Bench Press: Avoiding Shoulder Injuries

[PTC]

I hadnt trained for 2 years. When I had finished in 1993, I was squatting 450lbs and benching 365lbs.

I had got really fat, over 105kg, but I'm disciplined when I'm training, and within 2-3 months I was 90kg again and getting strong. I was clearly training too much and not eating enough to compensate.

So I'm training in this shed, Nina is spotting, I have 330lbs on the bar (150kg) and the bar is flying up so far. I tell Nina that my shoulder is making funny noises, but I have this stupidly high pain threshold, so I simply ignore stuff like that. Something clearly is not right, but its in the front deltoid. I just ignore it and keep going.

I bring the bar down to my chest, and as it leaves my chest, it makes this horrendous tearing/snapping sound. The bar crashes back down on my chest.

Now if I'd been smarter I would have stopped benching. I didnt and it tore off the top part, there is a gaping hole there.

I always felt invincible when I trained, I was pretty stupid in hindsight. I think back now and realise my stupidity cost me a 180kg bench press, which I have no doubt I would have achieved.

You need balance between my moronic style and the softcockin style. I wasnt training for a comp, there was no need to push on that day

 

[dave]

Yep that didn't sound too bright. I can see why you think most don't train hard enough.

 

[Sticky]

I have a big chat with some strong PL'ers about this topic today, as I obviously want to try and stay as injury free as possible. One benches 270kg, the other 2 are around 2.5 x bodyweight. I thought I'd share their comments.

I asked them if they had ever had any issues with their shoulders. They both replied "ha, yes of course.".

I then asked them what they attributed their injuries to, grip width or weight or......

They both said their injuries came from a lot of benching with a lot of weight, and they attribute nothing to their grip width.

One of the guys was telling me that when they started benching, they were using a close grip, much like Adam's. He did his left rotator.
He then moved his grip out wider and had no issues with his left shoulder, but then did his right. He said that shoulders just arent supposed to bench ridiculous amounts of weight.

I dont know what their programs look like, so I obviously cant compare bench v row, how much OH pressing the do....... if any ect.

Now Im not telling you guys what to do, or who is right, or if their is a right way to go about staying injury free. What I am saying is that I have a coach, and a good coach at that. He hasnt steered me wrong yet, so I'll just keep doing what I'm told .
I also believe, that this is a sport. With sports come risks, and one of those risks is injury. Just try not to be stupid, and listen to your body.

 

[PTC]

Not a sport for me, I never competed.

Equipped benching has little relevance to raw benching Scott. I'm pretty sure Oli is a raw bencher.

Kennely picks up a lazy 430lbs with a shirt, 1081 v 650.

 

[Sticky]

Not everyone was equipt that I talked to today, but the figures I quoted obviously were. One raw bencher goes 200kg at 107, the other 180kg at 90
I know it's not a sport for everyone, but it is for me, and this is my opinion .

 

[PTC]

Yep, double bodyweight raw benching will challenge your shoulder health once your over 90kg

 

[Oli]

Sticky, I think you're a pretty cool guy but you've missed the mark here.

I like powerlifting, I think the squat/bench/deadlift is a good measure of strength but I'd rather be strong until they put me in a little wooden box than milk an extra 10-20kg in the bench.

There seems to be a lot of evidence for a narrow grip, bringing the bar to the nipples and balancing benching with overhead work and pulling for shoulder health. If some strong guys have told you they bench differently to improve their leverages and have gotten away with it thats all well and good, but its not a risk I'm willing to take when i can just bench narrow grip and stay safe.

 

[haz]

where is the evidence?

 

[unt0uchable]

By "bringing the bar to the nipples" do you mean the bar actually touches the nipples or just to that level?

When i bench the bar actually touches the bottom of my pecs (sometimes abit lower). I've also noticed the path of the bar is not straight but rather arched. Will either of these points screw with my shoulders? (sorry if this has already been answered)

I've recently been having trouble with my right shoulder (tender/sore) and i'm pretty confused because the weights are tiny (not even bodyweight, lol) and I thought my form was good.

Time to pull out rips coaching vids.

 

[Oli]

where is the evidence?

Pressing issues P2

Very useful for strengthening the bottom portion of the bench which will occur secondary to hypertrophy, as these are generally performed in the six rep range. The only caution is that this exercise can severely open the acromial process, and should be used sparingly, and only by athletes with healthy shoulders.

By "bringing the bar to the nipples" do you mean the bar actually touches the nipples or just to that level?

When i bench the bar actually touches the bottom of my pecs (sometimes abit lower). I've also noticed the path of the bar is not straight but rather arched. Will either of these points screw with my shoulders? (sorry if this has already been answered)

I've recently been having trouble with my right shoulder (tender/sore) and i'm pretty confused because the weights are tiny (not even bodyweight, lol) and I thought my form was good.

Time to pull out rips coaching vids.

I like Rippetoe's coaching vids.

Most people touch the bar against the nipples or a tad lower (where you are).

Bar path is confusing - basically because the bar doesnt move in line with the shoulder capsule it will never be 'in a straight line'.

 

[haz]

Eric Cressey- Shoulder savers part 1

Shoulder Saver #3: Learn to Bench Press Correctly.
This might very well be the most important one of all. I must admit that when I see a lifter benching with his elbows flared and his back flat, it makes me cringe — not only because he's ruining his shoulders, but also because he's really limiting his strength potential.

