“Which exercises are bad for shoulders?”

Hello there,

This is way to general a question. Old injuries, age, body type, etc., are all factors. The following muscles have many exercises, just google “safe exercises” for: anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoid, upper traps, locator scapula, and all 4 rotator cuff muscles. Barring any old injuries, most are safe. The ONE exercise I forbid my patients from doing though is the Lat Pull Down behind the neck. Don’t EVER pull or push weight from behind neck. Bring down to top of chest but never behind neck. That is a quick way to herniate your cervical discs. No good.
Hope I helped. Got your back!

Dr. Todd Gewant

Any exercise that causes you pain is bad.
Since everyone is different with differing conditions there is not one particular exercise that is bad for shoulders. What causes you to have pain can be perfectly fine for the next person. Be aware of your body. Be as balanced as possible when you do shoulder exercises. Go slow and stop if you experience any pain.

Forward arm raises
Lateral arm raises

No exercise performed correctly is bad for the shoulders, unless there is an underlying condition which limits range of motion or causes pain. I would be weary of high pulls, upright rows (if the elbows raise above the wrists), and lateral deltoid raises with thumbs facing down. All of these may cause future impingement of the shoulder.