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I keep hurting my shoulder on flat bench presses

DerickVonD

DerickVonD

Well-known member
I injured my shoulder by using too much weight on the bench, I took time off but now everytime I bench I feel my shoulder crack. What should I do? Should I just switch to incline bench and flat bench dumbbell presses? I can do close grip bench without an issue, but once I move my hands away from my side BAM shoulder pain.
 
stay away from what hurts for alittle and take super cissus and fish oil to help repair the shoulder...works WONDERS literally...that or just do less weight
 
thats actually why i do flat bench with dumbells cuz barbell press hurt my shoulder too much and no pain at all with dumbells.
 
if your talking about literally all chest presses it sounds more like continuing pain from previous injury that isnt completely healed rather then a technique erorr...are u supplementing any joint care?
 
determinator said:
if your talking about literally all chest presses it sounds more like continuing pain from previous injury that isnt completely healed rather then a technique erorr...are u supplementing any joint care?
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Fish oil. I jsut can't stand not benching. Working out is a stress reliever lol. But as stated do you think incline presses would help if I did them for awhile, before going back to the flat bench.
 
DerickVonD said:
Fish oil. I jsut can't stand not benching. Working out is a stress reliever lol. But as stated do you think incline presses would help if I did them for awhile, before going back to the flat bench.
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technically yes because it would help strengthen the upper chest/shoulder...but to give you dead honest answer i don't think anything is gunnna help that pain unless you start up on super cissus..i didn't stop benching i just changed how i benched by switching to dumbells.. but my shoulder only hurt on flat bench barbell and nothing else. helps me get stronger on the bench because of all the extra muscles being used to balance the weight in each arm...incline bench isn't going to be ur cure...u need to regenerate and heal that shoulder IMO ..just giving my two cents

i don't work out anymore by what does or doesnt hurt me anymore..cissus helped my shoulder along with the fish oils annnnd i take orange triad with its own joint and flex complex..i didn't want to be limited in the gym..had to attack the problem at hand
 
determinator said:
technically yes because it would help strengthen the upper chest/shoulder...but to give you dead honest answer i don't think anything is gunnna help that pain unless you start up on super cissus..i didn't stop benching i just changed how i benched by switching to dumbells.. but my shoulder only hurt on flat bench barbell and nothing else. helps me get stronger on the bench because of all the extra muscles being used to balance the weight in each arm...incline bench isn't going to be ur cure...u need to regenerate and heal that shoulder IMO ..just giving my two cents

i don't work out anymore by what does or doesnt hurt me anymore..cissus helped my shoulder along with the fish oils annnnd i take orange triad with its own joint and flex complex..i didn't want to be limited in the gym..had to attack the problem at hand
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Well I mean I can live with jsut doign close grip and everything else with the dumbbells. I know close grip target the triceps, but how much does it work the chest?
 
DerickVonD said:
Well I mean I can live with jsut doign close grip and everything else with the dumbbells. I know close grip target the triceps, but how much does it work the chest?
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the wider the grip the more of the chest and the less of triceps...close grip is pretty much all triceps; you might feel alittle in the chest but i wouldn't depend on it to replace your basic press
 
What about close grip with barbell, flat db press, and incline db press? Btw I can overhead press with no problem.
 
DerickVonD said:
What about close grip with barbell, flat db press, and incline db press? Btw I can overhead press with no problem.
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no need for the close grip barbell unless your working on tri's..if you can do flat db press and incline then ud be set...what about your decline bench press..thats a lot closer of a grip u might actually like doing it if u dont
 
determinator said:
no need for the close grip barbell unless your working on tri's..if you can do flat db press and incline then ud be set...what about your decline bench press..thats a lot closer of a grip u might actually like doing it if u dont
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I hate incline anything, it feels uncomfortable. As long as I can gain 4" in my chest with just dumbbells.
 
determinator said:
stay away from what hurts for alittle and take super cissus and fish oil to help repair the shoulder...works WONDERS literally...that or just do less weight
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Fish oil has def help me with my shoulders!!
 
