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Bench Press: Avoiding Shoulder Injuries
IRON TANKS
Site Advertiser
Might be quite ok for you if your arms are quite long, hard to say without seeing the bench press form.
MikeW
Member
Scott,
Fair 'nuff. So where did I go wrong when I stuffed my shoulder at your place? My scapula were virtually touching and I had a big arch happening. I think I needed to hold my shoulders down a bit more (i.e. towards my toes) and keep them tight and that might have helped. I think I just lost a bit of tightness in form on that second last rep on the drop back set. Lazy...
Ah well, I'll get Jeff to check my bench form before I get back into it again when it comes good. Hopefully not long now. I'm Military Pressing and Deadlifting again, just the bench that still won't play.
Cheers,
Mike
Kyle Aaron
Active member
An excellent reason not to bench much, overhead press instead.
I have tried to get guys to set their shoulders while benching, I think it's a lost cause. The sort of guys who love to bench a lot won't listen to anyone.Minchia said:
Rugby88
I have Ep1c Calendar kunce
An excellent reason not to bench much, overhead press instead.
2 totally different exercises...dont get me started lol
Kyle Aaron
Active member
I agree they're different. As are front and back squat. Everyone has their biases.
I just see a lot of older guys in the gym who tell me they have "bad shoulders" and so can't squat or deadlift. And these guys have all benched for years, their "bad shoulders" don't stop that. The rotator cuff never showed up in exercise physiology textbooks until benching became popular in the 1970s onwards. Thanks Arnold Squashenegger.
So one of the differences is that bench press can fck up your shoulder, overhead press tends not to so much.
I just see a lot of older guys in the gym who tell me they have "bad shoulders" and so can't squat or deadlift. And these guys have all benched for years, their "bad shoulders" don't stop that. The rotator cuff never showed up in exercise physiology textbooks until benching became popular in the 1970s onwards. Thanks Arnold Squashenegger.
So one of the differences is that bench press can fck up your shoulder, overhead press tends not to so much.
Get started, we can all learn something.PowerSports said:
Rugby88
I have Ep1c Calendar kunce
Normally guys who say they have "bad shoulders" "bad knees" whatever just dont wanna squat or deadlift...theres nothing really wrong with them lol
I just dont like the overhead press instead of bench stuff....you should be doing both...if your shoulders are that bad that u cant bench then u cant overhead press...both exercises have there place and one shouldnt be replaced by the other...everyone should be benching and overhead pressing.
Rugby88
I have Ep1c Calendar kunce
Oh yea mate for sure but benching will still increase upper body strength....becoming the biggest, fastest, strongest athlete is the key to all athletes - squat,bench,deadlift,overhead press should always be included...
Of course it depends what sport it is...but say for rugby league/union your looking to become an overall athlete so nothing should be neglected.
Benching has its place just like deadlifts, squats, cleans, overhead press etc
Of course it depends what sport it is...but say for rugby league/union your looking to become an overall athlete so nothing should be neglected.
Benching has its place just like deadlifts, squats, cleans, overhead press etc
IRON TANKS
Site Advertiser
Personally, I would never give up benching. Change your technique and volume to suit. While I have to say I still regularly favour barbell bench, I've found dumbbells to be safer (albeit, more difficult)
Goosey
.
For a long time, at least twenty years, seems like shoulder injuries and lifting weights go pretty much hand in hand. The bench press usually gets the blame yet some authorities insist overhead lifting is harder on the shoulders than bench pressing. The lab coat types will doubtless argue this to a draw.
an equal amount of pulling and pushing makes a whole lot of sense and it seems that an unbalanced shoulder will probably before long be an unhealthy shoulder and that will hold you back in any sport, bodybuilding, powerlifting, everything.
FWIW;
I've held this view that the bench press is an exercise that allows the trainee to handle a lot of weight. Is it a good pec exercise? Not as good as flyes, stone sphere lifting and dips. Is it a good deltoid exercise? Not as good as presses, and various lateral/leverage movements with dumbbells. Is it a good tricep exercise? Now we may be on to something. But, tricep pressdowns on a lat-machine IMO are safer.
