| When training clients who experience bench press | | | | shoulder mobility and/or weakness of the scapular |
| shoulder pain you've most likely tried to solve the | | | | stabilizers to a larger degree which is why they |
| problem by either avoiding any bench pressing at all | | | | experience more cases of bench press shoulder pain. |
| along with incline, decline or overhead presses and | | | | Aside from eliminating the bench press, many try to |
| maybe lat pulldowns. | | | | limit the range of motion to 90 degrees or less |
| Or, perhaps the popular strategy of limiting the range | | | | because it is believed that going past 90 degrees |
| of motion to 90 degrees | | | | places excessive stress on the shoulders and |
| Now, if you're a regular reader of my posts then | | | | increases the potential for injuries to occur. |
| you're used to my 'off-the-wall' approach to helping | | | | There is also the belief that the shoulders become |
| clients overcome nagging injuries. | | | | injured simply because they are weak and therefore |
| And, this article you're about to read is no different. | | | | many individuals attempt various shoulder strengthening |
| So, you won't be surprised when I say that limiting the | | | | exercises. |
| range of motion performed when bench pressing | | | | However, a closer look into these strategies tells a |
| INCREASES stress to the shoulders and can make | | | | different side of the story. |
| pain worse. | | | | First, limiting bench press range of motion to 90 |
| It's no secret that most health & fitness professionals | | | | degrees or less seldom works and can place more |
| blame bench press shoulder injuries on the exercise | | | | stress on the shoulders than going past 90 degrees. |
| itself. | | | | To understand why we have to look at normal, healthy |
| But, before eliminating this exercise from your | | | | shoulder movement in horizontal or transverse plane |
| repertoire, I would like to appeal to your sense of logic | | | | abduction which involves activation of the scapular |
| and reason in hopes that I just may possibly be able to | | | | stabilizers. |
| shed some light on the real cause of shoulder pain | | | | The scapular stabilizers are vital as they help 'open-up' |
| when bench pressing and renew your faith in this | | | | the shoulder. |
| so-called "shoulder destroyer"... | | | | But, when range of motion is limited to 90 degrees or |
| ...Have you noticed that most bench pressing shoulder | | | | less the participation of the scapular stabilizers is |
| pain occurs in experienced lifters? Why doesn't this | | | | decreased significantly which places more stress on |
| happen more in weight lifting novices rather than those | | | | the anterior shoulder structures and reinforces |
| who have logged in many sessions of benching? | | | | tightness/dominance of the anterior shoulder |
| There are 2 main reasons for chronic shoulder pain | | | | musculature and weakness/inhibition of the scapular |
| and injuries: | | | | stabilizers. |
| 1) Poor mobility- often caused by tightness or | | | | This is a HUGE MISTAKE that leads to muscle |
| dominance of the prime movers involving protraction, | | | | imbalances of the shoulder and increases symptoms |
| internal rotation & elevation of the shoulder (pectoralis, | | | | like bench pressing shoulder pain. |
| lattissimus dorsi, anterior deltoid, upper trapezius, levator | | | | This also contradicts the need for common shoulder |
| scapulae, serratus anterior, teres major) | | | | strengthening exercises involving flexion because |
| 2) Weakness of the scapular stabilizers-often the | | | | those muscles are already dominant and are a main |
| result of tight or dominant prime movers of the | | | | cause of shoulder injuries. |
| shoulder and/or simply weakness of the muscles | | | | Instead, a more effective approach is performing |
| involving retraction, depression & external rotation of | | | | exercises that strengthen the scapular stabilizers |
| the shoulder (middle & lower trapezius, teres minor) | | | | which also typically involve shoulder extension. |
| A third reason could also be added which would be | | | | This helps restore normal, healthy shoulder movement, |
| poor or inefficient neuromuscular coordination... | | | | eliminate muscle imbalances and decrease shoulder |
| ...but that could tie into the 2 reasons listed above. | | | | pain when bench pressing. |
| Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that | | | | I hope this article has changed some beliefs you may |
| experienced bench pressers tend to exhibit poor | | | | have had about the bench press. |