DerickVonD said:
I hate incline anything, it feels uncomfortable. As long as I can gain 4" in my chest with just dumbbells.
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pshhhh thats easy dont underrate the dumbells..and do some dumbbell pullovers to widen the chest i've seen great results with dumbess..youll have 4 inches in no time just keep heavy if you can
 
determinator said:
pshhhh thats easy dont underrate the dumbells..and do some dumbbell pullovers to widen the chest i've seen great results with dumbess..youll have 4 inches in no time just keep heavy if you can
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Okay I feel like a real idiot if this is true. I was reading on another form that close grip is where your hands are 2 inches apart and that shoulder width apart is a normal grip. Is this true? If so I can do bench presses just not any wider then having my hands at my sides.
 
DerickVonD said:
Okay I feel like a real idiot if this is true. I was reading on another form that close grip is where your hands are 2 inches apart and that shoulder width apart is a normal grip. Is this true? If so I can do bench presses just not any wider then having my hands at my sides.
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Hiw wide were u going? Lol
 
determinator said:
Yes ur good to go now..I go thumbs width outside the textured area of the bar
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Thanks for the advise..lol no wonder I've been having issues. Yeah I'll just stick to benching shoulder with from now on. Thanks a lot man. Just sucks I have to bench 185, but hey as long as I dont damage my shoulder anymore.
 
DerickVonD said:
I injured my shoulder by using too much weight on the bench, I took time off but now everytime I bench I feel my shoulder crack. What should I do? Should I just switch to incline bench and flat bench dumbbell presses? I can do close grip bench without an issue, but once I move my hands away from my side BAM shoulder pain.
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Sounds like a problem I had this past year. I just started to feel healthy the past few weeks but it took a lot of patience, research and corrections.

Read as many posts on this site and other sites to gain info about what worked for people with shoulder injuries. Keep in mind the shoulder is complex and there are many diff types of injuries.

Working through the pain will get you no where. One by one you'll begin to not be able to perform your favorite chest/delt exercises. You have to fix the problem now before you injure it further. Cut out all the painful exercises. Focus on strengthening your rear delts and upper back. Do more pulling exercises. Find some rotator cuff exercises/stretches and do them daily. Even if you think it's not a rotator cuff injury, it can't hurt to do them and will prevent future injuries.

I read a lot of posts on joint supps and tried a few. I like the combo of fish oil+orange triad (contains joint support like glucosamine)+super cissus. I take extra glucosamine if I put extra stress on the joint that day. Formutechs Flexible was great as well.

Finally you have to fix your form. No matter how great you think your bench press form is, it can always be improved. I found if I arched my back it took the pressure off of my rotated cuff. Felt so much better than a flat back press. Squeeze your shoulder blades together. Keep constant tension on your lats. Focus on contracting the pecs on the way up. I thought the YouTube "so you think you can bench" was interesting and had a few helpful tips. But I would only go back to the bench after the problem is fixed. It may take a while.

Good luck to you. Nothing slams the breaks on your weight training progress like a shoulder injury.
 
I would say Rodja is probably right here.

As far as some supplement relief I highly recommend joint force. It works short and long term.
 
Okay so I can bench..to a point atleast. I had a buddy come over and look at my bench. Even with my back as arched as I can make it, the bar still ends 2 inches from my chest. When the bar is 2 inches from my chest, my elbows are about parallel, or just above parallel to the floor. If I use a wide grip, I have a lot of trouble tucking my elbows. In all the youtube videos I see all these power lifers use a wide grip to limit the range of motion. Well according to those videos I am going as low as I want to go without hurting my shoulder and if I try to go lower I feel the tendon start to pull. If I can get by with a narrow grip and go 2 inches from my chest without pain and progress to my goal in a little over a year of benching 315, I don't care if it doesn't look good, as long as I can build strength and size. I never plan on competing, I just have a list of set personal goals. Btw I bought some Cissus XT and I think without that I wouldn't even be able to bench, It's really helped with the shoulder pain.
 
Take time off from the exercise to heal. You should probably go see physical therapy to evaluate for muscular imbalances in posture issues. Then learn to bench correctly with a strong arch in the back, shoulder blades tucked/pinched.

DerickVonD said:
Thanks. Yeah I'm 6 foot, but I have the reach of someone who is 6' 3" making benching difficult.
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I'm 5'10" with that same wingspan as you and bench was probably my strongest movement (maybe second to deads). Obviously shorter arms would help, but you should be able to adjust your form in a way that makes bench press a decent exercise for you.
 
