I mentioned in an previous post that I had may 2nd surgery on my left shoulder around 6 months back. My "rehab" period is over and I'm free to do whatever I'd like as long as it doesn't cause pain. Now, my main reason in having the surgery was to be able to return to my MMA gym and move forward with my training. I have been piddling with the heavy bag lately with little or no pain. Yeah baby!
One thing that still bothers me is any type of overhead pressing from shoulder height (KB's, military press, DB overhead press, etc). After speaking with Joel, our physical therapist, and reviewing information from Eric Cressey, it turns out that deep overhead pressing is one activity that I may need to drop altogether.
I have no pain during horizontal pressing (bench press, DB BP, Push ups, etc) with a neutral grip or overhead pressing with limited range (handstand push ups, weight plate presses). I actually have loads of options with modifications that cause no pain whatsoever.
Am I a little bummed about eliminating fun/functional exercises like clean and presses and thrusters? Absolutely, but what I/you need to remember is that the training we do in the gym is not a sport. Whether your sport is golf, chasing the kids around the yard or punching someone in the face (BTW, sometimes they punch back), your training should enhance your life outside of the gym.
The silver lining in this learning process is the firsthand knowledge that I can pass along to clients and our team. We train many golfers and tennis players and those sports do present specific challenges to the shoulder joint. A little personal perspective goes a long way in preventing and understanding these setbacks.
Once again, every challenge presents an opportunity!
Rick Mayo
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