Training chest w/o the shoulders

[anthrax]

I've incorporated rotator cuff execises in my WO and I avoid any movements that could put some strain on my shoulders/rot. cuff

I've put regular bench press away for a while but I'd like to work my chest

What execises do you recommend in such conditions ?

I was thinking about Floor BB press....

 

[Illuminati]

I've incorporated rotator cuff execises in my WO and I avoid any movements that could put some strain on my shoulders/rot. cuff

I've put regular bench press away for a while but I'd like to work my chest

What execises do you recommend in such conditions ?

I was thinking about Floor BB press....

floor presses = lockout work = tricepts.

if you have problems with your lockout on bench, this will work immensly for you. but you didn't mention a sticking point. so to be honest, i really dont think there is any lift that you can do for your chest that would not work the rot. cuff or the shoulders at the same time.
why are you trying to eliminate movements that will put strain on your rot. cuffs and you shoulders?

 

[anthrax]

why are you trying to eliminate movements that will put strain on your rot. cuffs and you shoulders?

Because I've suffered 4-5 tendinitis there every year and last week I've started to feel some pain in my deltoid

 

[gjohnson5]

Because I've suffered 4-5 tendinitis there every year and last week I've started to feel some pain in my deltoid

The onl thing I know of that will work schest and completely put shoulders out of the picture is electronic muscle stimulation

I don't mean a 50 dollar ab belt but one of the real units

http://www.calmuscle.com/

 

[anthrax]

The onl thing I know of that will work schest and completely put shoulders out of the picture is electronic muscle stimulation

I don't mean a 50 dollar ab belt but one of the real units

http://www.calmuscle.com/

What about the pleasure to "feel" the iron ?

If I really can't do any chest exercise before my shoulder gets better I'll just take some rest (which sux)

 

[Illuminati]

Because I've suffered 4-5 tendinitis there every year and last week I've started to feel some pain in my deltoid

if you want to continue to train your bench, the floor press would be a great choice. floor press will take the lats, and leg drive out of the lift. this will decrease you explosion, and force you to work the bench press differently. if you go this route, make sure you keep up with your lats. the lats are used to begin the generation of reversal strength, and then the majority of the lockout is from the tri's. but i wouldn't completely eliminate full range of motion, as this could lead to problems getting the weight off your chest. that is why i say if you go with floor presses, set up the lat work.
also, learn to pull the bar down with the lats. this will put you in a better position to press the weight, because your arms should be closer to the body (as opposed to flared out) and your back should be tighter. then explode up, and continue to push all the way through the lift with the tri's. by keeping the arms in more, you will take some of the strain off the pec tie in area (near the armpits.)
hopefully this will help you out. good luck bro. hope the pain goes away.

 

[gjohnson5]

What about the pleasure to "feel" the iron ?

If I really can't do any chest exercise before my shoulder gets better I'll just take some rest (which sux)

Infact I'm fairly certain this is what Karl Malone and John Stockton used to recover from sprained anckles, by putting on the calf. May help your shoulder.

 

[anthrax]

if you want to continue to train your bench, the floor press would be a great choice. floor press will take the lats, and leg drive out of the lift. this will decrease you explosion, and force you to work the bench press differently. if you go this route, make sure you keep up with your lats. the lats are used to begin the generation of reversal strength, and then the majority of the lockout is from the tri's. but i wouldn't completely eliminate full range of motion, as this could lead to problems getting the weight off your chest. that is why i say if you go with floor presses, set up the lat work.
also, learn to pull the bar down with the lats. this will put you in a better position to press the weight, because your arms should be closer to the body (as opposed to flared out) and your back should be tighter. then explode up, and continue to push all the way through the lift with the tri's. by keeping the arms in more, you will take some of the strain off the pec tie in area (near the armpits.)
hopefully this will help you out. good luck bro. hope the pain goes away.

Great info, thx

 

[mekannik]

I have had alot of problems with my left pec tie in, or so I thought, for a couple of years. Countless bench and close grip bench problems only seemed to worsen the pain. Eventually I had to stop benching for extended time periods AND was not able to sleep on my side with the shoulder bearing the weight. The pain would wake me out of a sound sleep when I turned over in the middle of the nite.

Eventually I complained to my massotherapist and BAM! Left bicep tendonitis. Bunch of Advil and Aleve, and a couple sessions - back to benching semi-frequently with no pain whatsoever.

But what to train in the meantime? I would suggest dumbbells. I use an adjustable incline bench set at about 20 degrees (peg 4 of 10). It is low enough to stimulate your chest while working the anterior delt. Use a 1-6 (or 2-5) protocol.

Having done this for about 3 months, with no benching whatsoever, I got up to the 150's for a triple on low incline db bench. Came back a few days later and tried benching a few sets - popped 315 for a double with ease. The weight flew up.

Aside from the stabilization work you will get from db's, the added bonus of lightening the load will aid in giving you some recovery time. In a few sessions your strength should shoot back up - and the carryover to your bench will be profound. But try and stick with db pressing for at least two months.

Also - you might want to train chest and tri's on one day, followed up a couple of days later by a light military press day with some lateral raises. But start off with a whole bunch of rotator work. I currently do 10 sets with the shoulder horn, 30 seconds rest, with the 25's for 5-6 reps per set. Sometimes the 20 for 8 reps per set. This is definately a fatigued shoulder workout, but it helps to focus on the movement and the muscle with, again, a lighter load for a safer, more controlled lift. I would skip any direct tri work on the shoulder workout, with military presses being a great excercise anyways.

 

[gjohnson5]

But what to train in the meantime? I would suggest dumbbells. I use an adjustable incline bench set at about 20 degrees (peg 4 of 10). It is low enough to stimulate your chest while working the anterior delt. Use a 1-6 (or 2-5) protocol.

You should also do your shoulder rotations
http://familydoctor.org/265.xml
and stretches for rotator cuff
http://www.clearleadinc.com/site/exercise_rotator_cuff.html
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/rotator-cuff-injury.htm
http://www.ohiohealth.com/healthref...46-47F0-BA265F0E5A590A78.htm?category=disease