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Shoulder pain from bench?

post #1 of 37
9/25/10 at 5:26pm
Thread Starter 
A few weeks ago, started feeling a throbbing pain in my right shoulder during barbell flat benching--even warm-up weight. I stupidly kept going through my routine, and while I was able to finish, I was left with that pain for the next few days. Took ibuprofen, laid off of the bench, and it went away. A friend advised me to work in dumbbell presses instead of barbell (I had only done dumbbell for incline). Did some cursory searching, and it seems that benching with a barbell can cause rotator cuff issues. I've since attempted to incorporate some rotator cuff exercises into my routine, but are there any other suggestions? Is this even the true/likely cause of the pain? I question what I find randomly on the internet.

I tried the flat bench again this week, and did not have any problems--felt some slight pain at one point, but it went away. No pain after. Was slightly weaker, though. I don't want to injure myself, but at the same time, I don't want to give up my flat bench routine.

I do chest only once per 5-7 days, but I do high volumes, eg 7 sets flat barbell, 7 sets incline dumbbell, 4-5 sets weighted dips.
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post #2 of 37
9/25/10 at 5:38pm
Yup. Flat BB bench is a common culprit in shoulder issues. DB presses can help, for example, if you have a shoulder drop ( and who doesn't in some fashion ) it can help compensate for the differing ergonomic need of each joint. I have a small rear delta injury that flat bench occasionsly nags two years later.
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post #3 of 37
9/25/10 at 5:40pm
Two other things: what's with all that volume? What's the workout methodology? Can almost guarantee you don't need that many sets.
And how are you warming up?
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post #4 of 37
9/25/10 at 6:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cary Grant View Post
Two other things: what's with all that volume? What's the workout methodology? Can almost guarantee you don't need that many sets.
And how are you warming up?

Powerlifting friend of mine who has had great success has consistently emphasized to me the importance of volume- i.e., do a high volume of exercises for one muscle group spaced out over a longer period of time. I warm up with a series of upper body stretches I hold for 30-45 seconds...have read that 5 min of running, etc., is good to start off with as well, but have not incorporated that into my routine.

For BB flat bench, I do a light warmup set of 8, a heavier set of 8, and then add 20 pounds, do two sets of 5-6, add 20 pounds, do a set of 3-5, take off 20 pounds, do a set of 5-6. Sometimes I'll do an extra set after that if I'm not too tired.

For incline DB press, I do about 3 sets of 8, and then pick up the next weight of DB and do another 3-4 sets of 5-7.

This high volume technique has seemed to work well for me, but I'm open to hearing alternatives.
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post #5 of 37
9/25/10 at 6:05pm
What are you doing for your back? An imbalance of work front/back can cause problems. Based off of your chest workout, the back day should be like 7 sets power clean (or something), 7 sets Bent/pendelay/bench Rows, 4-5 sets weighted chins.
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post #6 of 37
9/25/10 at 6:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kajak View Post
What are you doing for your back? An imbalance of work front/back can cause problems. Based off of your chest workout, the back day should be like 7 sets power clean (or something), 7 sets Bent/pendelay/bench Rows, 4-5 sets weighted chins.

Back is 7 sets db rows, 5 sets bent over rows, then pull ups. I think I did used to have an imbalance, but have been working on it.
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post #7 of 37
9/25/10 at 7:10pm
Floor press FTW






Also, you could consider ditching the dips if you think they might be an issue, as they are for some people including myself.
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post #8 of 37
9/25/10 at 9:44pm
How many reps per set? Are you built like your powerlifter friend or an average guy?

Powerlifters I know and routines they do might go 5-8 sets... but only 2-3 heavy reps each set.
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post #9 of 37
9/25/10 at 9:56pm
Simple question. Is your form correct?
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post #10 of 37
9/25/10 at 10:25pm
The only thing I get from a bench is ass pain from sitting on it too long. Are you one of them homeless people who sleep on said bench?
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post #11 of 37
9/26/10 at 1:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cary Grant View Post
How many reps per set? Are you built like your powerlifter friend or an average guy?

Powerlifters I know and routines they do might go 5-8 sets... but only 2-3 heavy reps each set.

Reps on lighter weight are 7-8, heavier is 3-5.

I'm built somewhere in between, I'd suppose.
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post #12 of 37
9/26/10 at 1:48am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by skitlets View Post
Simple question. Is your form correct?

I go to great trouble to pay attention to form, so I certainly would hope that it is. However, I suppose there's always the possibility that I'm doing something incorrectly.
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post #13 of 37
9/26/10 at 2:08am
M - I've had this issue for some time now and it's basically limited me in how heavy I can go.
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post #14 of 37
9/26/10 at 4:07am
Use dumbbells. I don't even bother with the bar's any more.
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post #15 of 37
9/26/10 at 5:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rambo View Post
Use dumbbells. I don't even bother with the bar's any more.
Any tips on how to actually get them off the ground? Getting anything 50 pounds or higher is a pain for me...which sucks considering that doing 50 pounds with dumbbells is like benching with only 25-30 pound weights on each side
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