Bench Press and Shoulder Injury

[dZignTank]

Hi all....

so ive been lifting for years now and have always concentrated on form and feel i have a pretty good grasp of correct form.

about a year ago, when i really started to get results and started pushing big weight, i noticed my right shoulder starting to hurt a lot during flat bench press and not incline.

even when i would warm up on decent weight the pain would kick in within 3-4 reps. and after that i could bring the pain on simply by lifting my elbow (flapping like a chicken)

since then i moved over to SMITH presses while doing HST and MAX OT...

now that im starting 5x5, and its all compound movements, im wondering what i can do....

any advice or other people that suffer from shoulder injury that prevents flat bench press?

please let me know,

thanks!

[tonester]

STOP. Rest your shoulder. I didn't...kept working through and wound up with a partial tear that I'm still getting over 11 months later. Could be something simple like a strain or more complicated like impingement, tendonitis, bursitis etc. So rest up and see a sports med doc if possible. The part about pain while abducting your arm ( like a flapping chicken ) MAYBE impingement but most certainly your suprispinatus. That's the rotator that I tore.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do...ydra?id=818555
I did the first part of the above link by Cosgrove for a few months ( along with various bodyweight stuff)...really helped.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1379910 rule #7 in particular. Although it is a bit extreme he does have a very good point which is sort of delt with in the previous post by Alwyn Cosgroves' shoulder flexibility tests.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1053531

http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle....le=280rotator2 this is a good one.

http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/...r-injuries.htm this is particularly important considering the scource. Good info on this site. Helped me quite a bit when working with my PT.

I know it's a lot of reading to do but your body is worth it. Just to get the point across...I'm still breaking through doing 10-15 push ups and 3-4 pull ups after 11 months of therapy.

Hope this helps.

[Dominik]

about a year ago, when i really started to get results and started pushing big weight, i noticed my right shoulder starting to hurt a lot during flat bench press and not incline.

even when i would warm up on decent weight the pain would kick in within 3-4 reps. and after that i could bring the pain on simply by lifting my elbow (flapping like a chicken)

since then i moved over to SMITH presses while doing HST and MAX OT...

now that im starting 5x5, and its all compound movements, im wondering what i can do....

any advice or other people that suffer from shoulder injury that prevents flat bench press?

Dump it. Regardless of what a bunch of "hardcore" lifters or forum parrots say, don't do any exercise that doesn't agree with your joints, etc. and is causing you pain.

Flat bench is notorious for f*cking up shoulders. AC joint separations, rotator cuff pain, sprained and torn pecs, you name it. Some of it has to do with poor form and trying to lift too much weight too soon, but for a lot of people it's simply a high risk exercise.

Bottom line is you have options. If incline agrees with you, there's your answer. You could also try pressing dumbbells instead, which I personally believe is the better bodybuilding option. To work the triceps and front delts you could use a close grip and optionally a seated fly machine or cables for isolating the pecs with less weight. If you're experiencing acute pain on ANY exercise, stop immediately.

[magicdad]

I feel your pain. My shoulders are vulnerable to the bench press also. Therefore, I use dumbbells with a hammer grip exclusively. They don't bother my shoulders at all, and I'm pleased with the results. As one poster said, you may have to give up bench pressing altogether if your shoulders simply won't tolerate them. But if you've rested them, and/or had them checked by a doctor and they're good to go, I highly recommend hammer grip dumbbell presses.

Good luck.

[BluntD]

STOP. Rest your shoulder. I didn't...kept working through and wound up with a partial tear that I'm still getting over 11 months later. Could be something simple like a strain or more complicated like impingement, tendonitis, bursitis etc. So rest up and see a sports med doc if possible. The part about pain while abducting your arm ( like a flapping chicken ) MAYBE impingement but most certainly your suprispinatus. That's the rotator that I tore.

Yup listen to this. I had the same problem, tried to work through it and here I am over a year later and still unable to do ANY heavy lifting on chest or shoulders. It's not worth it.

[T Bone]

Dump it. Regardless of what a bunch of "hardcore" lifters or forum parrots say, don't do any exercise that doesn't agree with your joints, etc. and is causing you pain.

Flat bench is notorious for f*cking up shoulders. AC joint separations, rotator cuff pain, sprained and torn pecs, you name it. Some of it has to do with poor form and trying to lift too much weight too soon, but for a lot of people it's simply a high risk exercise.

Bottom line is you have options. If incline agrees with you, there's your answer. You could also try pressing dumbbells instead, which I personally believe is the better bodybuilding option. To work the triceps and front delts you could use a close grip and optionally a seated fly machine or cables for isolating the pecs with less weight. If you're experiencing acute pain on ANY exercise, stop immediately.

Very sound and worthy advice.

[Buff_Daddy]

Good advice, ditch the flat bench... not needed and way overated.

[Tommy W.]

Yep.
For me it was Mr. Smith and dumbells after shoulder issues.

tw

[Burke1]

Same.
I let it rest for almost a year, and my shoulders are still touchy.
Inclines seem to work for me, but Close grip bench is totally out of the question.

[KopyKat]

Dump it. Regardless of what a bunch of "hardcore" lifters or forum parrots say, don't do any exercise that doesn't agree with your joints, etc. and is causing you pain.

Flat bench is notorious for f*cking up shoulders. AC joint separations, rotator cuff pain, sprained and torn pecs, you name it. Some of it has to do with poor form and trying to lift too much weight too soon, but for a lot of people it's simply a high risk exercise.

Bottom line is you have options. If incline agrees with you, there's your answer. You could also try pressing dumbbells instead, which I personally believe is the better bodybuilding option. To work the triceps and front delts you could use a close grip and optionally a seated fly machine or cables for isolating the pecs with less weight. If you're experiencing acute pain on ANY exercise, stop immediately.

Yes, or if he must do the flat bench for whatever reason still, id say throw it in the middle of the workout or so with moderate weights and reps. Couldn't hurt id say if done correctly and with lighter weights. Just another idea, but id still say ditch it like Dom suggests and use DBs for flat instead.

[45BIG]

I had a terribly painful shoulder injury serveral years ago as a result of heavy benching. It took over a year to heal to the point where I could flat bench. About three months after the injury I was able to perform dumbbell presses pain free even with heavy weight. I love bench pressing and continue to do it but I am not adverse to performing dumbs infact I have considered purchasing heavier dumbs and limiting my flat barbell pressing all together.

[dZignTank]

yah,

thats what i thought guys.... i should have clarified that smith flat bench causes me no pain. its only the flat barbell, so i guess that one is getting tossed out for good then.

thanks!