Building Bulletproof Shoulders: For Strength, Mobility, Resilience, & Stability 

Just FYI - there is a slight error in here, sorry. The labels for the teres minor and sub scapulars are the wrong way around. Thank you very much to everyone that pointed it out! I’m trying to be chill about it… 😂😭😭

'I carry a resistance band around in my pocket' If it was anyone else I would call bullshit, but I 100% believe that he does. Another great video I'll be introducing some of these into my workouts. 👍

This guy is a beast. He's helped me cure a few nagging problems that I've developed over time.

All those pushups and you can't move a bloody log- Alfred, when Bruce Wayne is trapped under a log

It is always refreshing to see him working out under open sky

Severely underated channel, deserves millions of subscribers

There is no reason anyone remotely interested in fitness or health should not be subscribed to this guy

Honestly, he's not far away from working out like Mr.Incredible over at a train station.

I can't tell you how well your message has redefined my view of the modern fitness industry. You're awesome, man.

This guy is one step away from being superman. And he's pleasant and his videos are informative.. subscribed :)

Over the last couple of weeks i’ve taken a lot of interest in Calisthenics. My first real push ups, i could only manage three, now after almost a month i’m able to do several sets and reps comfortably. Still confusing me though is the protraction, retraction etc.

2:25 Now that is a proper scapular dance! Great content as always 💪🏽

The side-lying external rotation exercise, AKA The Burt Reynolds

Can we all just appreciate how much amazing information this guy is giving for free? Especially compared to other channels

"those boring exercises" exactly! the ones that take 5 to 10 minutes a day to you.. Perfect explanation for why there is always time in your day to improve.

Absolutely spot on Adam! Shoulder & scapular health, mobility, & strength is so important, as countless people suffer from pain & injury due to so many different issues that could be going on. So important to stress balance in any training approach, & this is also where your functional fitness methods come in. The ability to stabilize the scapula & shoulder in various exercises or movement patterns is not something most people can do, but it can greatly improve our quality of life in many ways if we can.

When I had knee pain the knee video came out. When I had elbow pain the elbow video popped up. Now that I have shoulder pain this happens. I know it wasn't intentional but thank you 😌

Consider that shoulder dance GIF'd. Great video as always, sir! :D

Currently rehabilitating my left shoulder after an accident, can't wait to bulletproof it.

For shoulders I like to do the Pavel Tatsouline KB upwards press when standing. I start in the rack position with the KB in front of me, rotate the KB to the side and press up with a little hold at the end. Then reverse it on the way down. It is a bit like the Arnold press with a DB. The shoulder + scapula goes through much of its range of motion with this movement.

You're absolutely right about the link between hips and shoulders. I'm a 52 year old amateur weightlifter, and when hips are really mobile, my snatch can go up by 5 kg, not just because I can catch lower, but because that hip mobility also causes my shoulders to be more stable, allowing me to lock out more weight overhead and be stable enough to rise out of the hole.

Appreciate the work you do mate, find your take on fitness quite inspiring/motivating. One of my favourite youtube channels and your books are a good read. Hope you stick around, all the best 👍

This is brilliant I really need this as currently working on recovery of my shoulder as had surgery as had bad inpingment great video

Why does this guy not have more subs on youtube, his videos are so detailed and backed by actual facts !! no bullshit advice !! Keep up the good work really enjoy your videos

This guy has enlightened me as an athlete/trainer

After an accident I went through years of repeating shoulder bursitis with supraspinatus tendinitis that eventually suddenly turned into frozen shoulder. I went thorough months of physio to get my proper range of motion back. Dead hangs, scapular retraction while hanging, and banded external rotations are a regular part of my routine to keep away my shoulder demons.

Wicked good video, mate. I'm on a journey to heal myself from 30 years of living a full blown computer nerd lifestyle. I am the emodiment of upper body pain. Current goal is to work through it all, and hopefully gain some flexibility and the ability to relax. I've been at the gym every day for the last two months, and I've had four days with no pain what so ever. I'm hungry for more. Glad I found your channel.

