If you’ve ever woken up the morning after a tough training session with aching shoulders or a sore lower back, you’re not alone. While some post-workout soreness is completely normal, recurring discomfort in these areas can indicate an underlying issue: reduced strength and stability around the joints themselves.
Ball-and-Socket Joints Need More Than Just Strength
Your shoulders and hips are both ball-and-socket joints—the most mobile joints in the body. That mobility allows you to move freely in multiple directions, but it also comes with a trade-off. Unlike more stable hinge joints such as the knees and elbows, ball-and-socket joints rely heavily on the surrounding muscles to maintain control and stability throughout movement.
When the muscles responsible for stabilising these joints aren’t doing their job effectively—particularly under load—the body finds other ways to complete the task. This process is known as compensation. Over time, neighbouring muscles and joints begin absorbing forces they weren’t designed to handle, which can lead to irritation, tightness, and discomfort.
Common compensation areas include:
- Neck and upper trapezius muscles
- Forearms and wrists
- Upper back
- Lower back
Why Weakness and Instability Cause Pain
Research consistently shows that muscular weakness and poor neuromuscular control are significant contributors to shoulder discomfort and instability in active individuals. The rotator cuff—a group of four muscles surrounding the shoulder joint—acts as the shoulder’s primary dynamic stabiliser. Deficits in strength, endurance, or activation of these muscles have been associated with pain, reduced performance, and an increased risk of injury.
The same principle applies to the lower back and hips. During compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, rows, and bench presses, the body relies on adequate joint stability to transfer force efficiently. If the stabilising muscles cannot maintain control, excessive stress may be placed on surrounding tissues, increasing the likelihood of soreness and irritation.
The solution isn’t to avoid lifting heavy weights—it’s to build the foundation that allows you to lift safely and effectively. Here’s a great place to start.
4 Exercises to Build Shoulder Stability
These exercises target the rotator cuff and scapular stabilisers, helping improve shoulder control and resilience during gym-based movements.
- Side-Lying External Rotation
Lie on your side with your elbow bent to 90 degrees tucked against your body. Rotate your forearm upward while keeping your elbow fixed in place. This exercise specifically strengthens the rotator cuff, particularly the infraspinatus and teres minor, which help stabilise the shoulder during pressing and overhead movements.
- Prone T’s, Y’s, I’s, and W’s (find your entry point)
Performed lying face down with your forehead on a rolled-up towel or pillow, raise your arms into various positions to form the letters T, Y, I, and W while maintaining a gentle shoulder blade hold in a neutral position. These movements strengthen the muscles that control the shoulder blades, improving posture and stability in various positions.
- Low Rows
Using a resistance band or cable machine, pull your elbows back while focusing on drawing your shoulder blades down and together. Low rows strengthen the middle and lower trapezius fibres and rhomboid muscles, which are essential for maintaining good shoulder positioning during upper-body training.
- Scapular Push-Ups (Wall, Knees, Bench, or Feet)
Begin in a high plank position, engage your core, maintain a neutral spine, and keep your chin slightly tucked. Start by gently retracting your shoulder blades, drawing them together so your chest lowers slightly toward the floor. From this position, bend your elbows and perform a controlled push-up. As you press back to the starting position, straighten your elbows and actively protract your shoulder blades by pushing the floor away, allowing your upper back to round slightly.
4 Exercises to Build Hip Stability
The goal of these exercises is to improve the function of the deep stabilising muscles that support the lumbar spine, pelvis, and hips during loaded movements.
- Glute Bridge (Double, Staggered, Single, Weighted)
Lie on your back with your feet planted (and the opposite leg extended or staggered as appropriate). Drive through your feet to lift your hips while keeping your pelvis level. This exercise strengthens the gluteal muscles and improves pelvic stability during walking, running, and lower-body training. Add weight on top of your hips progressively.
- Dead Bug
Lie on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your hips and knees bent to 90 degrees. Use your ‘corset muscles’ to draw your ribs down towards your hips, and maintain normal breathing in this position. Slowly lower the opposite arm and leg toward the floor while maintaining the corset hold. This hold should allow your lower back to maintain pressure on the ground. Dead bugs train core control and help develop the ability to resist unwanted spinal movement during lifting.
- Aeroplanes
Balance on one leg and hinge forward at the hips while rotating outwards your torso and pelvis in a controlled manner. This challenging exercise develops hip stability, balance, and coordination while strengthening the muscles responsible for controlling lower-limb alignment.
- Monster Walks
Place a resistance band around your forefoot, maintain hip width distance apart and avoid your feet pointing inwards. Walk forwards and backwards while maintaining tension on the band. Monster walks target the gluteus medius, helping improve pelvic control and reduce excessive stress on the lower back and knees.
When Soreness Requires Attention
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) typically peaks 24–48 hours after training and resolves on its own. However, some patterns of discomfort may indicate that further assessment is warranted:
- Sharp, stabbing or referring pain during or after exercise
- Pain that persists beyond expected muscle soreness
- Increasing frequency or intensity of soreness
- Avoiding certain exercises or reducing loads because of pain
- Feelings of instability, weakness, or loss of confidence during movement
If any of this sounds familiar, seeking professional assessment can help identify the underlying cause before it develops into a more significant injury. Whether the issue stems from a stability deficit, movement compensation pattern, or an emerging injury, early intervention is often the most effective approach.
Need Help Getting Back to Training?
If shoulder or lower back discomfort is affecting your performance in the gym, our team at our Ashmore and Burleigh clinics can help. A thorough assessment can identify the factors contributing to your symptoms and provide a targeted plan to improve stability, reduce pain, and get you back to training with confidence.
By Physio Ashleigh Zanker
