5 KEY ELEMENTS

FOR BULLETPROOF
SHOULDERS

Program written by
Dr. Adam McCluskey, PT, DPT
 Strong, healthy, and resilient shoulders don’t happen on accident.

If you have ever tried to rehab your own aching shoulder, you know this all too well.

The shoulder complex is incredibly mobile by nature. Your shoulder blade has 17 dif-
ferent muscles attached to it, and it’s only direct bone to bone attachment is at the
clavicle.

The scapula has very little passive stability (ligaments holding it in place), and is almost
completely reliant on active stability (positioning depends on the muscles).

So why does that matter?

It means that your shoulder’s strength, mobility, and end range control are incredibly
important!

In the effort of simplifying your shoulder training, let’s talk about 5 essential elements
you need to incorporate to build bulletproof shoulders!

5 KEY ELEMENTS FOR BULLETPROOF SHOULDERS 1

1. TRAIN MULTIPLE ANGLES AND POSITIONS

If you’re looking to build resilient, strong, and pain-free shoulders long term, doing the
same three band exercises you got from your generic PT clinic is NOT going to cut it.

The shoulder is very complex and capable of moving in several different planes of mo-
tion and angles, and you need to train it that way!

If you are having pain with overhead movements, doing endless external rotations
with a light band doesn’t help you address this issue. This is a very small limited range
of motion, and neglects to incorporate many of the stabilizing muscles involved in a
good overhead position.

Here is an example of one of my favorite exercises that will challenge your shoulder in
multiple angles and positions.

5 KEY ELEMENTS FOR BULLETPROOF SHOULDERS 2

2. INCORPORATE CLOSED CHAIN EXERCISES

A closed chain exercise refers to moving the proximal joint in relation to a fixed limb.
In other words, moving the shoulder on a planted arm like in a pushup. An open chain
example would be a dumbbell overhead press, where the arm is moving freely in the
air on a fixed shoulder joint.

The reason this distinction matters is: an irritated rotator cuff will typically respond
well to the integration of some closed chain loading of the shoulder. It also challenges
your shoulder stabilizing muscles in a different way than your traditional weightlifting
movements.

If you are having trouble with exercises like bench press or military press, incorporating
closed chain exercises for your shoulders can make a big difference.

Here is an example of a great closed chain shoulder exercise.

5 KEY ELEMENTS FOR BULLETPROOF SHOULDERS 3

3. WORK ON END RANGE STRENGTH

One variable in shoulder training that most people neglect, or don’t know how to train,
is end range strength. This means being able to activate certain muscles at the outer
limits of your range of motion.

Many of us do mobility work with the goal of increasing the overall motion at your
joints. But working so hard to improve your joint mobility isn’t worth much if you don’t
know how to use that new mobility.

Our brains create things called motor programs that help us learn and get better at
various moments. If you work on mobility, but don’t train your shoulder at end range,
you never build a strong motor program for that new position. When you add in end
range strengthening, your body learns how to stabilize the joint in these outer limits
of your mobility.

This not only makes your mobility work more effective, but creates a stronger founda-
tion at your shoulders.

Let’s look at an example of end range shoulder strengthening.

5 KEY ELEMENTS FOR BULLETPROOF SHOULDERS 4

4. ADD SCAPULAR STABILITY TRAINING

While the rotator cuff is primarily responsible for securing the arm in the socket, and
assisting with movement of the arm... a well-functioning shoulder needs scapular con-
trol as well. Improving shoulder blade movement mechanics and stability can help
alleviate any mechanical irritation of the rotator cuff muscles, as seen in issues like
shoulder impingement.

The shoulder blade needs to be able to slide evenly along the back of the rib cage,
and upwardly rotate in order to keep your arm in an optimal position when reaching
or lifting overhead.

If your shoulder blade is lacking stability and ideal positioning, your arm won’t have an
optimal base to generate force from. Think of jumping off of the solid ground vs jump-
ing off of a floating raft on the water. You are able to produce much more force when
jumping from the solid ground. The same goes for your shoulder.

Here is a great example of scapular stability training.

5 KEY ELEMENTS FOR BULLETPROOF SHOULDERS 5

5. BE MORE EFFICIENT

Many people come to me frustrated after 2-3 months of shoulder rehab, because they
are still in pain. One common issue I see with their current plan is that they are either
doing too little, or way too much. If you have been doing the same 3 light exercises day
in and day out, your aren’t progressively challenging the shoulder to adapt positively
to the strengthening.

On the other end of the spectrum, some people are pushing through pain and doing
every exercises they can think of. Neither of these will get you better, and both come
from not having a clear plan.

If you are dealing with a nagging shoulder issue, it’s critical that you are able to identi-
fy what you need to be working on, and follow a clear plan to progress back to doing
what you enjoy… pain-free!

5 KEY ELEMENTS FOR BULLETPROOF SHOULDERS 6

THE SOLUTION

Maybe you are trying to piece together a plan to fix your shoulders from random videos
or blog posts on the internet. You’re trying everything and hoping something works.
This will only lead to frustration with your lack of improvement.

This is why I created The Shoulder Blueprint. This 3 phase shoulder program is built on
years of clinical experience and the best available scientific evidence. It is clearly laid
out so that you can start today, knowing exactly what you should be doing and when
to progress to the next phase.

It’s specifically designed to address issues like shoulder impingement, rotator cuff ten-
dinopathy, and AC joint pain.

My goal for creating The Shoulder Blueprint was to make high-quality shoulder train-
ing and rehab information accessible to everyone!

That is why I am offering it at such a low price.

For a limited time, you can

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE Click HERE
PROGRAM FOR JUST $27! to get started today!

This program has already helped so many people all over the world fix their nagging
shoulder issues, and get back to working out pain-free!

Will you be the next success story?

Dr. Adam McCluskey, PT, DPT

Sports Physical Therapist | Founder of The PT Initiative

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