Build chest without benchpress?

[marathonpete]

Right shoulder has been very sore for a couple months now. Doc says it is Shoulder inpingment syndrome. Anyway it hurts. What other exercises can keep my chest going but at the same time not kill the shoulder?

[jtroster]

Standing cable presses.

[masel99]

Time off!!!

[blsir]

Time off, then slowly return & skip shoulder work-outs. Also stick with machines instead of free weights.

[LogPressing]

Have you tried raiseing the angle of the bench? Maybe lower the weight and raise the reps for a while? If those aren't any good, pullovers.

[Jester78]

time off and eaaaaase back into it, if you need to use girlie weight for a while, so be it. Im not 35, but have been plagued with shoulder pain with my pitching arm for over 10 years. Really ruins a part of life to have to stop training for a while, but it's for the best.

[LyingSac]

i wonder if that ole exercise called pullovers would hurt.....

[egoatdoor]

Originally Posted by marathonpete

Right shoulder has been very sore for a couple months now. Doc says it is Shoulder inpingment syndrome. Anyway it hurts. What other exercises can keep my chest going but at the same time not kill the shoulder?

I hardly ever bench press anymore because of shoulder injuries.

Here is what I wrote in another thread which may be enlightening:

I hurt my left rotator cuff for the 2nd time a year and a half ago and it was the best thing for my what was my previously lacking chest.

After my rehab, I was forced to limit the range of motion on my pressing movements, control the negative portion of the reps and had to use more Smiths and Hammer machines to keep direct stress off the cuff.

What I realized the first couple of workouts was by limiting my range of motion so that as soon as I felt the stress start to move off my pecs and into my delts and tris, I stopped the concentric phase of the rep. This combined wth controlling the negative meant my presses were now working ONLY my chest and not the assisting muscles.

In a year and a half of now pressing with only my chest, my chest has grown more than it did in 8 years combined before that.

[Old-Time-Lifter]

Originally Posted by blsir

Time off, then slowly return & skip shoulder work-outs. Also stick with machines instead of free weights.

Actually the one thing that is guaranteed death to my bad shoulder is machine benching. It will cripple me up but good!

[thepainter5]

If the doctor says it is shoulder impingment, I would be going to a good chiropractor. That is something the majority of doctors won't recomend to you.
I had an issue with my rotator cuff and after 3 visits to the chiropractor, I was back to training.

[egoatdoor]

After my second injury, all it took was one week off from the gym while I applied heat and ice to the shoulder for 5 minutes a couple times a day. Of course, when I got back, I made sure to be careful with any pressing or shoulder movements (which led to the ephiphany I mentioned above about my range of motion) and did not do any wide grip chins for a few weeks after that.

[asksmith]

Pushups, pushups, and more pushups! Incline, decline, triangle, plyo, medicine ball, fast, slow, etc... Go on youtube and search for extreme pushups. You'll find many different ideas and routines. Some are pretty brutal.

Every now and then I'll do a chest workout out of nothing but pushups for 30 minutes. My goal is 500...I haven't it made it yet.

[BergMuscle]

Try light DB work. If that doesn't cause pain, use the DB's to build your chest. Add weight as you can.

And even if you have to lay off to heal, go for the DB's for chest when you start training again. I've heard of many who've dropped bench press and BB work for chest and gone all DB. I'm moving in that direction myself; my pecs have responded way better to my DB training to anything I've ever done with a BB.

[StressMonkey]

Originally Posted by BergMuscle

I've heard of many who've dropped bench press and BB work for chest and gone all DB. I'm moving in that direction myself; my pecs have responded way better to my DB training to anything I've ever done with a BB.

I'm starting to lean that way also.

[Baldiewonkanobi]

Oh no, is Baldie gonna yet again reccomend swimming for the umpteenth time.....YES.








(the old pfart is a broken record)

[egoatdoor]

If you go the dumbbell route, be careful especially on inclines. Getting heavy dumbbells into position can put alot of strain on the cuffs and thats exactly how I hurt mine the second time.

[new2lifting]

Originally Posted by egoatdoor

If you go the dumbbell route, be careful especially on inclines. Getting heavy dumbbells into position can put alot of strain on the cuffs and thats exactly how I hurt mine the second time.

try these
http://www.powerhooks.com/

I use them all the time, great investment

to the op, I would try dumbells instead of barbells

[boathead]

perfect pushups. they were instrumental in rehabbing from shoulder surgery. they are tough, yet permit your shoulder to find its own tracking.

[chodan9]

Originally Posted by BergMuscle

Try light DB work. If that doesn't cause pain, use the DB's to build your chest. Add weight as you can.

And even if you have to lay off to heal, go for the DB's for chest when you start training again. I've heard of many who've dropped bench press and BB work for chest and gone all DB. I'm moving in that direction myself; my pecs have responded way better to my DB training to anything I've ever done with a BB.

^^ this ^^
I have gotten more gains from dumbell work on my chest than anything.

I am starting to do BB now for strength but I will continue DB for pec mass.

[jellodirt]

Originally Posted by marathonpete

Right shoulder has been very sore for a couple months now. Doc says it is Shoulder inpingment syndrome. Anyway it hurts. What other exercises can keep my chest going but at the same time not kill the shoulder?

I would let my shoulder heal. Do some stretching until it's ready...

[greyhair]

Deep decline bench or db.
Deep decline Cables.

Both will strongly activate the pectoral muscles and still provide the triceps with stress.
Your anterior delts will not come into play too much, but I find that it is hard to stress the delts with a shoulder problem.
If you want to work the delts, flat bench with light enough weights to hit 15+ reps are good and IMHO, it has a good rehab effect on the shoulder.

[Nikonguy]

Cliffs on my shoulder pain experience:
very sore shoulder doing Rippetoes
chiro(4 visits)
rest (2 weeks)
learned how to bench right
pain free and powerlifting

....that's all I've got.

[baker]

Originally Posted by thepainter5

If the doctor says it is shoulder impingment, I would be going to a good chiropractor. That is something the majority of doctors won't recomend to you.
I had an issue with my rotator cuff and after 3 visits to the chiropractor, I was back to training.

This and finding what works best for your body. A PT will have you doing lots of rotator cuff exercises and working out on the UBE.

[iLiRaM]

dumbell flys

[Whiskeyjack]

Originally Posted by Old-Time-Lifter

Actually the one thing that is guaranteed death to my bad shoulder is machine benching. It will cripple me up but good!

Me too. Not the smiths but those other damned things - I don't know what you call them, I think Hammers - with 2 independent upward-swing pressers. The only shoulder problem I've ever had was originally caused by doing one set of those in a resort because it's all the place had for pressing. Numquam iterum.

[nospin]

I'm presently dealing with some shoulder issues myself (yes, I've seen my doctor). As I am waiting for things to heal, the focus has been elsewhere. In a nutshell:

1. No chest yet.
2. No shoulder presses or lat raises. Shrugs, front and rear are ok.
3. I've rediscovered some other aspects of working out. Kicking the heavy bag, supersetting everything, ab work between every set, warming up with cardio before, then after every workout, adaptive 300 workout, some leg stuff,...

Basically, shifting things up greatly. It's been fun, I think I'm looking "harder," gaining flexability, dieting more hardcore, etc...

Don't get me wrong, I can't wait until I can get back to benching and such. However, I don't think my chest has really suffered. In the meantime, have some fun with other stuff. You may look back on this as a positive.

[egoatdoor]

Originally Posted by baker

This and finding what works best for your body. A PT will have you doing lots of rotator cuff exercises and working out on the UBE.

I used that machine during my first rehab in 2000. She's a lot cuter picture though.