Tremendous for shoulder health. Bioneer does contractions at the TOP and BOTTOM of his reps for deep stretches that build all sorts of strength and mobility and overall joint health. That plus a fire hydrant blast of other great information.

Nice video! I'd like to point out you put "Subscapularis" with "Teres Minor" the wrong way round relative to the model at around 1:00 though(!)

"I carry a resistance band with me everywhere I go" - This man is Goku in the flesh

Scapular pushups genuinely fixed my shoulder pain. Added strength for my bodyweight training as well

I am always decently fit with 25 pushups and 12 pull ups at 42. My goals are general fitness and fighting my sitting time. This guy is the real deal for me.

Been having shoulder problems for a few years when I began a strength training problem and kept postponing because of it. I didn't figure what I was doing wrong and missattributed it to "getting older" because I didn't have these problems when younger. I wonder how many others quit strength training because of injuries such as this and just missattribute it to "getting older" when really it was the gradual change in posture and muscle balances that needed addressing.

Training outside is wonderful, and it comes with some major benefits, most obvious being that you are out into the sun and have a supply of fresh air, but also interestingly, just the act of seeing the color green can give you a boost in performance

Deadlifts + pull ups and weighted pushups

Awesome stuff there! 🤘 I started incorporating kettlebell halos, ring face pulls, Lu raises, and doing more macebell 360s (which I haven't really done much of), typically at the end of a workout where I go thru 1 circuit of each movement, with light weights, and no rest in-between. And in just 2 weeks, I noticed a big difference in how my shoulders felt. They differently feel stronger and more resilient.

Great video! I'm 44 & have banged up shoulders. I train BJJ & Muay Thai as well as train primarily with kettlebells & bodyweight. One day when I was doing double shoulder presses I decided to do an ass to grass squat and I didn't have to get very deep before my shoulders started drifting forward & I felt a LOT of discomfort this was even after doing get ups & halos so it just shows how a wide variety of movement patterns can show how week or immobile we are. I am continuing to work on my shoulders and the difference feels great. I highly recommend both passive & active hanging as a great form of active recovery between sets or as part of my warmup.or cool down work.

I just started doing what I call free form exercises today; using some of Adams exercises and most definitely his concepts and philosophy. I LOVE IT IT AND IT WORKS!!! ADAM IS BRILLIANT!!!! THANK YOU ADAM!!!

After dislocating my shoulder this is really needed, although I'm too scared to even work it out

Loving the more natural and wild training footage!!!

Thanks for this! I've been having rotator cuff irritation for a few weeks now, pain which occurs primarily after benching, and think that you've clearly identified the culprit here. Have appreciated your channel in general for awhile now, but wanted to specifically appreciate this.

Thanks a ton. Great info and useful workouts. Really appreciate the 3D shoulder slides too

A very beneficial exercise I found is doing very deep pushups supported on pushup handles, dumbells, or rings, with a neutral grip and hands right against the body. Done slowly with control and focusing on opening up the shoulders at the bottom. I super set them with ring rows done in a similar fashion.

My shoulders are weak and tiny. Thank you. Great work as always my Dude

Thank you for not manscaping.

Thank you good sir! Your videos provide a valuable education for my attempts to build a comprehensively strong foundation for my shoulder health that will hopefully set me up for decades of healthy and aesthetic shoulders.

