It does. That’s the weird part is when I put it on I don’t feel like there’s almost any weight on my shoulders. Like it’s super comfortable but my shoulders freak out for some reason?
That's a fit problem. About half the weight should be on your hips. Adjust your pack or try a different one. Always use the belt and chest strap when your pack is loaded.
Pull ups (assisted) will correct this issue.
It's due to Weakness in the scapular stabilizers. (Particularly inferior Latissimus). Pec Minor gets super tight from anteriorly rotating the shoulders, Serratus Anterior and Traps jump in and get spams.
Working descending lats with pulls, rows and posterior flys and wye raises.
I’ve found that using hiking poles makes my shoulders more sore. I’ve had better results by doing the first 2/3 of the hike without poles (if the terrain abides) Or you can be more conscious about letting your arms dangle on the parts where you don’t need the poles. Keep at it!
Do you ever lift and carry weights outside of these hikes? 20 pounds isn't a terribly heavy pack but over time your muscles get fatigued and lose a lot of strength, especially if you don't do any conditioning in your life
I used to, but since having my almost one year d it’s been slow getting back into it. I think maybe I’ve always had weakness in those muscles too because it’s happened a couple times over the years. I will definitely work on strengthening and conditioning. Thanks!
It sounds like you might get some benefit from training your back/shoulder muscles along with some yoga. A heavy ruck will kick me right in the traps but it doesn’t typically leave knots or cause spasms. Added training plus more frequent trips should condition the muscles.
Shoulder shrugs would help A LOT. Sometimes simply having more muscle in the area that the backpack straps bare down on can greatly reduce wear and tear. Same can be said for any trap/neck exercise— as the pain is likely due to the muscles straining and stretching to an uncomfortable position to accommodate the weight of your backpack.
Also, are you keeping the shoulder straps on your backpack tight? If the backpack hangs low or out from the body at all it can pull on your traps and feel like it’s peeling your traps off of you.
One last thing that may help. A simple, yet frequent mistake I see backpackers make is where they put the hip belt. The name seems to imply where it should go, but I often see people putting the belt way too low. If the belt is on your hips (more like above your hips and resting on the top of the hip bone) it should lift your backpack up really high on your shoulders. This in conjunction with tightening your shoulder straps should keep it high enough on your shoulders that it’s not tearing down on your traps. Hope this helps!
Not very tight at all; barely snug. Just to prevent the straps from slipping off your shoulders.
It lets you relax your shoulders back so you don't have to keep them hunched forward to keep the straps from slipping. It's really subtle but makes a big difference.
Strengthen your traps and learn some stretches for it too.
Idk what your job is but most people don't exactly have a varied work life that prepares them well for the strains of load bearing over many miles.
Does your bag have a hip belt? If so the hip belt should be carrying the majority of the load, not your shoulders.
It does. That’s the weird part is when I put it on I don’t feel like there’s almost any weight on my shoulders. Like it’s super comfortable but my shoulders freak out for some reason?
That's a fit problem. About half the weight should be on your hips. Adjust your pack or try a different one. Always use the belt and chest strap when your pack is loaded.
Use the hipbelt then? Thats whats its for
I am using the hipbelt; im asking why I gave the issue if I’m not even putting much weight on my shoulders.
Pull ups (assisted) will correct this issue. It's due to Weakness in the scapular stabilizers. (Particularly inferior Latissimus). Pec Minor gets super tight from anteriorly rotating the shoulders, Serratus Anterior and Traps jump in and get spams. Working descending lats with pulls, rows and posterior flys and wye raises.
Thank you for giving specific exercises, it’s really helpful :)
Do you use hiking poles? Sounds like a muscle strength issue.
I do, and they definitely help. I will work on strengthening that area. Thanks!
I’ve found that using hiking poles makes my shoulders more sore. I’ve had better results by doing the first 2/3 of the hike without poles (if the terrain abides) Or you can be more conscious about letting your arms dangle on the parts where you don’t need the poles. Keep at it!
Do you ever lift and carry weights outside of these hikes? 20 pounds isn't a terribly heavy pack but over time your muscles get fatigued and lose a lot of strength, especially if you don't do any conditioning in your life
I used to, but since having my almost one year d it’s been slow getting back into it. I think maybe I’ve always had weakness in those muscles too because it’s happened a couple times over the years. I will definitely work on strengthening and conditioning. Thanks!
It sounds like you might get some benefit from training your back/shoulder muscles along with some yoga. A heavy ruck will kick me right in the traps but it doesn’t typically leave knots or cause spasms. Added training plus more frequent trips should condition the muscles.
Thank you!!
Shoulder shrugs would help A LOT. Sometimes simply having more muscle in the area that the backpack straps bare down on can greatly reduce wear and tear. Same can be said for any trap/neck exercise— as the pain is likely due to the muscles straining and stretching to an uncomfortable position to accommodate the weight of your backpack. Also, are you keeping the shoulder straps on your backpack tight? If the backpack hangs low or out from the body at all it can pull on your traps and feel like it’s peeling your traps off of you. One last thing that may help. A simple, yet frequent mistake I see backpackers make is where they put the hip belt. The name seems to imply where it should go, but I often see people putting the belt way too low. If the belt is on your hips (more like above your hips and resting on the top of the hip bone) it should lift your backpack up really high on your shoulders. This in conjunction with tightening your shoulder straps should keep it high enough on your shoulders that it’s not tearing down on your traps. Hope this helps!
Thank you!!!
That little upper chest clip that attaches the straps together makes a world of difference for my shoulders, even with a light pack.
Does it matter how tight it is? I kind of play with the tension as I go along but not sure how it should be.
Not very tight at all; barely snug. Just to prevent the straps from slipping off your shoulders. It lets you relax your shoulders back so you don't have to keep them hunched forward to keep the straps from slipping. It's really subtle but makes a big difference.
Thank you!
Does your pack have load lifters? If yes, at what angle are they when wearing the pack?
Yes. Parallel to the ground is what I aim for. Is there something else I should adjust there?
Ideally, they should be at a 45° angle to efficiently lift the load off your shoulders. Could be that the pack is too short for you.
Oh thanks I will adjust it!
Strengthen your traps and learn some stretches for it too. Idk what your job is but most people don't exactly have a varied work life that prepares them well for the strains of load bearing over many miles.