Your Push-Pull Balance Isnt Enough For A SLAP Tear

A lot of people think they’ve balanced their shoulders because they added more pulling. More rows. More pull-ups. More upper back work. That’s better than only pressing. But for SLAP tear rehab, push-pull balance alone often isn’t enough. Here’s why. Pressing movements naturally train muscles that contribute to internal rotation, including the subscapularis and larger muscles like the pecs and lats. But pulling exercises don’t always build the external rotators to the same degree. That matters because the external rotators — especially the infraspinatus and teres minor — aren’t big force producers. They’re joint-position muscles. Their job is to keep the head of the humerus centered in the shoulder socket while everything else produces force. During pressing, the pecs, delts, and lats create huge amounts of force. But they also tend to pull the shoulder forward. The external rotators act like a braking system that keeps the shoulder stable. If they can’t keep up, the humerus begins to shift forward inside the joint. That’s often referred to as joint glide. And under load, that extra movement can create instability, irritation, and more stress on the labrum. That’s why simply adding more rows isn’t always enough after a SLAP tear. You need to directly strengthen external rotation and then reinforce that control through your pressing and pulling patterns. That’s how the shoulder becomes strong and stable again. #slaptear #shoulderpain #rotatorcuff