Why does my shoulder hurt at the start of a pull-up, from a dead hang?
Only an examination can say why yours does. A common pattern: the shoulder blades are slow to set, so a still hang loads the joint more than the muscles.
Pain at the bottom of a pull-up can have many causes, and this page cannot tell them apart. If any of the warning signs below apply, have the shoulder examined before trying the drills.
What the start of a strict pull-up asks of the shoulder is general anatomy. In a completely relaxed hang, more of the load is held by the joint capsule and the glenohumeral ligaments than by muscle. To start the pull, the shoulder blades have to draw down first: the lower trapezius and latissimus pull them down, and the serratus anterior keeps them on the ribs, so the load goes through muscle rather than hanging on the joint.
A common pattern is that this first part is slow to switch on, or hurts, and the pull stalls there. It is a pattern, not a diagnosis.
The program starts with exactly that position: a relaxed hang (3 × 10–30 s, with some toes on a box if a full hang hurts), then the active hang, where the shoulders draw down with the arms straight, then scapular pull-ups. Each set is read against the pain rule.
Warning signs: see a clinician first
Do not start, or stop, if any of these apply to you:
- The pain started with a fall, a dislocation, or a sudden pop or tear, and you cannot lift the arm since.
- Numbness, tingling or pins and needles running down the arm or into the hand.
- Weakness that is getting worse, or the arm suddenly much weaker than the other.
- Pain that wakes you at night and does not ease when you change position.
- Swelling, redness, heat or a fever with the pain.
- Pain in the chest, jaw or left arm with breathlessness or sweating — call emergency services.
- A visible lump, change in shape, or the shoulder looking different from the other.
These are general reasons to have a shoulder examined. They are not a complete list.
Drills for this
Relaxed hang
Hang from a bar with straight arms and let the shoulders go up.
3 × 10–30 s
Camera checks itActive hang
From a relaxed hang, draw the shoulders down away from the ears and hold, arms still straight.
3 × 10–20 s
Camera checks itScapular pull-up
Repeat the active hang as reps: shoulders down, pause, back up to a relaxed hang.
3 × 5–10
What it works
In the program
Phase 1 — Set the shoulder blades — Shoulder: kipping works, strict pull-ups do not
Hang again without pain, and learn to draw the shoulder blades down from a hang with straight arms.
The pain rule
- 0–3 out of 10 during the drill: fine, carry on.
- 4–5: do less — a smaller range, fewer reps, or the easier version.
- 6 or more: stop that drill for today.
- Worse the next morning than before the session: that session was too much. Step back.
- 6 or more on waking, any morning: rest the shoulder that day.
Sharp or catching pain, or pins and needles, means stop regardless of the number.
Other questions
- Why can I do kipping pull-ups but not a strict pull-up?
- What muscles start a pull-up?
- Scapular pull-up vs active hang: what is the difference?
- How do I get a strict pull-up back after shoulder pain?
- Should I keep kipping while my shoulder is sore?
- How much pain is OK during shoulder rehab drills?
- Are band-assisted pull-ups or lowerings better for getting back to a strict pull-up?
- How long should I hang from a bar for shoulder rehab?
A general answer, built from the program and drill pages. It cannot say what is going on in your shoulder; only an examination can.