Recovering from a rather nasty shoulder injury, this video is a godsend

Feedback welcome. I'm a male, early 70s. I've had chronic shoulder injuries - off and on - for at least 10 years. Almost "athletic" for most of my life - I've been in fairly good shape . . . until the pandemic hit a couple years ago. I made a point of working out during the pandemic, but after awhile - something happened (depression; injury; became sluggish) and I lost muscle strength and flexibility. Without the "motion" - I lost that "lotion" to keep my joints healthy; especially my shoulders (too much TV and web-surfing). I tried a shoulder rehab program, but I must have pushed myself too hard; ended up with what I guess was pretty bad bursitis in both shoulders. I backed off for a month or so, but I believe I needed to stay with it; work thru recovery. I began doing daily yoga (Adriene's 30 day programs). I'm on my 3rd month now. The first 30 program took me 45 days - lots of pain and modifications. The 2nd 30 day program took me 35 days and far fewer modifications. Now, I'm on my 3rd 30day program and feeling optimistic that I can make it thru the whole thing - in 30 days. There's been some pain; achiness (bursitis?), but each week my shoulders seem better; more range of motion; stronger. Eventually, when this is over in another 3 weeks, I hope to begin working "Bullet Proofing" - "strength and range of motion". MY QUESTION - Sorry, for that long intro, but here is what I would like feedback on: I think I need to put muscle back into my shoulders - to make them more stable (right?). Yes, flexibility and range of motion are important ... but I think I need that "meat" of muscle - to build up more muscle all around the various muscles ("4 different joints") that effect the functioning of the shoulder (to create stability (keep in mind I'm an older person who lost a lot of that muscle / muscle strength). So, my plan - once I feel I've recovered my shoulders - to begin a Bioneer strategy - very gradually; going light; not pushing too hard ("Not jumping straight into it"). Feedback? Thanks.

You are so good at this.

GOAT 🐐 of RU-vid channels

Imagine having the Bioneer as your PT.

As others have stated, extremely underrated channel. I've been watching here and there for months on topics which peak my interest and the content, execution and conciseness of the videos are 10/10.

Best channel of the fitness game. Litteraly breaking down the meaning of the word fitness

I almost spit my coffee out when you winked. Wasn't ready for that.

How would anyone not wanna subscribe and take note of this guy? He's top notch😎👍

It is just like I've been hit by a truck of information. Very much appreciated though!!

Great video. I'll have to rewatch it in a day or two and incorporate some of these exercises into my training. Injured my shoulder a year ago and still struggling with it. But physiotherapy is helping and many of the things you mentioned here were also told to me by the therapist. :) Take care of your shoulders folks. Them not function correctly just plain and simple sucks.

When they let us out after the first lockdown, I started building in press-ups to the walk-out part of my run, to make up for the gym being closed. I'd been in for an operation, so was out of condition, but was still surprised to find that as soon as I'd built up (pain free) to a nice enough set of pauses to press up, I started to get shoulder pain. I thought exercise would fix it, but it just got worse and worse, and it set in. It's still there. I think it might be because I'd unwittingly found ways to "lever the joint" for the left shoulder's contribution to anything with a shoulder component, so mainly exercising on machines or with a single bar, I'd managed to leave that left shoulder weak as anything. (And when the gym closed I was lifting a fair amount of weight.) So to the fix. I've found that what's finally helping (as a starter, anyway) is to hide a rock of the right dimensions away, where nobody can steal it, along the walk, and on walk days, the rock goes into the left hand, and gets manoevred around all the time, in search of the edge of where pain threatens. I neglect the right shoulder, mainly - except to occasionally test whether it's still massively stronger than the left (rock is a little toy in the right hand, but left arm has a tendency to complain at me, as if somehow the thing is heavy). Added bonus of carrying a rock around is that car drivers respect you more. It helps that I also go fully barefoot on walk day, so tend to get offered donations if I don't dress a bit snazzier than I would if I didn't think about it. To some extent it's already done the job. The shoulder would often hurt in the morning, because whatever I do, I'm a side sleeper, and I like that side; and now I'm fine when I wake up. The only way in which is "hasn't done the job" is that this one-sided focus has exposed the parts of its reach that are problematic. I must probably try some of the exercises you suggest, but the rock works quite nicely for forcing some coordination by offering a bit of a resistive load, but not so much as to bring on the contortions it must've taken to get to this state. It's largely a coordination problem, as you say.

Best! Fitness! Channel! because of you I have starting training all areas of fitness. to help improve my shoulder mobility and strength I changed out side lateral raises for LU Raises which has made me more mobile and steady in my front squat, OHP, head spring and handstand. as well as giving me double D sized shoulders. HUBBA HUBBA!

Goddamn Adam!! That shoulder press is one of the most impressive things I've seen.

