For a long time, Sebastien experienced shoulder pain that showed up all day, every day. He’s an active guy who plays paddle and likes to train. But push-ups were off the table, and even a dumbbell bench press came with pain he couldn’t ignore.

His first 12 weeks with us changed a lot. Step by step, the constant pain eased off. A change in his position helped a lot, and for the first time, he could do push-ups again, five to eight of them. That might not sound like much. But for someone who couldn’t do a single one before, it meant everything.

Still, he wasn’t quite there. The pain would sometimes come back, even during simple arm work like biceps exercises. He could tell things were heading in the right direction, and he felt more confident. But he also knew this was a long process. Because he’s mindful of his age, he wanted to be careful about how he built his strength back up.

So he committed to another 12 weeks of his shoulder pain recovery program in our Bulletproof phase.

The Turning Point

Looking back, he describes the first program as more structural. It covered the neck, the shoulders, and the back, and the work was fairly light. The Bulletproof phase brought in more strength and more variety, and it worked his whole body.

That shift made all the difference. As he puts it, you can’t just work on the shoulder. Everything has to be in balance.

A few exercises really stood out for him. The pretzel helped open up his chest, and he also liked the windmills. But the swimmers were the big one. He called them “very helpful.”

He also admits that at the start, you might think you can find all the exercises for shoulder pain on the web. But having a program laid out for every day, with exercises that link together, was something he says he couldn’t have organized himself. And whenever a problem came up, he knew he could call or send a message, and we’d sort it out.

Results

• Constant shoulder pain gradually faded away
• Went from no push-ups to five to eight, and now three sets of 15
• Dumbbell bench press up to 18 reps, compared to 8 to 10 with pain before
• Pain during arm exercises like biceps work disappeared
• An exercise he couldn’t do before now looks almost the same on both arms
• Can play volleyball and hold things without feeling any pain
• Built a daily mobility routine he plans to keep

What Changed And Why It Worked?

The first phase laid the foundation. The second built what he was still missing, which was confidence and strength.

For him, mobility came first. The more mobility work he did, the better he felt. Then came strength. Combining the two, along with different kinds of stretching, is what he believes fixed everything in the long run.

The biggest change? He sometimes forgets about his shoulder altogether. He can play volleyball or carry something and feel no pain at all. He also understands that the pain going away doesn’t mean the work is done. That’s why he does his routine every day, even when his shoulder cracks a lot.

What He’d Tell Someone After Their First 12 Weeks

His advice is simple: both phases are very important.

He loved that the approach covers the whole body, not just the shoulder. There were even bonus stretches, like the armchair stretch for the hamstrings. First, it gives you confidence with your problem. Then it gives you strength. After that, you build around it so your whole body works together.

What he values most is that by the end of a shoulder pain recovery program like this, you know which exercises help you. He plans to keep his routine going and says he isn’t sure he’ll ever stop.