Post Shoulder Surgery - Building Shoulder Bulk

[dr.harker]

I had a right and left shoulder surgery 9 years ago. Anterior dislocation right shoulder. Posterior on left. (I was a competitive swimmer for 10 years, which blows your shoulders out - very common),

Any suggestions for low impact shoulder exercises for building bulk. Particularly rear deltoids are very hard to engage/isolate.

 

[RickTheToad]

You should make an appt. with a licensed PT. You don't want to f uck around with two bad shoulders. You are just asking for trouble.

 

[EyeBRollin]

I had a right and left shoulder surgery 9 years ago. Anterior dislocation right shoulder. Posterior on left. (I was a competitive swimmer for 10 years, which blows your shoulders out - very common),

Any suggestions for low impact shoulder exercises for building bulk. Particularly rear deltoids are very hard to engage/isolate.

Overhead Press and Chin Ups / Lat Pulldowns.

 

[Staticus]

You should make an appt. with a licensed PT. You don't want to f uck around with two bad shoulders. You are just asking for trouble.

I totally agree with this. Especially if you’ve been stagnant for that amount of time as well. Go through a full PT protocol and be cleared by said PT to put you shoulders under load. After, consult with the PT on using strength bands and utilizing tabata/ time under tension (TUT) routines. I would then move onto light to moderate weight Range of motion exercises (ROM). Coming back from a shoulder injury is a slow and steady process, which you know. Be smart and careful, the size will come.

 

[dr.harker]

Overhead Press and Chin Ups / Lat Pulldowns.

Doing a lot of those, as is.

 

[dr.harker]

I totally agree with this. Especially if you’ve been stagnant for that amount of time as well. Go through a full PT protocol and be cleared by said PT to put you shoulders under load. After, consult with the PT on using strength bands and utilizing tabata/ time under tension (TUT) routines. I would then move onto light to moderate weight Range of motion exercises (ROM). Coming back from a shoulder injury is a slow and steady process, which you know. Be smart and careful, the size will come.

I’ve done band work for years. Started free weights again a few months ago. PT suggestion makes sense. Didn’t really think about having a pro do some load tests.

 

[Staticus]

I’ve done band work for years. Started free weights again a few months ago. PT suggestion makes sense. Didn’t really think about having a pro do some load tests.

Just stay healthy. I’d make the PT routine. I know a lot of guys who go to PT 2-4 times a month who don’t have injuries, just go for maintenance. Look into flossing too. A lot of this is also literally at your finger tips. YouTube has so much free content it’s not even funny.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

Former swimmer here. Most swimmers I knew didn’t even have bad shoulders, they all had bad knees lol



I can pop my left shoulder out naturally and was able to do so at a young age. I only went to PT for it (and my back) last year.

Jeff Cavalier (ATHLEAN-X) on YouTube talks about external rotation a lot to the point where it’s become a meme in the comments on all his videos now lol. The guy is a physical therapist and trainer, so he really knows what’s up. The stuff he talks about is exactly the stuff they had me do at PT. They’re honestly all the same when you get down to it but yeah.

The best one for the rear delts that I can tell you are a modified version of facepulls. This is the one Jeff likes the most, and what every physical therapist has you do for rear delt/rotator cuff work. It’s like a regular facepull, except that instead of your hands finishing near your ears, they finish more outwards. Your elbows should not be bent onwards. Basically, it’s a regular facepull except that you elbow is at a 90 degree angle instead of say a 30 degree angle like in a normal one. Not sure if that’s making sense. It’s very similar to the W in YTWL’s (arms should be higher up tho).

Speaking of which, YTWLs are a great way to bulletproof your shoulders. I don’t do all of them but they're still very good. The reverse cable crossover one (the Y) is great imo because it works your lower traps as well which is something that most people ignore. Doing the regular T part is fine, but I like Y better.

The last one I do doesn’t realy have a name that I’m aware of lol. I use a cable where I angle myself ~45 degrees away from the machine (so say I’m doing my right arm—I angle myself ~45 degrees to the right) and do a raise. It’s not a sideways raise, it’s in the opposite direction of the pulley. So it’s not quite a raise, but it’s also not quite a straight-arm pulldown either. But yeah, that’s what I do.

Bulletproof your shoulders.

 

[EyeBRollin]

Doing a lot of those, as is.

Those are sufficient.

 

[dr.harker]

Former swimmer here. Most swimmers I knew didn’t even have bad shoulders, they all had bad knees lol



I can pop my left shoulder out naturally and was able to do so at a young age. I only went to PT for it (and my back) last year.

Jeff Cavalier (ATHLEAN-X) on YouTube talks about external rotation a lot to the point where it’s become a meme in the comments on all his videos now lol. The guy is a physical therapist and trainer, so he really knows what’s up. The stuff he talks about is exactly the stuff they had me do at PT. They’re honestly all the same when you get down to it but yeah.

The best one for the rear delts that I can tell you are a modified version of facepulls. This is the one Jeff likes the most, and what every physical therapist has you do for rear delt/rotator cuff work. It’s like a regular facepull, except that instead of your hands finishing near your ears, they finish more outwards. Your elbows should not be bent onwards. Basically, it’s a regular facepull except that you elbow is at a 90 degree angle instead of say a 30 degree angle like in a normal one. Not sure if that’s making sense. It’s very similar to the W in YTWL’s (arms should be higher up tho).

Speaking of which, YTWLs are a great way to bulletproof your shoulders. I don’t do all of them but they're still very good. The reverse cable crossover one (the Y) is great imo because it works your lower traps as well which is something that most people ignore. Doing the regular T part is fine, but I like Y better.

The last one I do doesn’t realy have a name that I’m aware of lol. I use a cable where I angle myself ~45 degrees away from the machine (so say I’m doing my right arm—I angle myself ~45 degrees to the right) and do a raise. It’s not a sideways raise, it’s in the opposite direction of the pulley. So it’s not quite a raise, but it’s also not quite a straight-arm pulldown either. But yeah, that’s what I do.

Bulletproof your shoulders.

Dig the face pull stuff. Meeting with a PT to discuss. Thanks, from one swimmer to another.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

Dig the face pull stuff. Meeting with a PT to discuss. Thanks, from one swimmer to another.

Np bro