shoulder pain on jerks

[Steven Low]

Add some more horizontal pulling strength work, and external rotation strength work (only do side lying external rotations and some cuban presses).

I strongly suspect that your IR/ER imbalance and weak posterior shoulder area are causing your pain. When you jerk if your shoulder isn't balanced, the instability of your muscles to balance the weight right away can cause pain just like any other related imbalances.

[Arien Malec]

Originally Posted by Steven Low

Add some more horizontal pulling strength work, and external rotation strength work (only do side lying external rotations and some cuban presses).

I strongly suspect that your IR/ER imbalance and weak posterior shoulder area are causing your pain. When you jerk if your shoulder isn't balanced, the instability of your muscles to balance the weight right away can cause pain just like any other related imbalances.

Horizontal pulling = rows?

I'll add the side external rotations, cuban presses, and overhead holds and cut out jerks. Should I be looking for a point where my external and internal rotation strength is roughly equal?

Thanks to you, Leo and Derek for the help and advice.

[Steven Low]

Originally Posted by Arien Malec

Horizontal pulling = rows?

I'll add the side external rotations, cuban presses, and overhead holds and cut out jerks. Should I be looking for a point where my external and internal rotation strength is roughly equal?

Thanks to you, Leo and Derek for the help and advice.

Horizontal pulling = C2 rowing (power work), pendlay rows, bent over rows, front lever pullups, inverted pullups (weighted), etc.

I'd say go for equal. All things considered, internal rotation should be a bit stronger.

Make sure you have good posture.

[Gregory L. Johnson]

Originally Posted by Arien Malec

I've been experiencing, for a couple of months now, a pain in my right shoulder that only happens on jerks.

What you described is the same thing I experience after first couple of weeks of the weightlifting portion of CA WOD. However it effected both of my shoulders. My problem eventually went away after about a month. I don't know if any of my other activities contributed to the speed of my recovery compared to yours. I continued the CA WOD excluding any Jerks. Before all my workouts I did DROM drills and some light weight kettlebell swings, snatches, and presses. Additionally I was swimming every night 300 to 400 meters, mostly breast-stroke and sidestroke.

[Arien Malec]

Did my first jerks today after implementing the program. No pain! I noticed that my shoulder doesn't lock in nicely on the right -- probably a result of the asymetric weakness.

I worked my external rotations, 10#, starting 3x10, going to 3x12, then upping the weight to 12.5, progressing nicely. Adding KB overhead carries, no cuban presses yet.

Gregory -- I suspect it's the KB work that saved you, although the swimming should help as well with the shoulder. KB work is awesome -- I don't do it enough.

Will update with progress.

[Philip Stablein]

Originally Posted by Arien Malec

Gregory -- I suspect it's the KB work that saved you, although the swimming should help as well with the shoulder. KB work is awesome -- I don't do it enough.

Breaststroke is definitely horizontal pulling work. Swimmers who specialize in one stroke too strongly tend to get imbalances, particularly in the shoulders! In this case though, sticking to one stroke panned out well.

(sorry about the days late reply)

[Arien Malec]

So another quick update:

I took my external rotations from 3 sets of 10 at 10# to 3x10 at 20#.

I've been able to bring jerks up to twice weekly with no pain. My next cycle will focus on jerks, and I've very optimistic.

Not as much handstand work as I wanted -- Leo's PR makes me want to mix in some of that as well.

Thanks again, Steven especially.

[Steven Low]

Good to hear.

Make sure you keep it up as it's easy to just feel you're better and then drop the exercise and then it comes back in a couple weeks.

Power snatches are great for external rotation if you were ever thinking about including some of those in your work (although if your snatch technique isn't that great then you may want to avoid..).