscles untangled and feeling good. While these methods will help with the superficial aspects of mobility, deeper structural problems may be holding you back from pushing the kind of weight you’re capable of. If not addressed, shoulder capsule problems can pull you into a constant internally rotated position and completely ruin your ability to press.
The shoulder capsule holds the humerus in the scapula and creates the glenohumeral joint or the “shoulder joint.” When lifters talk about having a “frozen shoulder,” they’re referring to this area being very inflamed after some sort of significant trauma. If this area becomes tight and the humerus is pulled out of position, all the stretching and soft tissue work is just going to improve superficial muscle tone that rests on top of a deeper structural problem.
Anyone who has trained for a strength sport, or any sport really, knows that positioning and technique are key to success. Tight, bound-up shoulder capsules will pull your arms into the complete opposite of good bench press positioning.
Here are three easy mobility exercises that will loosen up the shoulder capsule, reset the humerus, and get you ready to smash some PRs:
1. Shoulder capsule PNF
Choke an average or a strong band around something that isn’t going to flip over and kill you. Slide one shoulder through the loop, place your hand palm out and flat against your lower back, and walk out until there is significant tension in the band. If your capsule is bound up, you will feel this almost immediately. Once you have some tension in the band, flex into the band as hard as you can for 5–10 seconds. Relax for 10–20 seconds and then repeat. Keep doing this until you feel a change in the area. A change could be a decrease in pressure or the feeling of the capsule loosening up. I suggest doing this for at least two minutes per shoulder.
2. Humeral resetting
Choke an average or a light band around something sturdy and set it up close to the floor. You are also going to need a heavy dumbbell for this one (I’m using a 60-lb one in the video below). Lie on the floor and loop the band around your upper arm so that your body is perpendicular to the direction the band is pulling. Place the heavy dumbbell into the hand of the arm in traction, get some tension on the band, and brace your elbow with the opposite hand. Once in this position, imagine trying to screw your arm into the floor. The band will pull your arm into traction, the weight will push your humerus into the back of the capsule, and you will slowly feel the capsule loosen against the floor. Use the same duration suggestions as with the shoulder capsule PNF.
3. Bench set-up mobility
Get set up the same way you did for the shoulder capsule PNF, except now you’ll need a mini band in your hands. Walk out until there is significant tension on the band and perform 10 pull-aparts, 10 dislocations, and 10 overhead pull-aparts. Briefly hold the contraction at the end of each movement. Now that your capsule is loosened up and your humerus is set, these exercises will get your scapulae ready to be set up under the bar.
Here’s a video showing all of these exercises. Heavy metal and checkered board shorts aren’t required, but they help. Now go bench a lot.
PDF 
Mike Hedlesky is currently a personal trainer in the Ocean City, Maryland area where his client base ranges from local high school athletes to first time gym goers looking to lose some weight and get in shape. He recently graduated from Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland, with a master’s degree in applied health physiology and a concentration in strength and conditioning. When not training clients or looking for collegiate strength and conditioning jobs, Mike trains like a maniac for local and national powerlifting competitions. The most notable lifts to his name are a 670-lb raw squat and an 810-lb single-ply deadlift. Mike is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Sports Performance Coach and he's Westside Barbell certified. 
Where is the video?! This article is definitely what I need.
Maybe I’m dense but, where is the video referenced in the article? Visual demonstrations sure would help.
Awesome article, really pertinent to what I’m going through at the moment… Any chance we could get a video of 1 through 3 to get a better idea of how to do this.
nvm my previous comment, great video. thanks for uploading.
For sure going to try this out!
after a week and a half away from the gym my shoulders are feeling worse. i will give these a try tonight
also +1 for from mars to sirius
MS and Julian,
Please post how the exercises work out for you on here. This goes for everyone else as well.
Thanks for reading. Hope this stuff helps!
Julien,
Gojira has been shown to increase shoulder mobility by 150%. This is mostly due to the 500% increase in awesomeness that comes from listening to awesome music.
is this how you got strong enough to pick up a couch on tv mark?
Great article, my left shoulder definitely feels “frozen,” like something isn’t quite in place back there. And Gojira made the video 10x more awesome.
Great article & video! Would love to see squat and deadlift mobility articles as well.