It’s a miracle of engineering, just usually improperly used, thanks for the info

Comment for the algorithm because this channel is pure gold

Hands down one of the best fitness youtubers

Excellent idea of using the band instead of a dumbell for that shoulder exercise. Thanks! I recommend your videos to everyone!

I just want to say I love the edit you put on your outdoor shoot, the chromatic aberration is just perfect. Also amazing that you shout out all these other channels, makes you very relatable. And judging by your Handstand you still need to work on your Shoulder flexibility ;D

This guy is really good at explaining the why and how, most tell you what to do but not many tell you why and what the real benefit is, also look at his body it’s thick and solid it looks powerful also his mobility for such a muscular physique is very good, just lifting heavy weights can make for a stiff body while these techniques keep you loose and supple.👍🏼

Great stuff I’ve been watching your channel for about A year introducing things into my own routine but I just started your 2.0 stuff last night and it kicked my ass more than I was prepared for. I wish I would have started training this way years ago

This guy is the real deal

I'm convinced you're the main character

Top notch content as usual, Adam. This video especially was useful for my ailing shoulders. Keep going brother, you are educating all of us well, doing God's work.

@2:29 you know Adam must have been trying not to laugh at this point or break into full salsa dancing! 🕺🏿

Wow I remember this guy back when your channel was new well done check you out now half a mil subs good lad

You're a Saint for making this information available; greatly appreciate you and your channel!

I keep hurting my shoulder. I immediately came back to this channel for tips on fixing the issues

Thanks for sharing this valuable info dude! Best

Another great vid I'll be coming back to time and again. Cheers Adam!

This is one of the shoulder explanation/tutorials I have seen to date. Excellent content. LoveIt.

Aside from being a great video as always, the video quality is looking great!

"We rarely need to reach over our heads" Short me: And I took that personally😂😂

You are the best fitness RU-vidr, stop playing!!!

resistance band ...check .many thx great vid ,as ever!

My bigass shoulders saved me from breaking my neck when I got dropped on my head at a music festival. It's worth to the work to build em up.

2:25- this segment is simultaneously amusing, impressive, and disturbing.

I always get notification early from your blog than RU-vid.

Hey Adam. New to fitness and have Forward Head, Rounded Shoulders and APT. What are the top 5 mobility moves that will lead to improved mobility and better posture? Would love to see a video on this. Thanks. Stay blessed 🙏🏽

Didn't know you could dance like that 2:28 😂😂

Excellent video, it seems I have a lot of extra reading to be doing.

under rated channel

This is great, I need this. I need a bulletproofing video for everything else too.

Great video! Definitely subscribing.... new fan of your channel!

When you do the 360 with the club try and get your fists down by your shirt collar and let the weight swing down behind you. Your hands are at the top of your head and you look like you’re just muscling it through the movement.

Been doing a good deal of hanging to help my shoulder pain, and it's working. Cf. John M. Kirsch's videos and book for detail on it, and the other shoulder joint, the acromiohumeral "joint", which is the one fixed by brachiation.

Punching getting more flow. Love the perspective.

Great vid! Steel mace pendulum swings, 10 to 2s & 360s also help forge an invincible shoulder girdle.

Great video. Mark Wildman has really good videos for clubs, mace, kettlebell, hydrocore, sandbags, slamballs and bodyweight workouts. You guys should collaborate for a video.

Bioneer! Loooong time fan bro! (I think like 4 years now?) Was wondering what you thought of the new Isochain product? My whole channel is all about it and honestly one of the first RU-vidrs I thought about when it came out last year was you! Hmu bro. Would love to hear your thoughts!

As a HS football player (linebacker and running back) strong and stable. Shoulders is necessary or you get hurt. God bless thank you for the helpful content

Phenomenal video. There’s sooo much information contained in it. Thank you for posting.

Amazing work! The amount of shared knowledge, actively suggested excersizes and your ability to communicate those effectively is simply astounding! Your videos are a cut above the rest! Thank you for your help, guidance and contribution to the human body!

mate i came from your tendon recovery video! thank youu so much for the help! we gotta get you to a mil fast mate! Cheers!😎