Major shoulder pain while doing bench-please help!

[TN MuscleBear]

I posted this on the training forum also (admittedly the most appropriate place for it...flame me if you must) but I wanted to get some adviced from the "Platinum talent"...

I've had pain in my shoulder doing bench for several months....at times so bad that it actually brings tears to my eyes (a little embarassing....)

Been to the doc, and there's no rotar-cuff injury. (got an MRI).

Since not everyone has this problem, I figure there's some trick to the form that I don't know. Please share!

I'm not lifing huge...275/6 reps for the last set...but it's tough to get this to a respectable level when I'm crying in the gym...

Anyone know some form modifications I should make...or work through a similar problem?

 

[G-Force]

I had the same problem.... solution is maybe not what you want to hear - I don't bench anymore because to me benching is more of a strength test anyway and injuries due to benching are common especially inclines!

 

[needsize]

I always found that when I benched with a wider grip and let my elbows flare out, my shoulders were doing too much of the work and they hurt like hell. If I narrow my grip a little and keep them tucked in when I drive the bar, it feels a lot better.

 

[TN MuscleBear]

I had the same problem.... solution is maybe not what you want to hear - I don't bench anymore because to me benching is more of a strength test anyway and injuries due to benching are common especially inclines!

What do you do for pecs instead?

 

[TN MuscleBear]

I always found that when I benched with a wider grip and let my elbows flare out, my shoulders were doing too much of the work and they hurt like hell. If I narrow my grip a little and keep them tucked in when I drive the bar, it feels a lot better.

I'll give that a try. I do know that if I use to narrow a grip ( for tris, for example) I get serious pain as well...

Perhaps somewhere in the middle.

 

[G-Force]

What do you do for pecs instead?

Pec press is my compound exercise after using a pec deck [isolation] as a pre-exhaust, dips with added weight and pulldowns are excellent also!

 

[big calvin]

I always found that when I benched with a wider grip and let my elbows flare out, my shoulders were doing too much of the work and they hurt like hell. If I narrow my grip a little and keep them tucked in when I drive the bar, it feels a lot better.

same as me, i always had bench/shoulder injurys...i went heavy and wide BAM!! my shoulder was fucked up...now i can still go heavy heavy(close to 1rm) and not feel a thing as long as i stay inside the ring(on the bar) and keep my elbows close. trust me just that little something is gonna help alot!

 

[barnes3]

shoulder pain

I got the same pains towards the end of my cycle this summer. I thought that it was because I did not have enough water in my joints and that is what made it hurt???


barnes3

 

[genarr3]

I went through the same thing and as other posters have said my response is not what you're going to want to hear. What you need to do is find a chest exercise that doesn't hurt. If you continue to irritate the area, it will never go away. I'm assuming you have a stress strain, since you saw a doc and he said nothing was wrong. Try inclines, declines, or dumbbells. DO NOT DO ANYMORE FLAT BENCHING. If those don't work use the pec deck or cables if is still hurts try some of the machines. It could take a very long while to heal, in my own situation it took almost a year. If you work the area without hurting it, you will heal. The sooner you accept the fact that you have to take a long break from flat benching, the sooner you'll get better.
Genarr3
BTW work the rotator cuffs

 

[liftsiron]

Quit flat benching or you are going to ruin your shoulders, there are only so many bench presses one can do before he or she destroys their shoulders, everybody has a differant limit, I think that you are nearing yours. Try incline dumbell presses with your plams facing each other. Other exercises you may be able to do w/o pain should include decline benches, smith machine incline presses, pec deck, dumbell incline flyes palms facing each other. I had the same problem years ago, my chest grew a shitload after I quit benching.

 

[TN MuscleBear]

I went through the same thing and as other posters have said my response is not what you're going to want to hear. What you need to do is find a chest exercise that doesn't hurt. If you continue to irritate the area, it will never go away. I'm assuming you have a stress strain, since you saw a doc and he said nothing was wrong. Try inclines, declines, or dumbbells. DO NOT DO ANYMORE FLAT BENCHING. If those don't work use the pec deck or cables if is still hurts try some of the machines. It could take a very long while to heal, in my own situation it took almost a year. If you work the area without hurting it, you will heal. The sooner you accept the fact that you have to take a long break from flat benching, the sooner you'll get better.
Genarr3
BTW work the rotator cuffs

You're right...I don't want to hear that. But, if I do not get significant relief from trying some of the other suggestions then I will have no choice.....

Thanks, all for the responses.

 

[The Invisible Man]

I had the same thing happen! I now have to go light when benching and go real slow! Heavy weight mages my shoulder hurt bad. And this has been going on for ove a year!!!

 

[big4life]

Try using db's instead of the bb's.

I had the same problem, and that helped me out.
No more pain.
I'm guessing that using the bar, put my shoulder in an awkward
position.

I know my shoulder does not hurt nearly as bad, still get
a twinge every now and then, but that's it.

 

[BigGuns2]

Bro, anything that hurts like that can't be good! You should stop flat benching for a while and let your body heal. Do you max out everytime you do chest? It is good about every 6 weeks to do a "lighter" work out for your week. This is good for your joints. It sounds like you have muscle problems however. You may want to get a second opinion, you sound like you have a muscle tear of some kind. Good luck to you, hope you recover soon.