The Alchemy of Pain: Turn Suffering into Strength

I haven’t been gentle on my body throughout my life.

Growing up, I got into scraps as a kid—the kind where you learn what your body can take and what breaks. I’m naturally intense, physically wired to seek out challenge, and sometimes those challenges were painful ones. Casual MMA sessions here and there. A couple stints in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Seabees. The body keeps score, and mine has plenty of marks.

Through all of it, I’ve had to learn how to “manage” pain. But my philosophy isn’t what most people expect. It’s not about counteracting the pain, masking it, or finding ways to live around it.

It’s about using pain as a guide.

Your Body Wants to Be Strong

Here’s what I’ve learned: our bodies want to be strong. They’re designed for it. Anything less than prime strength, conditioning, and nervous system optimization triggers the pain response. It’s not an attack. It’s a message.

“Something isn’t right,” your body is telling you.

Most of us try to cover it up. We ignore it. We pop ibuprofen. We adjust our lives to avoid the movements that hurt. We tell ourselves, “I’m just getting older,” or “I’ll just have to live with this.”

But all true answers in life come with thoughtful confrontation—not blind rage hurled aggressively at the problem, but intelligent, conscious observation. You have to look at the pain, understand what it’s saying, and respond accordingly.

Here’s the truth: your pain is simply weakness. Not moral weakness. Not character weakness. Physical weakness in a specific area, range of motion, or movement pattern.

And if the problem is weakness, the solution is obvious:

Make that area stronger.

But HOW You Do It Matters

Let’s take a common complaint: shoulder pain.

Pain lifting the arms overhead. Sharp pain in certain ranges. Crunchiness. Weakness. Instability. Sound familiar?

The shoulder is the most complex joint in the body. We’re designed for a wide variety of abilities—brachiation (swinging from branches), throwing, pressing, pulling, carrying. We’re built to hang from trees, hurl spears, press our wives overhead (oh, only me? 😬).

If you’re unable to do these things—or if they cause pain—it stands to reason you must work your way back up to these abilities.

The path forward isn’t one-size-fits-all. What works depends on the person, their history, and what they’re willing to commit to. But here are some protocols that have been incredibly successful for the vast majority of people dealing with shoulder pain:

Hanging

• What it is: dead hang from a pull-up bar. Just hang there.

• Why it works: decompresses the shoulder joint, stretches the lats and pec minor, resets scapular positioning. Gravity does the work. Your body remembers what it’s like to support itself overhead. Start with 10-20 seconds. Build to 60+ seconds over time.

Hanging Side-to-Side Shifting

• What it is: while hanging, shift your weight from one arm to the other, prepping for monkey bars and full brachiation.

• Why it works: builds unilateral shoulder stability and control. Teaches the shoulder to handle load in various positions. Mimics natural human movement patterns we’ve abandoned.

Shoulder Dislocates (Broomstick, Band, or Chest Expander)

• What it is: hold a stick or band with a wide grip, rotate it overhead and behind your body in a smooth arc.

• Why it works: improves shoulder mobility in all ranges, especially external rotation. Restores lost ROM. Increases blood flow. Signals to the nervous system that this range is safe.

CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations)

• What it is: super slow, fully activated circles at end range of motion. Think 60-90 seconds per rotation.

• Why it works: builds active control at the edges of your range. Strengthens the small stabilizers. Teaches the nervous system to own every degree of motion. Pain often lives where control is absent.

Specific PT-Type Exercises

• What they are: external rotations with bands or dumbbells, pull-overs, trap-3 raises, Powell raises, face pulls, etc.

• Why they work: target the rotator cuff, rear delts, and scapular stabilizers—the muscles most people neglect. These are the foundation of shoulder health. Without them, everything else crumbles.

Kettlebell Arm Bars and Turkish Get-Ups

• What they are: loaded shoulder stability drills. The arm bar isolates shoulder stability under load. The get-up is a full-body movement that demands shoulder integrity through multiple positions.

• Why they work: force the shoulder to stabilize under load in awkward positions. Build resilience. Expose weaknesses you didn’t know you had. The get-up is a diagnostic tool as much as it is a strength builder.

Kettlebell Pressing

• What it is: strict press, push press, bottoms-up press, overhead carries.

• Why it works: builds raw overhead strength. Teaches the shoulder to handle load in the most vulnerable position. The bottoms-up press especially demands wrist, elbow, and shoulder stability in unison.

Crawling Variations

• What they are: bear crawl (GMB style), leopard crawl, crab walk, etc.

• Why they work: ground-based movement resets the shoulder girdle. Builds scapular stability, core integration, and coordination. Reconnects the brain to movement patterns we’ve lost. Crawling is primal rehab.

Wide Variety of Stretches

• What they are: active stretches, PNF (contract-relax), passive stretches, loaded stretches.

