Weight lifting without using shoulders?

Okapi42

I've been hearing everyone go on and on about how weight lifting is the one true way to happiness.

It sounds really boring, but I'm willing to give it a try.

The problem is that I have a minor disability: the accessory nerve that controls the muscles in my right shoulder has been damaged and is not coming back. Ever. That means I have virtually no right rotator cuff. It's usually fine day to day, but it has a limited range of motion and sometimes, when I've been working overhead, carrying things, or doing too much fencing training, it fails entirely to the point where I have to wear a sling for several days because even my own arm is too heavy for my shoulder. So I doubt trying to lift weights with it would be a good idea.

I've tried just bodyweight stuff. Lunges are fine, but I can't do press-ups or planks.

On the other hand, I don't want to become all asymmetrical or focus on legs too much. (Due to a lot of riding, hiking and cycling, I have pretty decent calf muscles and a strong core as it is.)

Any ideas on how to go about finding some exercises I can do?

GillianMcK

Speak to a personal trainer, we have a girl that comes to our Womens Weights class that has Hypermobility and her shoulder dislocates in her sleep, she's been starting very carefully on the assisted pull up, she can do squat and press on a low weight (she's trying to build the muscle up surrounding the rotator cuff to help tighten it, her's cuff is just that loose now that it's so easy for her shoulder to come out), she can do chest press on the bench (with dumbells rather than the bar), again on a low weight but the bench gives her shoulder a bit of support.

I appreciate that it's not the same thing as you, but this is what our trainer is looking at for her (I'm not an expert on weights in the least).

Anniebotnen

Obviously, you should be able to do lower body exercises with no problem. In regards to your shoulder, if it mainly bothers you when you are trying to lift something overhead, there are lots of upper body exercises that do not involve lifting over your head - horizontal pushing and pulling movements, as well as biceps curls and triceps extensions.

If you are not able to do any of those, Strong Curves has a 12 week Gorgeous Glutes program that involves lower body exercises ony but is supposed to also help your upper body, due to the fact that you have to hold on to the weights for many of the exercises. I have not tried this program so I do nor know from personal knowledge that it works, but I think it's worth a try!

Good luck! Not sure if lifting is the way to happiness, but it's definitely the way to a nice looking strong body!

Lofteren

I've been hearing everyone go on and on about how weight lifting is the one true way to happiness.

It sounds really boring, but I'm willing to give it a try.

The problem is that I have a minor disability: the accessory nerve that controls the muscles in my right shoulder has been damaged and is not coming back. Ever. That means I have virtually no right rotator cuff. It's usually fine day to day, but it has a limited range of motion and sometimes, when I've been working overhead, carrying things, or doing too much fencing training, it fails entirely to the point where I have to wear a sling for several days because even my own arm is too heavy for my shoulder. So I doubt trying to lift weights with it would be a good idea.

I've tried just bodyweight stuff. Lunges are fine, but I can't do press-ups or planks.

On the other hand, I don't want to become all asymmetrical or focus on legs too much. (Due to a lot of riding, hiking and cycling, I have pretty decent calf muscles and a strong core as it is.)

Any ideas on how to go about finding some exercises I can do?

Do you mean the Spinal Accessory Nerve? Or are you referring to the Axillary Nerve? (I get a lot of patients who get the names mixed up so just wanted to clarify). This could make a pretty big difference in the exercises that you're able to perform.

deksgrl

I'm interested in hearing the answer.

Okapi42

I've been hearing everyone go on and on about how weight lifting is the one true way to happiness.

It sounds really boring, but I'm willing to give it a try.

The problem is that I have a minor disability: the accessory nerve that controls the muscles in my right shoulder has been damaged and is not coming back. Ever. That means I have virtually no right rotator cuff. It's usually fine day to day, but it has a limited range of motion and sometimes, when I've been working overhead, carrying things, or doing too much fencing training, it fails entirely to the point where I have to wear a sling for several days because even my own arm is too heavy for my shoulder. So I doubt trying to lift weights with it would be a good idea.

I've tried just bodyweight stuff. Lunges are fine, but I can't do press-ups or planks.

On the other hand, I don't want to become all asymmetrical or focus on legs too much. (Due to a lot of riding, hiking and cycling, I have pretty decent calf muscles and a strong core as it is.)

Any ideas on how to go about finding some exercises I can do?

Do you mean the Spinal Accessory Nerve? Or are you referring to the Axillary Nerve? (I get a lot of patients who get the names mixed up so just wanted to clarify). This could make a pretty big difference in the exercises that you're able to perform.

No, I mean the Spinal Accessory Nerve - it was damaged when I had surgery on my neck (luckily, the lump was benign, so it's a small price to pay!) and now apparently only functions to about 40%. Which is better than it was, but the rest probably won't come back. (It's been 6 years.) It's the rotator cuff that the physio had me focus on.

Okapi42

Just in case it helps, a few more details:

If I assume 180 degrees of movement for my left arm, straight down to straight overhead, it's more like 150 for the right on a good day, usually more like 120. Which is up from an initial 30, so it's not bad!

What the physio had me doing was wall press-ups, bouncing a tennis ball off the wall with my arm bent and held out at 90 with the movement coming from the shoulder rather than the wrist, and resistance band rotation exercises.

jillyrobb

EDIT: just saw your update with the details. So maybe not overhead presses, but there are still lots of things you can do that keep the arm below that 120 degree range.



Maybe try some light kettlebells? I have tendinitis and nerve damage in one shoulder, and thought I'd never be able to lift weights overhead--and doing the "fly" machine at the gym was enough to put me in tears, even on the lightest weight--but I'm now pressing a light-to-moderate weight with confidence and control after about a month of kettlebells.

