AKMI Human Performance

Raise Your Arm Without the Pinch

An 8-Week Plan for Shoulder Pain When You Raise Your Arm

An 8-week plan for the pinch or ache at the top of the shoulder that many people feel when they raise the arm, often called shoulder impingement. It works on upper-back mobility, shoulder-blade control and rotator cuff strength, then rebuilds overhead and pressing work step by step. Each phase ends with checkpoints you measure at home, so you move on when your numbers say you are ready.

Get the Program · $47 See what’s inside

Is This for You?

The program is written for people who recognise themselves in these lines.

This Is for You If

  • You feel a pinch or sharp pain when raising your arm overhead
  • Pressing movements (bench press, overhead press) cause shoulder pain
  • Your shoulder aches after sleeping on your side
  • You have been told you have shoulder impingement or subacromial bursitis
  • Your shoulder catches or pinches during reaching movements
  • You avoid overhead training because of pain or fear of injury

Before You Start

  • No full-thickness rotator cuff tear diagnosed by a doctor or a scan
  • No dislocation, or feeling of the shoulder slipping out, that needs a surgical opinion
  • No fracture of the collarbone, upper arm or shoulder blade that your doctor has not cleared for exercise
  • Able to lift your arm to at least shoulder height without severe pain

The 8-Week Protocol

4 phases. Each builds on the last, and each ends with checkpoints you measure yourself before you move on.

Phase 01

Pain Management & Thoracic Mobility

Weeks 1-2 · Daily (5-6x/week minimum) · 20 min

Settle pain, restore upper-back extension and rotation, build shoulder-blade awareness.

Phase 02

Rotator Cuff Activation & Scapular Control

Weeks 3-4 · 5x/week · 25 min

Activate the rotator cuff, build shoulder-blade control and upward-rotation strength.

Phase 03

Overhead Strengthening & Pressing

Weeks 5-6 · 4x/week · 30 min

Rebuild overhead strength, progress pressing patterns, carry the new control into compound lifts.

Phase 04

Return to Training & Prevention

Weeks 7-8 · 3x/week · 20 min

Return to full training, set up a prevention routine, keep the shoulder strong long term.

Everything Included

Branded PDF Program

Every exercise with its dose, cues, target muscles, common mistakes, regression and progression, plus what each phase corrects and how you measure it. Yours to keep.

Exercise Library

One year of platform access to every exercise with its demonstration and target muscles, linked from the PDF.

Self-Assessment Checkpoints

A progress tracker for your baseline and every checkpoint, so you compare against your own numbers.

Your Checkpoints

  • Arm Raise Retest
  • Wall Slide Height
  • External Rotation Control Check
  • Overhead Press Pain Check
  • Full Arm Raise Test
  • Final Arm Raise Test
  • Pressing Load Check
  • Prevention Habit Check

Equipment

  • Yoga mat or soft floor surface
  • Foam roller (medium density)
  • Light resistance band (loop or tube style)
  • Light dumbbells (1-4 kg to start)
  • Wall space, plus tape or a pencil to mark it
  • Towel
  • Smartphone for self-assessment recordings

When to Stop and See a Professional

The program lists these stop signs on its first pages. If one appears, pause and get checked.

  • Sudden weakness or inability to raise your arm after a fall, lift or other injury (possible tendon tear)
  • Shoulder looks deformed or out of place after an injury (possible dislocation)
  • A hot, red, swollen shoulder, or shoulder pain with fever or feeling unwell (possible infection)
  • A new lump or swelling, unexplained weight loss, or new shoulder pain after a past cancer
  • Pain, swelling and stiffness in several joints at the same time
  • Numbness, tingling or weakness spreading down the arm to the hand
  • Shoulder or arm pain with chest pain, shortness of breath or sweating: call emergency services
  • Pain at rest or at night that keeps getting worse week after week, even after you ease the program back

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get access?

Right after payment you receive an email with your PDF and the link to your platform access. The PDF is yours to keep. Platform access, with the exercise library and the progress tracker, lasts one year from purchase.

What equipment do I need?

Yoga mat or soft floor surface; Foam roller (medium density); Light resistance band (loop or tube style); Light dumbbells (1-4 kg to start); Wall space, plus tape or a pencil to mark it; Towel; Smartphone for self-assessment recordings.

Who should not start this program on their own?

Read the prerequisites before you buy: No full-thickness rotator cuff tear diagnosed by a doctor or a scan; No dislocation, or feeling of the shoulder slipping out, that needs a surgical opinion; No fracture of the collarbone, upper arm or shoulder blade that your doctor has not cleared for exercise; Able to lift your arm to at least shoulder height without severe pain. If any of the stop signs below appears, pause the program and see a healthcare professional.

Does it include a coach?

No. It is a self-guided program: you measure your baseline, follow the phases and re-measure at every checkpoint. If you want a plan written around your own body by a coach, that is the full AKMI assessment.

Is this a substitute for medical care?

No. It is an exercise program. It does not diagnose or treat any disease. If your pain is severe, recent or getting worse, see a healthcare professional before you start.

Start the Shoulder Impingement Protocol

One-time purchase. The PDF is yours to keep. One year of exercise library access and progress tracking.

$47
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