• Why they work: restore tissue length, improve ROM, calm the nervous system. Different types of stretching serve different purposes. Active stretching builds strength at end range. PNF resets the nervous system. Passive stretching increases ROM over time.

Slowly Working Up to Throwing

• What it is: start with light tosses. Gradually increase intensity and distance.

• Why it works: throwing is one of the most natural human movements. It demands explosive shoulder stability, timing, and coordination. If you can throw pain-free, your shoulder is functional. Start easy. Progress mindfully.

Swinging a Mace

• What it is: swing a steel mace (or a weighted stick) in circular patterns around your body.

• Why it works: builds rotational strength, shoulder endurance, and grip. Challenges the shoulder through unconventional planes of motion. Bulletproofs the joint.

Pressing Odd Objects Overhead

• What it is: sandbags, stones, logs, kegs—anything that doesn’t sit perfectly in your hands.

• Why it works: odd objects demand more stabilization than barbells or dumbbells. They shift, wobble, and challenge your nervous system. This builds real-world, anti-fragile strength.

The Key: Keep Moving

However your path forms, ensure that you KEEP MOVING the shoulders and use them regularly.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: dysfunction is actually functional signaling from a body that no longer sees the need to use said shoulders as they were designed.

Yes, many people lose function due to an acute or chronic injury. But the vast majority simply stop using their shoulders with any sort of real intensity, and pain and injury are a result of that lack of movement—not the cause.

Your body adapts to what you ask of it. If you stop asking it to lift, press, hang, throw, and carry, it will stop being able to do those things. And when you eventually try? Pain.

This principle applies to all areas of the body—and even the mind.

Use it or lose it.

The Foundation: Sleep, Nutrition, and Psychology

Mindfully send signals to your body and brain that you intend to use the body that is currently in pain. But don’t stop there.

Support the process

• Fasting and nutrition: inflammation is real. What you eat matters. Intermittent fasting can reduce systemic inflammation and promote autophagy (cellular cleanup). Eat real food. Cut the processed junk.

• Sleep: this is where healing happens. Stop scrolling on your phone at 10 PM and go to bed early, damnit. 😂 You KNOW what to do. Now develop the proper psychology to go through with it.

And speaking of psychology…

Stop identifying as “I’m the person with pain and it’s ruining my life.”

Start identifying as “I’m the person who has healed—or will heal—this pain. The obstacle is my lesson, and I am grateful for it.”

Your identity shapes your reality. If you see yourself as broken, you’ll stay broken. If you see yourself as someone in the process of becoming stronger, you will become stronger.

A Simple Shoulder Rehab Protocol (Start Here)

If you’re dealing with shoulder pain and don’t know where to start, here’s a basic protocol that works for the majority of people:

Week 1-2: Restore Mobility & Build Awareness

• Daily hanging: 3 sets x 20-30 seconds

• Shoulder dislocates: 2 sets x 10 reps (wide grip, slow and controlled)

• CARs: 1 set x 5 rotations each direction (60-90 seconds per rotation)

Week 3-4: Add Stability & Light Load

• Continue daily hanging (work up to 45-60 seconds)

• External rotations (band): 3 sets x 12-15 reps

• Kettlebell arm bar: 3 sets x 30-60 sec hold per side (light weight)

• Bear crawl: 3 sets x 20-30 feet

Week 5-6: Build Strength

• Continue hanging (add side-to-side shifting)

• Turkish get-up: 3 sets x 2 reps per side (light to moderate weight)

• Kettlebell strict press: 3 sets x 5-8 reps (moderate weight)

• Face pulls or Powell raises: 3 sets x 12-15 reps

Week 7-8: Increase Complexity & Load

• Bottoms-up KB press: 3 sets x 5 reps per side

• Light mace swings or throwing drills: 5-10 minutes

• Odd object overhead press (sandbag): 3 sets x 5-8 reps

• Continue mobility work as warm-up

Progress slowly. Listen to your body. Pain is feedback, not failure.

You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone

I’ve injured almost every area of my body at some point. Shoulders, elbows, knees, lower back, wrists—you name it, I’ve dealt with it. And I’ve figured out how to work around those injuries while healing them.

If you’re stuck, in pain, or don’t know where to start, I can help. I’ve walked this path. I know what it’s like to be told, “You’ll just have to live with it,” and I know what it takes to prove that wrong.

I work with people one-on-one to build personalized protocols based on their specific issues, history, and goals. No cookie-cutter programs. No generic advice. Just intelligent, thoughtful training designed to make you stronger where you’re currently weak.

If that sounds like something you need, reach out. Let’s talk.

Final Thought

Pain is not the enemy.

It’s a guide. A teacher. A signal that something needs attention.

Your body wants to be strong. It’s designed to move, lift, hang, throw, carry, and thrive. When it can’t, it tells you.

Listen. Confront the weakness. Make it stronger.

And remember: the obstacle is the lesson. Be grateful for it.

Ready to take control of your pain and build real, lasting strength? Let’s work together.