Bench Press Problems
tadaaa11
Posts: 2 Member
I just finished my 3rd workout. (woo-hoo!) I went up 5lbs as instructed in everything and I'm still doing fine. The only concern I'm having is pain in my left shoulder. It's an ongoing, yet undiagnosed, injury I sustained at work 6 months ago. The doctor doesn't seem to worry with it, despite several complaints. My fear is that it's going to inhibit my bench press. I can do bent over rows without pain, but when I'm bench pressing it's becoming a major (painful) struggle to get out my last 5 reps. My muscles aren't feeling the strain yet (3rd workout mind you) but my shoulder definitely is. I guess what I'm asking is, would it be okay for me to progress at a much slower rate with bench pressing, while continuing as normal with everything else, or is stronglifts just not for me?
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Replies
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You can progress much slower, but if you are in constant pain during the lift, then there is probably something structurally wrong in there. Ask to be referred to an orthopedist to have it looked at more closely. Different movements can effect a joint in completely different ways so you can't judge an injury based on how much you can do, but should be noted the movements you can't do. I wouldn't count SL out because other programs may have exercises that cause the same issue. Get seen by someone who is more joint aware and let them know about what movements cause the pain.0
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I have arthritis where my collar bone hits my shoulder (no clue why, the doctor says it resembles a sports injury, but I've always been lazy and didn't play sports), and he advised against bench pressing and dips. However, I did not have any direct pain during the lift, and it would be sore for a little bit then go away. My shoulder now feels better than it ever did (since the shoulder pain started), and it no longer keeps me up at night.
I'm not suggesting this is true of everyone, and if you have an acute injury, working out could make it worse. But, don't count out benching forever just because you're in pain now. Take it slow, don't push too hard to follow the increase schedule, and listen to your body.0 -
Along with what others have said, also make sure your form is spot on doing the bench press. Keeping the elbows in as much as possible and not having too narrow or wide a grip will make a huge difference on the strain the lift puts on your shoulders0
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If your doctor's not too worried about your complaints, perhaps find one that will at least bother to do an MRI to make sure that you don't have an injury that is just going to get worse with progressive lifting. I had a similar issue pop up a couple of years ago when I started doing workouts other than running, and it turned out to be a frayed tendon (i.e. a small rotator cuff tear), that I probably caused from trying to do too many pushups too soon. It's a similar motion to bench press so maybe you've got something just starting out in there that you can catch early and avoid a major injury down the road. I was able to rehab the shoulder on my own using exercises the doc gave me and don't have any problems with lifting now. I wouldn't push it too hard until you get a definite answer on what the pain is.0
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As someone who has had surgery on both her shoulders and recommends AVOIDING that if at all possible...
...get this checked out. NOW. If you can possibly strengthen/fix via PT now, it will make your life a LOT easier.
Don't do upper body stuff until this is checked.0 -
I have arthritis in the same spot! The cause has never really been found. I've had many drs over the years ask if I had broken my collarbone and/or injured it playing sports. I also wasn't into sports as a kid/teenager.
I'm good with most lifts but I don't have the mobility to use a regular bar to do squats so I use a safety squat bar instead.0 -
Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to look into finding a better doctor, and not push myself very hard while bench pressing.0
