Dead hang and shoulder impingement

Hey guys,

i recently purchased and started TBS (and F1, HS1). I have a mild shoulder impingement that limits my range of motion during the overhead thoracic bridge exercises (twisting bear, thoracic band pulls, elevated/inverted cat, etc.), so i've been looking for ways to improve it. One thing a lot of people seem to recommend for general shoulder mobility are dead hangs.

Relevant background on myself: Used to have some inflammation in the supraspinatus tendon and shoulder capsule (caused by doing stupid exercises with too much weight). In addition to that, i had limited internal rotation on that shoulder, and mobility problems with my scapula, all on the same side, which i think existed beforehand. My lat on that side has also been noticeably bigger for years, and is frequently tighter. MRTs show no tears or damage of any kind in the shoulder. I worked with a doctor and physical therapist for several months and we reached improvement to the point where the doctor said i should not do PT anymore and should just start "carefully trying stuff out as long as it doesn't hurt".

Is dead hanging with a pronated grip with partial weight advisable? I tried using partial weight (using a band or standing on my toes) because with full body weight i feel the pain of the impingement. I take off enough weight to avoid pain but still feel a stretch, and been trying reps of 60s, which is what my grip strength currently allows me. At the moment i'm not sure wether this helps or not (or even aggravates the issue). What about a different grip? If advisable, can you do this everyday? Or GB similar programming? (approx. once a week)

Or should i just strictly stick to the GB program on the pain free ROM?

Thanks in advance and excuse the long question,

C.

If it s painful or very uncomfortabel then don t  it. I ve been passing through something similar to you for a whole year. If you have inmpingment in the front shoulder then table, table rocking and shoulder flexion will be very beneficial for you. It was for me. I am doing deadhangs now that i don t have pain at all, but if you don t feel very good with arms overhead yet, better don t do it. You could change the angle placing your feets on the floor and start from there. Capsule, dislocates, rope climbing mobility and hollow back press mobility i thing will be also great for your issue. Good luck!

2 hours ago, Carlos Chinchilla said:

Is dead hanging with a pronated grip with partial weight advisable?

This is not advised for beginners, especially based on the issues you've had in the past. The rope climb progressions in Foundation One have very basic lat stretches that prepare you for hanging mobility variations. I do recommend working with a sports physio or other medical professional to ensure safe progression. Like Antonio said, the HBP mobilities from F1 may also be helpful but a doc will be able to tell you for sure.  

That's not the answer i wanted to hear, but probably the one i really needed right now, thanks

Dead hand produce a good relaxation when it is submitted to an healthy joint without major restrictions.