Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteSB75
Hearing a couple people talk about shoulder pain and have experienced it some myself. I'm just trying to learn some more about this whole thing, so am reading through Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. From ll the reviews I have read on bodybuilding.com forums and other places, it is one of the best resources out there. They mention the chronic shoulder pain a lot of people get from lifting in their section on the bench press. From what they say, a lot of it has to do with the angle of the arms in relation to the shoulder when doing bench/chest work. As I understand it, if the angle is too high, arms parallel to the line of the shoulders, it puts more pressure on the rotator cuff, which causes/contributes to this pain. Pulling the elbows slightly closer to the body reduces this pressure and lets the chest do the actual work. This does also move the bar slightly further down the torso. I am making some adjustments to my bar placement, as I know I have been lifting it higher, more arms parallel than slightly angled. I'm starting to adjust my bar placement, but it's definitely something I have to concentrate on, as I've gotten so used to lifting it higher.
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First off, you picked up a great book! Second, I believe what you mentioned aboce, low bar groove for benching has allowed me to bench heavy with ZERO issues. Also I find that the narrower your grip the better also. I often see guys benching with their index fingers outside of the smooth groove on the bar. While this may be great for use at a meet to decrease range of motion, it destroys shoulders. I personally pinky on groove on thumbs on smooth for bench.
Narrow grip, low bar groove, elbows in your gonna bench heavy for years
Wide grip, high groove and flared elbows = pain.
Watch next time you are at the gym at guys who bench most will bench the wrong way, and often you will hear them talk about their low bench because of shoulder issues, or such.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Professor
Really sorry to hear that news, Dave. I'll keep my fingers crossed, hoping for the best.
BTW, you're "light" bench is twice as heavy as my regular 5rm bench.  |
Same here Dave, hope ya feel good. Maybe that little bit of time off will serve ya some good.
Dont worry Prof! Ya got plenty of time.