There's an old saying that a lot of great bench pressers have repeated when discussing the importance of the upper back in benching: "You can't shoot a cannon out of a canoe." If you don't have the underlying stability to press big weights, the soft tissues of the shoulder joint are going to suffer the consequences.

Stability is affected by both neuromuscular factors and positional factors; simply repositioning yourself on the bench can markedly increase your strength without any chronic changes to your neuromuscular system's ability to move the weight.

Here's what you need to do:
1. Line up on the bench so that your eyes are about 3-4 inches toward your feet from the bar (in other words, the bar is almost directly above the top of your head). From there, retract your shoulder blades hard. Next, push yourself back up until your eyes are directly under the bar; at this position, your scapulae should still be retracted, but also depressed down toward your feet as well. If you do it right, your rib cage should pop right up.
2. Set your feet, and lock them into place. The position of the feet is going to be dependent on a number of factors, but what doesn't change is the fact that they need to be fixed in place.
3. Decide on what degree of arch you want to use. For general health purposes, it doesn't need to be much. Obviously, powerlifters are going to need to push the envelope on this front. The more arch, the more it'll feel like a decline bench press. Declines will always be easier on the shoulder girdle than flat bench pressing.
4. Grasp the bar and USE A HANDOFF from your training partner. Lifting off to yourself is a sure-fire way to lose the tightness you've just established in your upper back. Keep the shoulder blades back and down!
5. As you lower the bar, keep the upper arms at a 45-degree angle to the torso; tuck the elbows instead of letting them flare out. It's well documented that the elbows-flared ("bodybuilder-style") bench markedly increases stress on the glenohumeral joint. Also, keep your wrists under your elbows instead of letting them roll back.
6. Get a belly full of air and make the abdomen and chest rise up to meet the bar as it descends. Think of it as creating a springboard for moving big weights and, just as importantly, keeping those shoulder blades back to save your taters from undue stress.
7. Do not excessively protract the shoulder blades at the top of the rep; you shouldn't lose your tightness prior to descending into the subsequent rep.

 

[Goosey]

Let's compare the bench press with the push-up;


One is that the shoulderblades are pinned between your rib cage and the bench.

This is going to prohibit good scapular motion.

Good form in the bench press is keeping the shoulder blades back and down, but motionless, This is not ideal for shoulder function, just the best practical compromise.

And here is the kicker, the bench press basically trains you NOT to use your serratus; the pushup trains the serratus.

The serratus can be seen to be the foundation of shoulder stability.

The serratus also gets work from anything overhead. The combination of no overheads and bench pressing is frankly a shoulder disaster waiting to happen

The ROM is probably a little shorter with pushups, depending.

People tend to flare their elbows less with pushups. Both are trouble for the shoulders.

 

[Dancelot]

In that regard, what do you think about weighted dips, Andy?

My pressing exercises are BP, MP and Dips - basically pressing in 3 different directions.

 

[Goosey]

In that regard, what do you think about weighted dips, Andy?

My pressing exercises are BP, MP and Dips - basically pressing in 3 different directions.

If someone asked me which exercise was classed as "the upper body squat"
I'd have to say the dip is.

As with all exercises it's not going to suit some and finding the proper width and depth to dip is key.

For the last fifteen years of solid training I can honestly say I've only bench pressed a handful of times.

I've always just focused on all form s of pulling, my two pushing movements have been dips and presses, my chest has always been quite big, my arms a quite long, my tricep and bicep are also quite large for the length of my arm.

 

[Martigan]

I think i may give up the bench press and just do MP, Push Press and Push Ups.

 

[ebagz]

Bench is good.. one of my fav exercises, I like heavy weights and you cant go heavier than bench for any upper body pressing movement.. Your only allowed to give up benching if your injured or you can bench over 160

Alot of people give up because of slow progress or they cant bench much and because everyone asks those two questions either - "how much do you bench?" or - "show us your biceps" its easier to say oh I don't bench than it is to say I bench 60kg.

Also I find that you cant really cheat besides not doing full rom, same as squat and definitely deads.. if your not strong enough to get the weight up your not going to get it up. So the swing masters dont like it because when they do bicep curls they can use every muscle in there body to swing the weight up and probably use the same weight as they bench.

 

[PTC]

Why?

Anyway, powerlifters have no choice, they have to bench press.

All this hysteria from guys benching less than 3 plates is like fear of drowning in a kiddies pool

 

[Rugby88]

If you want to be a complete lifter then bench....ppl say squat, deadlift blah blah ...well bench aswell shiiiit....and for powerlifters who dont care about benching...it adds to your total so why not push your numbers as far as you can.

Everyone should BENCH, SQUAT AND DEADLIFT (unless injured) - and Shane mil press, push press and push ups are not benching...they are diff exercises...thats like me saying ohh I wont squat i'll just do leg press and leg extensions....

Ppl need to man up about the bench and not be little bitches thinking it doesnt matter....

 

[Christian]

Maybe they should make bent rows a power exercise..

I always find large bent rows more impressive then bench pressing i dno why.

 

[Alpha Moth]

My right shoulder has been feeling weird lately, I'm not sure if it's because of bench press..

I honestly don't care if I get a huge bench press, I want to keep my shoulders healthy lol I just want some nice titties.

What are some things I can do to help my shoulder health?

I've gathered these things from the first few pages...
don't have to bench all the way down to the nipples
take a narrower grip

Are dumbbell bench, dips, flyes, better for better looking boobies?