Overcompensating with my shoulders?

dandaninc
dandaninc Posts: 392
in Fitness and Exercise
I just started strength training Monday the 9th as well as a strict diet and plenty of cardio daily.

Today we were supposed to be working on chest excersises and I felt it more in my shoulders every excersise.
I am working with a trainer and he said I was doing a great job and it would come to me but what I want to know is if this is normal to feel it more in my shoulders? He asked if when I lift stuff I use my shoulder muscles more and I think I do but am really not sure.

Replies

  • mndamon
    mndamon Posts: 549 Member
    What chest exercises are you doing?
  • dandaninc
    dandaninc Posts: 392
    7593247156_affc05c9e2.jpg
    IMG_3146[1] by dandaninc, on Flickr
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
    If you just started it could be your rotator cuff being stretched and used more than you are used to.

    Totally normal and it will catch up.

    Strengthening your rotator cuff (light weights here guys) is a good way to get over a plateau on your bench as well.

    As a newbie you should be fine.

    Soreness in the front parts of your shoulder is normal from bench presses (especially when you first start).
  • dandaninc
    dandaninc Posts: 392
    Ok thank you. Yeah the pain is in the front of my shoulders.
  • ster81
    ster81 Posts: 249
    Try tucking your elbows in more towards your body. Its possible you have it flared out too far to the side causing your shoulder to take more workload...
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Front part of your shoulders gets worked a lot with chest presses, and you did a whole lot of reps so it's not surprising at all. That's almost 100 reps! I do 3x8 or 5x5 at most, myself (not including warmup).
  • dandaninc
    dandaninc Posts: 392
    Try tucking your elbows in more towards your body. Its possible you have it flared out too far to the side causing your shoulder to take more workload...

    Ok!
  • dandaninc
    dandaninc Posts: 392
    Front part of your shoulders gets worked a lot with chest presses, and you did a whole lot of reps so it's not surprising at all. That's almost 100 reps! I do 3x8 or 5x5 at most, myself (not including warmup).

    It is a lot but I'm not in pain just a little sore.
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
    what kind of grip do you use on the presses? If you shorten the grip, you'll be activating the triceps more.
  • dandaninc
    dandaninc Posts: 392
    I was using more of a medium grip. He repositioned me a couple times because I was moving in between sets.
  • mndamon
    mndamon Posts: 549 Member
    I sometimes feel it in my shoulders on the dumbbell fly. What I did to counter that was pinch my shoulder blades together and keep my chest from lying flat on the bench. Strengthening your shoulders (as one poster mentioned already) and back will eliminate a lot of what you're probably feeling. As long as it's not hurting your form and causing you monster pain just fight through it and it will be much better down the road.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    An essential technique for doing any upper body exercise is to "pack" the shoulders. This is a combination of shoulder retraction and depression. I've seen it referred to as "sucking the shoulder into its socket". It means contracting the lats and other shoulder stabilizers to "fix" the shoulder in position before doing the lift.
  • dandaninc
    dandaninc Posts: 392
    Ok thank you. I will try these techniques and see if the help and what the difference feels like. I have definitely been fighting through all the pain because I know it's a good pain and all it's doing is making me stronger. Thanks again.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I think your routine is just fine. And I wont tell you to adjust your form without seeing it, especially since you have a trainer right there. I think you're shoulders are just a weak point starting out and will feel the brunt of the work until they catch up. And that's ok, because that's the reason we recommend compound work. Multi joint exercise is the tide that lifts all boats.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    I started doing these exercises after getting rotator cuff pain. It took a couple weeks of doing it but my pain is completely gone now. I do this routine before any shoulder, back or chest exercise. Does not take much time.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRYmTEN_ZA8&list=FLyne4_NfeiqET6eOk-0fEng

    You should also look up something called "shoulder packing". There are a few videos on youtube about it and it has improved my lifting a lot.
  • dandaninc
    dandaninc Posts: 392
    I definitely will and thanks!

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