Problem with dips, extreme shoulder pain (wtf?)

[guitar_jon]

Alright guys here's the deal, everytime i attempt to do dips and its not that the weight is too heavy but i feel a really sharp pain in my left shoulder around the top of the medial head, maybe even in the joint. It really hurts.

What i'm wondering is what can be causing this? And how would i fix it so i can do dips as i find they really would help me work my chest and triceps.

Do you think maybe its a muscle imbalance and if so any suggestions?

[buffgrk]

you might want to get it check out, but you could be leaning towards that side and putting excess pressure or your going down to far as it places more stress on the delts, my 2c.

[__r]

From http://stronglifts.com/how-to-perfor...oper-technique:

If your shoulders or sternum hurts, stay more upright with your chest up. But always apply the following rules on Dips.

* Squeeze The Bar. Put your thumbs around the bar & squeeze it hard. The more force you apply to the bar, the stronger you are.
* Look Forward. Don't look straight forward, don?t look the floor. Look to a point slightly in front of you.
* Breathing. Take a big breathe while hanging with locked elbows & hold it. Lower yourself & come back up. Breathe at the top, not during reps.
* Chest Up. Don't let your shoulders roll forward. Keep your chest up & shoulders back. It's easier on your shoulders.
* Bend Your Legs. And cross your feet. Letting your legs hang means less strength in my experience. Squeeze your glutes on the way up.
* Break Parallel. Your shoulders must go lower than your elbows. Deeper stretches your chest more, but your shoulders might not agree with it.
* Lock Elbows. Drive out of the bottom until your elbows are locked. Squeeze your triceps. No partial Dips.

Common Problems. Break parallel on each rep just like with Squats. Use a complete range of motion from start to finish.

* Not Hitting Parallel. Don?t cheat by doing partial Dips. Your shoulders must go lower than your elbows on each rep.
* Not Locking the Elbows. Lock your elbows at the top. Squeeze your triceps & keep your chest up.
* Shoulder Issues. Don't go too low. Stop when you break parallel, keep your chest up & torso upright. Try shoulder dislocations.
* Torso Pain. Don?t let your shoulders roll forward & don?t let your torso shift forward too much. Keep your chest up.

If you follow these rules and dips still hurt you, I would stop doing them.

[guitar_jon]

i'm gonna try that out when i head to the gym today and i'll let you know what happens

[FinalPlague]

I have the same problem but it started after i was tackled by a cop and they ripped my arm back so you might wanna get it checked out

[TexAss]

Some people's shoulder mechanics just don't allow for them to do dips.
I am one of those. My AC joints hate dips.
I sub in decline neutral grip DB presses instead.

[guitar_jon]

i think i may have to do what you said and to the db decline presses. Because even with bench dips my shoulder kills me. And i love decline presses with the exeption that my gym's decline bench sucks ass in that my legs don't touch the ground when i lay on it. and I'm 5'10!!! wtf kind of design is that? lol

[BrainSlayer]

I think its Like doing Pull ups ,your "not" supposed to raise your shoulder like a shrug they should be kinda pressed down and scapula/shoulder blades pressed in and shoulders a bit more more rolled back instead forward. *Shrug*

Having my elbows Pointing Straight behind me seems easier,I know it works more triceps though, I could be wrong but maybe having arms Flared outwards puts more stress on shoulders and more prone to injury in some people? my shoulders hurt when I do it Flared outward seems like my shoulder start to shrug up and roll forward that way.

[ironwill2008]

Some people's shoulder mechanics just don't allow for them to do dips.

X2; there are certain exercises that just aren't suited for everyone's body mechanics, and they usually involve shoulders in some way. Upright rows come to mind, also.

Bottom line, if they cause pain, even after adjusting/experimenting with your form, just walk away.

[Barn01]

I had the same problem and it was my AC joint. It's almost like a burning sensation when you touch the top of your shoulder.

I cut dips completely, I don't need them for anything. I also got off the barbell for chest and switched to dumbbells.

For the first month with pain I dropped weight by 15% and that helped a lot. Changed my diet to include more protein. Started talking 1.5g glucosamine, 1.2g MSM, 1.2g chondroitin, 3-4g vitamin C ... per day

In a couple months I was back in full force lifting more than before. I still use dumbells for everything and no dips and have only see positive results so I'm sticking with it.

good luck it's a pain I KNOW!

[wild1poet2]

sounds like inflammation in the AC joint. short of getting it surgically widened which I did to my right AC I would try doing dips with your elbows back more as opposed to flaring them to the side. This will take some strain off the joint. I can do them this way. If I do weighted dips with elbows flared my right AC flares up.

[kev120782]

i get more pain in my collar bone... any suggestions?

[rockhuddy]

if you can't do it without pain, don't do it

just find something else to do