Waugh Personal Training

17 moves of my best moves to help uneven shoulders.

Uneven shoulders are super common.

It usually comes from stuff like one-sided sports, muscle tension around the ribcage, or even the way you breathe. A ton of factors play in.

That said… uneven shoulders aren’t some huge injury risk. Most of the time, it’s more of an aesthetic annoyance.

The only real drawback is when it presents with limited shoulder mobility, which can be a primary cause of many shoulder problems.

So no, you don’t have to “fix” this to stay healthy. But if you want to even things out a bit, a little extra mobility goes a long way.

That means:
✅ Stretching the muscles around your shoulder blade so it can actually move
✅ Improving thoracic rotation
✅ Working on shoulder rotation
✅ Learning to handle load without compensating

Try one or a couple of these moves out in your warm ups or workouts and see if they help.

I’d suggest the cable rows or hanging moves for fastest results.

Now these are just suggestions. What you personally need might vary a little.

If you like this approach to posture, grab my free posture + mobility program. It’s got 3 full routines I use with clients for swayback, anterior pelvic tilt, and forward head/rounded shoulders.

Comment “Mobility” below and I’ll send you the link.

Here are 7 things I do now that let me lift hard again.

After 7 years of pain, I pretty much came full circle and ended up back with the same basic lifts I loved from the beginning.

The difference is now I do them in a way that fits my body better, lets me push hard, and keeps me from spiraling every time something feels off.

1) I still do the basics
I just tweak them to fit my body better. Boxes, pins, and other constraints help me control range of motion, clean up technique, and standardize reps.

2) I use top sets and back off sets
I push hard on one set, then drop the load and own the movement with better control, cleaner reps, and more range.

3) I earn the right to add weight
I do not add load just because I hit the target reps. I add it when the reps, control, and technique actually look strong enough to deserve it.

4) I ego lift more than ever
Just with guardrails. Safety bars, controlled ranges, and repeatable technique let me push my limits without turning every set into chaos.

5) I stay in a calorie surplus most of the year
When I am eating enough, recovery is better, little aches stay quieter, and the weights keep trending up.

6) I deload when life gets busy
Instead of skipping workouts or forcing bad sessions, I cut the load way down and get in quick lifts. It keeps momentum high and usually sets me up for a better week after.

7) I do not panic over every ache
Sore joints, little flare ups, and temporary plateaus used to make me shut things down. Now I see them as part of the process, not proof that I am broken.

At the end of the day, none of this is flashy.

I still do squats, presses, sit ups, and basic accessories.

Those moves were never the problem.

I just do them with better mobility, better recovery, and a better understanding of when to push and when to back off.

If you like this vibe then you’ll love my free posture and mobility guide. Comment Mobility and I’ll send it over.

Folks who sit a lot usually need strength more than more stretching.

But to be fair, the right exercises can give you both.

You can scratch that itch to stretch, move a joint, and loosen up while also building real strength that carries over outside the gym.

That’s what makes cable and lengthened biased movements so useful.

They let you load muscles in a lengthened position, open up areas that get stiff from sitting, and still get a solid training effect at the same time.

Now, not every exercise in your program needs to do this.

But adding a few accessory movements like these after your bigger lifts can go a long way.

That’s the point of this post.

These are some of my favorite accessory moves for clients who sit a lot and want to feel better without wasting their gym session.

They challenge your hips, shoulders, upper back, neck, and more while still building strength.

Give them a shot next time you train.

And if you like this style of exercise, you’ll love my free posture and mobility guide with 3 programs built in.

Comment mobility and I’ll send it to you.

Breathing drills aren’t working the way you hoped.

They can reduce tension, improve mobility, calm pain down, and help you access positions that were hard to get into before.

But a lot of people don’t get lasting results because they make the same mistakes over and over:
forcing the drill, picking drills that don’t match their body, chasing patterns too hard, and never loading the range they unlock.

That’s when breathing work starts feeling like something you have to keep “re-upping” on instead of something that actually moves you forward.

Used the right way, breathing drills are a great starting point.

But they work best when they fit your body and lead into strength, movement, and better tolerance in real life.

Comment MOBILITY and I’ll DM you my free posture and mobility program.

The biggest mistake I see people make with corrective exercise 👇

You see an exercise online for your problem and think, “Hey, that’s me.”

You try it, feel a little looser for a minute, but overall…

nothing really changes.

So you do it for a week, get frustrated, then move on to the next video or post, hoping that one will finally fix you.

And now you’re just swimming in circles like a one-legged duck.

Wasting time that could’ve been spent actually lifting, doing cardio, or doing something that improves your fitness and your life.

So if you want to get more out of corrective exercises, mobility drills, and all that stuff…

you need to base them on your actual functional abilities.

That means using mobility tests where you’re:

• not forcing the movement
• not pushing through excessive tension
• stopping when weird compensations start showing up

That’s your real baseline.

From there, match your exercises to that baseline while minimizing the compensations you always want to fall back on.

