A common mistake for those dealing with shoulder pain is dropping all forms or pressing, both bench press and overhead pressing, when in reality, most shoulders do best when they’re exposed to both horizontal and vertical pressing. Balance matters.

Here are a few simple principles that make a big difference:

Reduce Your Volume:

Many shoulder issues come from doing too much pressing—not necessarily lifting too heavy. Weekly sets and overall volume matter. Start with a 50% reduction from your normal and see if that helps your pain.

Earn Full Range of Motion:

If bench or overhead pressing hurts try one of these 3 simple modifications

• Use dumbbells and try a neutral grip (palms facing toward each other)
• Reduce the speed and total range of motion of the movement
• Use landmine presses if those are still painful
  
  

Pull Some More!

Exercises like Rows, pull-ups, and rear-shoulder work help keep shoulders centered and strong. These are often neglected parts of a training program!

Don’t Ignore Your Thoracic Spine:

Limited thoracic spine (upper back) mobility often forces the shoulder to do extra work by limiting the comfortable positions it can get into. IIf your mobility here is decreased, improving this alone can make pressing feel better almost immediately.

Pain doesn’t automatically mean damage. More often than not, it’s your body telling you the load is higher than your current capacity, your recovery hasn’t kept up with training, and something needs to be adjusted temporarily. Most people don’t need to stop pressing forever. They need a smarter plan. If shoulder pain has been limiting your training, a few targeted adjustments can often make a big difference—without giving up the lifts you enjoy.

Ready to Press Without Shoulder Pain?

If shoulder pain has been limiting your bench press or overhead work, you don’t have to guess your way through it.

A performance-focused physical therapy assessment can identify why your shoulder is getting irritated, which movements or loads need adjustment, and how to keep training while symptoms calm down. We’ll build a plan that keeps you strong—without sacrificing your shoulders.

If you want to lift, press, and train confidently again, click the button below!