Gojira.. nice. o yea n good mob drills too
Nice article, for a grinding shoulder socket, which one would be best, or all of them, Thanks
Jay,
Give all of them a shot and see if there is any improvement.
Marty,
Working on that right now actually!
Hell yes, fantastic article. This info needs to be shared.
Awesome article man. Looking forward to the deadlift and squat mobility articles.
I don’t want to seem like a jerk, but should Kelly Starrett be cited as the source for the second one?
The Dude,
Yes. You’re right. I should have cited Eugene Sandow for the bench press as well. Stuff like this has been used in physical therapy forever. I am just applying it to optimizing positioning in the bench press. Unless KStar has trademarked the back pf the shoulder capsule, I think all is well.
or a reference for all of them?
Damien,
Sources:
1. Basic Anatomy
2. Mark Bell, Donnie Thompson, KStar, Pavel
3. Me
One thing to remember when speaking of shoulder issues related to benching is the imbalance that occurs do to overworking the ant delts an underworking the posterior delts. This scenario combined with strengthening the internal rotators ( of which the pecs are a major one ) is a primary reason for significant forward translation and internal rotation of the gh joint plus the nice added benefit of placing the supraspinatous in a mechanically disadvantageous position, which facilitates it’s likely chafing against he acromion process, since now that everything is pulled anteriorly, the scap rolls up and around on the thorax giving the acromion a kill shot on the supraspinatous. One way, and a simple way to combat this is to add pull ups the weighted pull ups to your arsenal, preferably in a 1:1 set ratio. If you cannot easily visualize your posterior delt, you are prob under training it. It ain’t glamorous but it is critical, along with rhomboids as well. Remember, lats internally rotate, adduct, and extend the shoulder. If you are banking on lats to help your shoulder, you are barking up the wrong tree. Mobility is all fine and good, but I have seen plenty of screwed up shoulders that were really mobile..too mobile. Elitefts is good abt talking abt accurate info and I added this to hopefully supplement the conversation.
Tracy,
Excellent post. I don’t think too many lifters know that the lat’s are a shoulder internal rotator. You are 100% correct, killing lat work can make a shoulder problem even worse if you ignore direct ext. rotation work.
should this be done a couple times a week or only on a pressing day
Wow! The exact article I needed. Thanks.
Question: I had a pec tendon repair about 10 years ago. Would tightness of the repaired pec be causing the the problem? Also had an ac joint separation on the same side as well. “
Would be effective for someone two months out of a shoulder dislocation? Thanks
Devin,
Mobility work like this should be done until a change is made in the area. Definitely do them on pressing days and at least once a week on a non-pressing day. Personally, I will go though all three 3-4 times a week just to keep everything moving and mobile.
Jim,
No problem, thanks for reading. Hope it helps!
Jim,
The problem with repaired injuries like that is the extensibility and contractability of the muscles involved will probably never get back to 100%. You would greatly benefit from any kind of mobility work but these drills should help you get into better positions for your pressing.
Jesse,
Any mobility, or exercises in general, work that causes pain or severe discomfort shouldn’t be done. Hopefully, you have seen a doctor about your shoulder. If you have and they have cleared you for activity, then go for it. Just start with very light weight and band tensions and ease into the drills. Good luck with your recovery!
Works great tried today . The was gone. Thanks
Thank you — Seriously. My shoulders have been killing me. This was heavenly.
Mike,
I am trying to visualize the bench set-up mobility exercise…. So for this one you loop a band around your upper arm and then walk out until there is band tension.. Then once you have band tension you use the mini band as described to do the pull aparts, dislocates, etc…Then repeat with other arm. Is this correct?
Mike, when I do the PNF strecth, I get a tingling down in my hand. Not sure if I’m impinging a nerve, or just cutting off blood supply. For what it’s worth, when doing the “bench set-up mobility” portion, I do NOT get a tingling.
The “humeral resetting” portion was difficult for me, I’m going to try a light band instead of an avg and a lighter db. When watching your video it seems like the rotation is occurring only between your elbow and wrist. Is that correct? Reading the description it sounds like your humerus should be rotating, but it doesnt look like yours is, but perhaps I’m seeing it wrong.
Sorry Ashwin,It’s not available in offline stores.