Quit doing your own bench liftoffs!!!
I've been in and out of numerous ortho offices the past 6 months trying to rehab a myriad of shoulder issues. A posterior labral tear being the root issue. I was unsure of the exact cause of the tear until I saw a surgeon that really understood bench form and how it relates to shoulder health. I learned more in 10 minutes than I did with all the previous ortho "specialists" combined.
He explained how doing your own liftoff for bench can significantly increase your risk of a posterior labrum tear. The rack is far enough behind your "groove" (where the bar is during an actual press) that it is fairly rough on your shoulders.
I used to think getting a liftoff was stupid. I had the mindset that if I can bench it then I can lift it off by myself. I was in the habit of lifting off anywhere from 350-425 on a weekly basis. I'm certainly paying for my ignorance now. I'll be having surgery in a week or so and the rehab is 6 months:/
Obviously with lighter weights this isn't nearly the issue it is with heavy weights, but it isn't something to mess around with. I won't be doing it again and hopefully this will help to prevent some labrum tears in people reading this.
How can this be avoided if you don’t have a training partner?
1. Setup higher on the bench. Many people advise to setup with your eyes under the bar (really low.) If you setup with your chin under the bar you’ll drastically reduce the risk of injury. This will take some guess and check on your part. You’ll want to setup as high on the bench as possible but low enough that you don’t hit the rack on the way up.
2. Using your legs to lift your butt as high as you can during liftoff. This rotates your upper body and slightly changes the directional forces on your shoulder. As you bring the weight over your chest you should lower your butt back to the bench. A combination of 1 & 2 is probably enough for most people to avoid injury.
3. Floor pressing from the bottom position. With safety bars set at the right height you can load the bar up on them, slide under, arch and then bench without getting a liftoff at all.
4. Use a monolift to bench.