I do you think this holds true
Posted via Mobile Device
an equal amount of pulling and pushing makes a whole lot of sense and it seems that an unbalanced shoulder will probably before long be an unhealthy shoulder and that will hold you back in any sport, bodybuilding, powerlifting, everything.
FWIW;
I've held this view that the bench press is an exercise that allows the trainee to handle a lot of weight. Is it a good pec exercise? Not as good as flyes, stone sphere lifting and dips. Is it a good deltoid exercise? Not as good as presses, and various lateral/leverage movements with dumbbells. Is it a good tricep exercise? Now we may be on to something. But, tricep pressdowns on a lat-machine IMO are safer.
I do you think this holds true
Posted via Mobile Device
trofius
Member
I agree with a lot of that silver back.. My personal favorite chest exercise is decline db presses, rotating your arms so you palms face at the top. Very Nice chest contraction...
I have recently injured my shoulder, the cause, from what i can tell it was a combination of:
...playing with wider grips on the bar for bench (pinkies on the rings)
...trying to push too much weight.
...trying to do too much weight on military press, and having to jerk a tad to get it too move.
.....Not resting the shoulder for long enough once i realised it was injured, NO it wont be ok mate....
Lots of good info being posted here i feel.
Safe benching all!
I have recently injured my shoulder, the cause, from what i can tell it was a combination of:
...playing with wider grips on the bar for bench (pinkies on the rings)
...trying to push too much weight.
...trying to do too much weight on military press, and having to jerk a tad to get it too move.
.....Not resting the shoulder for long enough once i realised it was injured, NO it wont be ok mate....
Lots of good info being posted here i feel.
Safe benching all!
GoPies
New member
which part is the 'rings' ?
Sticky
Active member
How long are your arms sticky ? Go get the tape measure
720mm from finger to end of bicep
I'd say your bench form was fine up to the 92.5kg paused bench. From the 95kg and the 85ish where you go injured, it was all touch and go.
Injurys still happen with perfect form, it may have just been a case of to much weight.
Let's also clarify that it's not a rotator injury, it a strained delt yeah? After you felt it twinge, you went to do another rep...... That probably didn't help.
But like I said, I'm no tech expert, I just do as im told
. Posted via Mobile Device
Last edited:
We can pretty much trace shoulder injuries back to the days when the overhead press was dropped from Olympic competition, 1973.
Since then, the bench press has been king, and shoulders have never been the same.
Rotator cuff injuries were unheard of in the 60's.
As far as best position, I'm not sure there is one.
I benched with my elbows flared wide, no arch and pressed from the nipples from 1979 till 1996, when I tore my pec (not related). So 17 years of BP and never ever had a sore shoulder.
When I again benched heavy in 2007, my unrepaired severed pec played havoc with my right shoulder, causing me discomfort, I used the same grip and technique I always had.
So I'm not sure there is a right way. One thing I always did which may have helped was heavy bent rows, which may have provided balance.
When I was benching 140kg x 8, I was also doing the same weight for bent rows, and always pressed heavy overhead.
Maybe that was the key to healthy shoulders after so many years of heavy benching, rather than anything else.
Since then, the bench press has been king, and shoulders have never been the same.
Rotator cuff injuries were unheard of in the 60's.
As far as best position, I'm not sure there is one.
I benched with my elbows flared wide, no arch and pressed from the nipples from 1979 till 1996, when I tore my pec (not related). So 17 years of BP and never ever had a sore shoulder.
When I again benched heavy in 2007, my unrepaired severed pec played havoc with my right shoulder, causing me discomfort, I used the same grip and technique I always had.
So I'm not sure there is a right way. One thing I always did which may have helped was heavy bent rows, which may have provided balance.
When I was benching 140kg x 8, I was also doing the same weight for bent rows, and always pressed heavy overhead.
Maybe that was the key to healthy shoulders after so many years of heavy benching, rather than anything else.
For anyone interested I ran the question on narrow grips past Rippetoe, interesting response:
Pressing issues P2
Pressing issues P2