This client is a professional MMA fighter. Months before a scheduled bout, he tore both shoulders while training. At first, he tried the usual pain relief and standard physio, but nothing changed. He still had shoulder pain, and he knew something deeper was wrong.

What followed was a focused comeback built on better shoulder mechanics—especially how his shoulder blade (scapula) moved with his shoulder. With a clear plan and a lot of consistency, he returned to competition without pain and even surpassed his pre-injury strength.

His Story

His shoulder issues started in a fight. He took a kick under the armpit, kept throwing and missing, and his shoulder slipped out of position and back in. Afterward, he needed tablets to get any movement. The pain eased, but the problem didn’t go away. He later realized the real issue wasn’t just the shoulder—it was how the scapula wasn’t doing its job.

The big setback came while he was regressing a standing ab rollout using gymnastics rings. He went a bit too far. His shoulders weren’t ready, and because the scapula didn’t move with the shoulder, both shoulders tore. It was a scary moment, especially with a fight on the calendar.

Here’s What He Tried First

He went back to his old physio for pain relief. After a couple of weeks, he felt “zero improvement” and realized he needed more than symptom relief.

Finding the Right Approach

He searched widely and found our program that talked about the scapula, upper back, and neck and how the whole system works together to eradicate shoulder pain. As a PT himself, this clicked. He knew from fighting that how you start something matters. Start a choke tight, it ends tight. Start it loose, it ends loose. The same idea applied to his shoulder mechanics.

He also lives with ADHD. To focus on the rehab, he timed his medication strategically so he could lock in and do the work. That made a big difference.

Getting Back to Training

The app felt unfamiliar for a day, then it became easy: click, watch, do. Most importantly, he learned to do the exercises in order. It wasn’t random; it was a full routine he could plan into his day—even three times a day when needed. Everything in training became controlled and intentional.

He returned to the basics, progressed steadily, and rebuilt confidence. Soon, he was rolling out from his knees without issue, hitting controlled walkouts, and stacking wins in the gym: strict pronated pull-ups, ring push-ups, and ring dips with clean form. He felt his scapula and serratus working the way they should.

Back in the Ring

Before his fight, he felt nervous but also ready. He’d put in hundreds of hours of physio. In the clinch—arms internally rotated, getting ragged around—he realized mid-fight that nothing hurt. He landed a big overhand at full extension and felt fine afterward. His straight punches were stronger too—so strong he had to tone them down in sparring.

Results

• Strength
  • 10 pronated pull-ups in a row (better than before the injury)
  • 6 gymnastics ring dips with full extension
  • 8–10 ring push-ups consecutively
  • Solid return to ab rollouts from the knees
• Function and performance
  • Warms up faster and with less effort
  • No fear of tearing or reinjury during grappling
  • Fought with zero shoulder pain
  • Stronger straight punches and overhand without post-fight pain
• Confidence
  • “I’m not concerned at all about tearing anything or injuring myself.”
  • In-fight realization: “This isn’t hurting. This is pretty good. My shoulders are actually pretty good.”

In His Words

“Do the physio. Suck it up and do it. It’s good. You’ll thank yourself. And it’ll make you into a better person.”

Simple Takeaways

This client didn’t just chase pain relief. He chose to address how his shoulder and scapula worked together. Through the process, he stayed consistent, trusted the process, and came back to the cage without shoulder pain, was stronger than before.