If your shoulder only complains when the weight gets serious, pay attention — that’s the clue.
Most people chase the “bad exercise”. They swap bench for dumbbells, dumbbells for machines, machines for cables… and the same irritation keeps showing up. Not because your shoulder is broken, but because the joint keeps ending up in the same position when you’re tired: the upper arm drifting forward.
In this post, Luke Matthews walks through what that looks like in real lifters, why it’s common when internal rotators stay tight and external rotators stay undertrained, and how to build back stability with better positions, smarter pressing ranges, and progression that actually sticks — not just a quick fix that feels good for an hour.
Watch Luke Matthews go through potential shoulder issues with Holly here:
The takeaway from the video
Your shoulder sits where your muscles hold it — and even small shifts can change everything.
In the video, Luke describes Holly as hypermobile and demonstrates a manual reset: the humerus (your upper arm bone) has drifted too far forward in the joint, and he guides it back into a better position. Sometimes you’ll even hear an audible click as it re-seats.
The real value is pattern recognition, because a lot of gym-related shoulder issues follow the same mechanics: internal rotators start to dominate, external rotators can’t keep up, and the shoulder keeps drifting into the same compromised position when load and fatigue climb.
What’s really destabilising your shoulder?
When internal rotators stay tight and external rotators fall behind, the shoulder starts to drift.
Luke’s point in the video is simple: a lot of lifters carry constant tightness through the pecs, anterior delts, and lats — all strong internal rotators that pull the upper arm forward. If the external rotators aren’t trained well enough to counter that pull, stability drops, especially as pressing volume and fatigue build.
That’s when the problem shows up: the humerus (upper arm bone) sits too far forward in the joint. And once that becomes your default position, the shoulder starts to feel “off” — right at the bottom of a press, during bench setup, or when you reach overhead after a hard session.
Why hypermobility changes the picture
Hypermobility increases movement. Stability becomes the constraint. When ligaments provide less passive stability, the joint depends more on muscular control and position under fatigue, which explains why some people feel fine in warm ups yet feel unstable during working sets.
The tolerance window is smaller. The same set up errors that a more stable joint shrugs off can produce symptoms faster in a hypermobile shoulder, particularly when internal rotators are tight and pulling the humerus forwards.
The reset has a role, but it is not the plan
A reset changes the present moment. It does not change the pattern. In the video, Luke places a hand at the front of the shoulder near the anterior delt, puts the shoulder into protraction as Holly moves it forward, then applies directed pressure to guide the humeral head back into a better position.
Relief is possible. Recurrence is also predictable. If the pecs, anterior delts, and lats stay tight, and if external rotator strength remains undertrained, the shoulder returns to the same forward sitting position when pressing volume and fatigue build again.
What changes the outcome over the next eight weeks
The long-term fix lies in training decisions. Consistency beats novelty. A sensible approach reduces internal rotator restriction, builds external rotator strength with progression, and sets pressing work inside positions that stay stable as the load rises.
This is where most people go wrong. They treat the shoulder like a single joint problem. The shoulder behaves like part of a system that includes scapular control, thoracic position, and the balance between pushing and pulling work.
Those changes normally include:
Mobility work for the pecs, lats, and the front of the shoulder, scheduled into the week rather than done “when tight.”
External rotation strength is trained with control and progression, not a few random band reps at the end.
Pressing variations and ranges that you control without the shoulder drifting forward at the bottom.
Pulling volume and scapular control work that supports stable pressing set up across the week.
When self-management stops being sensible
Recurring pain costs training blocks. Time disappears quickly. If the same positions trigger symptoms, or instability shows up as a repeated theme across pressing movements, a structured assessment saves time because it links what you feel to what the coach sees in your movement.
Start with a Norwich assessment. Book here:
Biomechanic Assessment in Norwich
That assessment reviews movement mechanics and gives clear next steps for exercise selection, set up, range, and progression. Clarity leads. Training follows.
Where clinic support fits for Norwich lifters
Recovery work has a place. Purpose matters. When tight internal rotators keep pulling the shoulder forwards, hands on treatment can support comfort and tissue quality while training changes take effect across weeks.
Use the clinic when it fits the plan. Book here:
Physique Fit Clinic in NorwichSports massage is the common starting point for maintenance. It supports the work. It does not replace the training changes that keep the humerus centred during pressing.
Next step for shoulder pain in Norwich
Recovery work has a place. Purpose matters. When tight internal rotators keep pulling the shoulder forwards, hands on treatment can support comfort and tissue quality while training changes take effect across weeks.
