When I try dips or triceps press-downs I often get a shooting pain in my collarbone. What can I do about this?
Martin Friend, by email

Jason Anderson, training researcher and developer, replies: Pain during exercise is a red light and you shouldn’t ignore it. The collarbone links with two other bones to form the shoulder girdle – the sternum (breast bone) and the scapula (front of the shoulder blade). The position of your shoulder girdle can be affected by tight muscles in the chest that displace the collarbone. This can lead to the irritation that you are experiencing.

The discomfort can be made worse if you dip deeper than a 90° bend in your elbow because massive stress is created as the shoulder girdle tips forwards. So my advice would be to stretch your pecs by placing your arm in a doorway at 90° and rotating away from the door, and restrict your range in the triceps dip.