Hypermobile shoulders? Lift heavy.
Hypermobile shoulders move beyond what we would define as “normal”, which isn’t an issue in and of itself. That being said, I have treated my fair share of loosey-goosey shoulder patients. They often come in seeking therapy for pain, a feeling of instability, weakness, fatigueability, an inability to generate power, etc. This might sound familiar to you if you are an overhead athlete or in a sport that favours hypermobility (throwers, gymnasts, swimmers, etc)
A loose joint usually requires only two things: strength training and time to do said strength training. Why is strength training important for hypermobile joints?
You need the strength and coordination to control the excessive range of motion of the joint.
Strength training helps to stiffen your tendons, which in turn will give the joint the stability it needs.
Building strength takes time, on the scale of months.
But are we (and by we I mean therapists) getting our patients strong enough? In all likelihood, no.
Why?
Many therapists generally do not see their patients through to heavier lifting and just call it a day at the green resistance band. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for low-resistance work, but we shouldn’t be afraid to go heavy, even with the hypermobile population.
A recent article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looked at the effectiveness of Heavy- vs Low-resistance strength training on individuals with symptomatic hypermobile shoulders. After 16 weeks (I know, I know - that’s a long time but as I mentioned above, strength gains take time), those in the Heavy group reported greater improvement in their shoulder function. While other studies haven’t demonstrated that heavy loading is superior, the researchers suggested that a few factors might have tipped the scales in favour of heavy strength training in this study:
making sure the exercises were progressive by increasing the weight every few weeks
using movements through range
having the subjects do the strength training under supervision to ensure proper form and technique were used
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though. The heavy resistance group did experience more muscle soreness (not surprising), and headaches. I would suspect that the latter would be caused by the recruitment of your neck muscles whilst you strain to pick up and put down heavy weights. Is it worth it though? Quite possibly.
While I am not yet available to supervise you getting “swole” in person, feel free to contact me with questions or if you are interested in an exercise program to get you there!
