If you think heavy bench pressing is something you can only enjoy until a certain age, think again. Shoulder pain is something that unfortunately creeps in for many of us as we get older, but you don’t have to let that wear and tear put an end to your time under a barbell. Lifting into your later years comes down to keeping your body primed by paying extra special attention to your joint health and mobility.
Marlon Felisberto is a strength coach for dads and a dad himself who still benches heavy. To keep his shoulders feeling good and performing well, he incorporates targeted mobility exercises into his warm up before ever hitting the bench. These moves require just a couple of light weights, but are a surefire way to prep the shoulders for the demands of pressing. Try his mobility routine below if you’ve been dealing with achy shoulders, or want to take preventative measures to keep yours healthy and continue building strength for years to come.
Shoulder Mobility Workout Routine
How to Do Scap Pushups
- Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders, arms straight, and body forming a straight line from head to heels.
- Keeping your elbows locked, squeeze your shoulder blades together to lower your chest slightly toward the floor, then push through your hands to spread your shoulder blades apart and push your upper back toward the ceiling.
- Continue alternating between these two positions.
How to Do Weighted Shoulder CARS
- Lie face down on the ground, holding light weights in each hand with arms down by your side.
- Slowly raise the weights up, guiding it through a controlled circular path overhead and behind your body, rotating through your shoulder without arching your back or twisting your torso.
- Complete the circle with control, returning your arm to the starting position, then repeat for the desired number of reps.
How to Do Weighted Serrano Presses
- Lie face down holding a light dumbbell in each hand by your shoulders with your elbows bent and palms facing forward.
- Press the weights up overhead and slightly forward.
- Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout each rep without shrugging your shoulders or arching your lower back.
How to Do IYTs
- Lie face down holding a light weight in each hand and arms hanging by your sides.
- Raise your arms overhead into an I position, then lower them before lifting them out diagonally into a Y position. Lower again, then raise your arms straight out to the sides into a T position, keeping your thumbs pointed up.
- Perform each raise with control, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Experts
- Marlon Felisberto, strength coach, via Instagram
