06/12/2025
When it comes to end stage rehabilitation of various shoulder conditions the goal really needs to be creating a resilient, stable, strong shoulder!
Practicality this can be tricky with certain shoulder pathologies, as quite often patients can be prone to flare-ups.
A great way to help prevent joint/connective tissue irritation is working in higher rep ranges. A lot of robust research shows as long as a patient is working with 30-85% of their 1 rep max (within this percentage range of the maximum weight they can lift for a single repetition), they will get similar benefits/adaptations from the set/exercise.
So evidence/theory aside in real world terms this looks like picking a weight that you can do for 5-30 repetitions, and as long as each set is challenging enough and taken within 5 reps of failure, a 5 rep set using a heavy load and a 30 rep set using a very light load will produce comparable results!
Great news for those with shoulder pain! So if you are running into issues with 10 rep sets or less, then give a set using 20-30 reps a ago. As long you are 5 reps or less away from failure, and the next time you repeat the exercise you add a rep, or use a little more weight, then you are getting the job done nicely!
Bonus tip... Don't forget to train your biceps and triceps! These muscles cross and act on the shoulder complex, so are very important for shoulder health/rehab, and often get overlooked by only focusing on the rotator cuff and deltoid musculature.
I hope that helps! Stay tuned for more tips to come 💪🏼
