How to improve shoulder flexibility for boxing

[emilio168]

I have really stiff shoulders and irritated bursa in my lead shoulder.
How can I fix this?

What stretches should be done and exercises?

Really need some tips guys.
Tnx!

[Jontommy]

I have had shoulder problems on and off for a while now.

Are you warming up throughly? I wasn’t & this definitely didn’t help.

After 10 mins of skipping I use a resistance band to get my shoulders moving in every direction then on to some pendulum swings. I then make sure my posture is correct before doing any training.

After training I always do passive shoulder hanging, cross body shoulder stretches, door frame stretches. The shoulder is such a complex part of the body & is often not thought of as being so.

[Redd Foxx]

I don't have that problem, but when I've worked with physical therapists they warm the area with a heat pad before training, work on light, flexibility exercises to strengthen the area, and when it is strong enough (after several weeks), go into full training. The #1 rule is to stop if the area of injury is hurting. You have to recognize the difference between acceptable pain and "bad" pain. If you're building strength in the area that's one thing but if you're aggravating it, STOP.

Focus on the strengthening the supporting muscles before trying to box on it. There's going to be a ton of free videos online.

[OctoberRed]

I have really stiff shoulders and irritated bursa in my lead shoulder.
How can I fix this?

What stretches should be done and exercises?

Really need some tips guys.
Tnx!

Pinched nerve maybe?

[Eastbound]

I don't have that problem, but when I've worked with physical therapists they warm the area with a heat pad before training, work on light, flexibility exercises to strengthen the area, and when it is strong enough (after several weeks), go into full training. The #1 rule is to stop if the area of injury is hurting. You have to recognize the difference between acceptable pain and "bad" pain. If you're building strength in the area that's one thing but if you're aggravating it, STOP.

Focus on the strengthening the supporting muscles before trying to box on it. There's going to be a ton of free videos online.

I agree with this. use your common sense and don't extend your recovery time by repeatedly aggravating the injury. BTW the shoulder has the more range of motion than any other joint in the body. I would imagine high hooks will aggravate it more than straight shots when punching. You might be able to pull back or stop certain punches for awhile and still be able to continue with other punches.

[GelfSara]

Be careful when diagnosing your own injuries; If you recently saw an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in shoulders and this was his or her diagnosis, disregard, if not--if pain persists, see one and get an MRI. General tips: the previously mentioned hanging (using a pull-up or pulldown bar hang for 60-120 seconds and allow your shoulders to "come out of their sockets") can be helpful, as can training all three heads of the deltoids (boxing alone results in overdeveloped anterior deltoids relative to the posterior & lateral delts) and the rotator cuffs. Additionally, not using an excessive range of motion on pressing exercises and flies, and training with slow, controlled repetitions can help to minimize the risk of injury.