You've got to have a really hard arch, with your shoulder blades drawn together hard. Every time I go for a max my lower back cramps up. Last time it took 10 minutes to clear. I also notice on sub max lifts that tiny differences in form can have a huge impact on the strain on my shoulders. If I concentrate on loading my lats on the way down then pushing my lats out of the bottom it's way easier on the delts. If I don't pay attention to loading/pushing with my lats I find my natural tendency is use my delts more instead and the strain can be tremendous; they're just not big muscles and when I'm pushing heavy weights they object, sometimes strenously. BTW I never worry about what my elbows are doing. I think if your back position is good (arched hard, shoulder blades tight together), and you're loading up your lats, then your elbows have to be in the right place.
 
compudog said:
You've got to have a really hard arch, with your shoulder blades drawn together hard. Every time I go for a max my lower back cramps up. Last time it took 10 minutes to clear. I also notice on sub max lifts that tiny differences in form can have a huge impact on the strain on my shoulders. If I concentrate on loading my lats on the way down then pushing my lats out of the bottom it's way easier on the delts. If I don't pay attention to loading/pushing with my lats I find my natural tendency is use my delts more instead and the strain can be tremendous; they're just not big muscles and when I'm pushing heavy weights they object, sometimes strenously. BTW I never worry about what my elbows are doing. I think if your back position is good (arched hard, shoulder blades tight together), and you're loading up your lats, then your elbows have to be in the right place.
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Responding to someone about the physical therapy. What insurance is goign to cover physical therapy, because I can't bench right? Also Well I sort of do, do this now, but the bar still ends up 2 inches from my chest, but this feels natural. If I go any lower, I feel the tendon start to pull. I've honestly have never touched my chest when bench pressing.
 
If your primary care doc refers you for PT, which they likely will, your insurance will usually pay. This is because PT is a lot cheaper than than surgery. Lol
 
trn450 said:
If your primary care doc refers you for PT, which they likely will, your insurance will usually pay. This is because PT is a lot cheaper than than surgery. Lol
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My doc in on vacation until next month, in any case as I stated I seem to be able to bench, just not the most correct way(never touch chest). I can bench now with the bar, well atleast I believe I can I did last week but I only did two sets, but I'll see by thursday if I can add on weight and I was able to bench with dumbbells a few days ago and I overhead pressed yesterday. Honestly, if I can get away with benching and goign 2 inches from my chest and still get strength and size without getting hurt, I really don't care. I've never going to compete.
 
Hey mate, just a bit of food for thought. Dorian Yates swore by incline barbell presses and seated hammer strength presses where your arm comes across your chest! If you can get your hands on the book ' A Portrait of Dorian Yates' pg 102, quote-- ' it is my opinion that incline and decline presses are better chest stimulators than flat bench press, as well as being safer!' ........... 'In comparison to flat bench presses, the incline and decline version afford a greater range of motion'!
Now I know we can't compare ourselves with the big boys but some things do apply to the rest of us. Dorian changed bodybuilding as much, if not more than any other and his principles were ahead of the time. Only now is science starting to back up his ways. I'm not saying his way is gospel, but his book and his principles are the most applicable to the 'average' gym rat out there out of all the, err, big boys!

Gotta play with the cards your dealt sometimes eh!?!? ;)
 
I've been having the same problem.

It could be due to having weak middle and rear delts. You basically use your front delts with every pushing movements, and it creates an inbalance between the delts.

Also, yeah, i found that flat bench put wayyy to much emphasis on my shoulders. Even lifting tje bench by 1 notch helps.

But eitherway, front delts will be taxed a lot! Need to balance and fortify especially rear delts.
 
Balancing the delts, or knowing if the delts are balanced is sort of challenging, considering movements involving the front delts can take a lot more weight. For example I am using 70 pounds on the incline dumbbell bench press. Using 70 pounds for lateral raises and rear delt rows is unheard of. So how do you truly tell if they're balanced?
 
jiggero said:
I know what you mean. I feel the same way. The flat bench is rough on the shoulders.
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I think you need a form check. A strong arch with your shoulder blades pinched together really takes the shoulders out of the equation quite a bit. If you do a flat-backed "bodybuilding" bench press it definitely will tear up your shoulders though.

Unfortunately, incline tears my shoulders up quite a bit. I'm hoping some time with PT will really help get everything in order so it's not a problem anymore. My chest is disproportionately developed inferiorly -___-
 
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