Shoulder pain with side planks? Let’s fix it!

Do you have shoulder pain with your side planks? This video is for you. This is one of my most asked questions. Let's break it down. Often when you come into a side plank, whether you're on your feet or on your knees, you feel some tension or tightness or pain in your shoulder. Here are a few things that can help. First of all, making sure that your shoulder is directly above the elbow. If we're too far in or too far out, that can put pressure on that shoulder. Next, it might be a rotator cuff issue. So you can either push from your hand into the ground to allow yourself to lift more with the obliques. Take the pressure off the shoulder or turn that thumb up, or even here, if that's comfortable for you. That allows your shoulder to externally rotate. It might feel a little bit more comfortable. Also, when you're in that side plank, really envision that you're lifting from the obliques, that you have that strong, stable core. And imagine that you're drawing your elbow into your hip. That's going to allow you to use more obliques and have less pressure. Pressure on the shoulders, totally fine to have this palm right here. Just make sure you're not leaning over into it. You want to keep that chest open. And if you really need more support, totally fine to put one or both knees down. That's going to allow you to keep that straight line. Again, lifting from the oblique rather than leaning over into that shoulder. Hope that helps. If you have more questions for me or more things you want me to cover here, let me know below.