Things like hip hiking, arching your low back, tucking your chin, flaring your ribs, or letting your elbows flare.

Now, I’m not saying compensations are bad or that they’re going to hurt you.

Compensations have their place. They’re often just your body’s way of getting the job done.

But if you actually want to change how your body moves and functions…

you can’t keep using the same compensations while trying to build a new movement pattern.

Then once you’ve got the right pattern, load it so it becomes a usable strategy.

If you vibe with this, you’ll probably like my free posture and mobility program.

It includes a self-testing guide and 3 programs that meet you where you’re at right now.

Comment “mobility” and I’ll send it to you.

16 exercises for your neglected elbows.

Low back, knees, and shoulders get all the attention… but your elbows take a beating from pressing, pulling, throwing, gripping, and still somehow keep showing up.

Until they don’t.

Most elbow pain and overuse issues I see happen because the elbow is doing extra work for joints above and below it.

That goes for both golfer and tennis elbow (medial and lateral epicondylitis)

A lot of times that means poor shoulder mobility, shaky upper body mechanics, and an elbow that has to pick up the slack when you still decide to send it on pull-ups, presses, throws, or curls.

The good news is elbows usually respond well when you give them 2 things:

More space
More direct strength

For space, think decompression:
dead hangs, smart curl variations, and triceps extensions.

For strength, don’t skip the forearm:
pronation, supination, wrist flexion, and wrist extension.

Then once things calm down, build back athletic output with drop catches, med ball throws, plyos, and overcoming isometrics.

And if you really want the elbow to stop getting beat up, make sure the shoulder is doing its job too by going after mobility and coordination.

If this approach makes sense to you, comment “mobility” “posture” or “pudding” and I’ll send you my free posture and mobility program.

It includes an assessment to help you figure out what your body may be missing, plus 3 programs to choose from.

Good training this month

I was plateaued in September but stayed consistent… and it’s paid off.

Hit big PRs of 90lbs (40kg) pull ups and dips which I’ve been working toward for what seems like 2 years.

40lbs 4x8 lateral raises
92.5lbs x8 dips
90lbs x4 pull ups
70lbs 3x10 cable pec flyes
85lbs x4 dumbbell shoulder press

Adding more incline bench, shrugs, and neck work to the mix.

Me from a couple years ago would be in disbelief that we’re at this level without pain.

It’s funny how when you enjoy the process and don’t take s**t so seriously the gains just keep coming.

Happy Halloween and let’s finish 2025 strong.

Getting rid of chronic pain and training hard doesn’t need to be difficult.

My client loves lifting, but knee and shoulder pain kept stopping him.

Every time he got in a groove, the pain flared up and derailed progress, crushing his motivation and confidence.

Instead of giving up, he reached out to break out of rehab purgatory.

After a detailed assessment of his posture, lifestyle, mobility, strength, and habits, we designed a plan to get him back on track.

We started by improving his mobility, since those limits were likely putting extra stress on his knee and shoulder.

At the same time, we built a strength program around what he could do right now. Not a bunch of basic rehab moves. Real training, planned intelligently with his current mobility in mind to reduce flare ups and still get him stronger.

We monitored and tweaked the plan each week, making small adjustments, adding weight, and progressing his mobility work as his range improved, which led to:

✅ Shoulder extension up, touching toes again, deep squat without knee pain
✅ Walking feels balanced, weights are moving up, body weight trending down

And best of all, he feels like his program is sustainable and he’s enjoying the process!

If aches, poor mobility, and bad posture are keeps blocking your progress, I want to work with you

Comment “Coaching” to schedule a free posture and mobility assessment and I’ll point you in the right direction for what is right for you

🚨 7 Years of Chronic Pain? This Is What Finally Worked 🚨

If you’ve tried everything—PT, stretching, mobility work—and nothing sticks… this video is for you 😩

👉 Your pain started in one spot but now it’s everywhere
👉 Flare-ups happen even when you’re doing “everything right”
👉 You’ve been told it’s all in your head—or worse, “just rest”

I’ve been there. For 7 years. Nothing helped—until I made one mindset shift.

In this video, I break down:

✅ What neuroplastic pain is (and why it spirals)
🧠 The real reason your pain keeps coming back
💥 How I finally got stronger and pain-free without chasing the next fix

Want the link? 👇 Comment “Chronic” and I’ll DM it to you!

🚨 Why Your Hamstrings Always Feel Tight (and What to Do About It) 🚨

If your hamstrings always feel tight no matter how much you stretch them… you might be missing the real issue 😬

👉 Stretching every day but still stiff
👉 Feeling “tight” but passing flexibility tests
👉 Constant tension with no actual improvement

I’ve seen this over and over—and experienced it myself.

In my latest video, I break down:
✅ The difference between tight vs. taut hamstrings
❌ Why stretching might actually be wasting your time
📊 2 tests to find out if your hamstrings are actually restricted
🧠 How posture can play a role
💥 And two exercises that can give you instant relief

Want the link? 👇 Comment “hams” and I’ll DM it to you!