Because you use your lats, back, and hips to stabilize and control as the weight moves up and down overhead, there's less stress on your shoulders. I'm not sure whether the overhead press would work with your condition, but I'll bet you'd find something you could do--there are several other movements that involve your upper body but don't go overhead. I can do the bent-over rows, because it's not overhead, and the "clean" move bends the elbow to bring the weight up outside your bicep, just below your shoulder, and uses triceps, lats, core, and even hips to support the upward movement. There's also the around-the-world movements, where you pass the ball in a circle around your body at hip level, or in a figure-8 through your legs.

But really, even things like kettlebell swings work your upper body to some degree, while keeping the shoulder joint largely out of it. You're using your lats, your entire back, and your biceps/triceps to stabilize and control, but the main power of the ballistic movement comes from your hips and glutes.

Of course, you'd want to get a certified kettlebell trainer to check your form and help you choose safe exercises, but it might be worth a shot. In fact, many people swear that proper, supervised kettlebell training is great for rehab from injuries because it strengthens all those small muscles, which can take some of the stress off the injured area and allows it to heal.

Plus, slinging that ball around is way more fun than regular weight-lifting--and it's great cardio, too!

No_Finish_Line

obviously you know a lot more about your physical problems, but if can raise your arm to even just above 90% and your healthy enough to fence then you can do a lot of lifts. Mostly you will only be precluded from OHP press, and pull up type work.

I'm sure that a damaged nerve is to blame for your limited range of motion, but the result of having to put your arm in a sling sounds more like muscle damage from whatever exercise.

The thing is that its actually way easier to control the level of intensity with resistance training the cardio (like fencing). you are completely in charge of how many reps and what weigth you do. Approached intelligently, its probably the safest form of exercise with the lowest risk of injury.

i'd say that if you can perform a lift with no pain, or very slight pain, then its safe to do it. just do it with a weight you can completely control. even if you have to do reps with no weight at all for a while. try to slowly build up weight and every now and then try an exercise that challenges your range of motion.

I accept that since its nerve damage there will be a limit to your recovery, but you might surprise yourself on how much ROM you regain. unfortuanetly many leave physical therapy with a long way to go.

how long has it been since the surgery?

Lofteren

Just in case it helps, a few more details:

If I assume 180 degrees of movement for my left arm, straight down to straight overhead, it's more like 150 for the right on a good day, usually more like 120. Which is up from an initial 30, so it's not bad!

What the physio had me doing was wall press-ups, bouncing a tennis ball off the wall with my arm bent and held out at 90 with the movement coming from the shoulder rather than the wrist, and resistance band rotation exercises.

Overhead presses will definitely be difficult for you to perform correctly but that's okay. You don't have to do overhead presses to build a nice physique.

You will also want to be careful when doing deadlifts. The trapezius plays a significant role in your upper back posture while holding a heavy load so have a training partner watch your shoulders to make sure the affected side doesn't slouch when you pull.

If you do shrugs I would choose unilateral variations to avoid overcompensation and uneven development.

Since you can't overhead press, I would do some different delt raise variations throughout the week.

Back squats could also be an issue because keeping your upper back tight will be difficult under a significant load. I would try to do squats with a low bar position (on the spine of the scapula or lower if you can) to take the traps out of the movement as much as possible and, again, have a training partner watch you squat to make sure that you don't favor the stronger side. If you did favor one side in the squat this would most likely manifest in one side of the barbell being higher than the other or the bar twisting downwards on the weak side when you were in the bottom of the squat position. I hope this helps. Good luck to you .

Okapi42

Thanks, everyone - I'll see about getting some personal trainer sessions to attempt these!

It's been 6 years, so I doubt it will get much better than this. I'll just have to live with it. My shoulders are already very different shapes, which is why I'm worried that lifting anything will make it worse... I tend to drop and trail the shoulder; especially noticeable when I'm riding because it puts the horse off his stride.

The remaining muscles are taking over some functions, but they do tire more quickly because they're not designed for the job, and then fail entirely - hence the arm in a sling business. I think I carried my hand in my pocket or grabbing the hem of my jacket for a good year at the start! It failed a few times after hiking, too; I now use a bum bag for shorter hikes and a backpack with a really good hip strap on longer ones, so I can nearly take the weight off it entirely when I have to. I only started regularly using a backpack for my work gear again recently, until then, it had to be a messenger bag on the left shoulder.

Unfortunately, pain is not a good indicator of when it's time to stop, because it's not that kind of nerve. Doing too much is only painful the next day, when I get severe DOMS in my entire upper back and shoulder...

So far, the only "weight training" I do for my upper body (beyond barn chores) is juggling 0.5-1 kg balls. It's a start, but it's mostly for my wrists.

Beeps2011

I would think you can still do bowler squats and goblet squats. I am unsure if you can do deadlifts, though???

You should be okay doing weighted hip thrusts - best for glutes!! (and maybe weighted glute bridges, too?!?!?)

Cre8veLifeR

you can focus on isolation exercises for the arms - biceps and triceps and avoid anything that raises your arms overhead or in a lateral movement. If weights are too heavy or uncomfortable during the eccentric muscle movement (lowering motion), you can try resistance bands instead for some bicep and tricep exercises. Do push exercises hurt more than pull exercises? Lower body my favorite things are lunges, hip thrusts, and step-ups.

Weights are not the key to happiness btw...only if you enjoy it and can stick with it long enough to get the long term effects of weight training. Do what you love!