When lots of overhead work shows up in programming you might start to experience some ‘junk’ in your shoulders.  Soreness, lack of mobility, knots, tightness, and sometimes audible clicking during rotation are some of the symptoms.  This junk is annoying and manageable at first but can grow into a serious problem if you ignore it.

Coach Nicole Samida has some insight for us on how to prevent and manage the junk.

Crossover symmetry is one really great way to help maintain strength and structure of the shoulder and supporting structures. Especially the ones we don’t use often in CrossFit, such as stabilizers. Spending time on an alpha ball or lacrosse ball is also helpful in breaking up tissues that get matted down or sticky.

Get into the pec, lat, upper thoracic (tissue above shoulder blade, to the side of the spine) and lower thoracic (ribs and tissue under the scapula and to the side of the spine). Everything is connected.

Junky shoulders could be an effect of something elsewhere in the body. If someone feels not great, spending time on surrounding tissues (exploring tight areas and corners) is the most helpful way to resolve some issues.

There is really no “quick fix” as its a process just like everything else. If you spend a little time every day on different areas, learning how to tune into your own body, there should be less of a chance in getting junky shoulders.

This quick video courtesy of MobilityWOD gives you a way to avoid the junk by spending an extra 5 minutes in the gym before or after the workout.