I spent most of 2017 with upper back pain, around my right scapula. I spent countless hours (and money) at the osteo and physio, to relieve the problem, only for it to raise it's ugly head not too long after. I tried a number of upper back strengthening exercises, none of which seemed to alleviate the problem.

In the last few months of last year, I started to feel some shoulder pain while squatting, as frustrating as it was, I found I could push through it and still make some great squat progress. However, I wasn’t making any bench progress. I put this down to going on an overseas holiday and not benching as much during that time. My bench definitely suffers if I don’t keep it up regularly. However, my bench started to go backwards and my shoulder pain increased. I knew it was time to get it checked out (I wanted bench gains!).

The word 'prehab' may sound like something reserved only for athletes, but it's actually something everyone should be doing - regardless of your training goals or fitness levels. To me, prehab incorporates stretching, foam rolling, trigger point work (such as lying on a cricket ball), physio and massage, all for the purpose of preventing injuries and the need for rehabilitation.