Question concerning Bench Pressing

[Rock Hydra]

Here's my situation. I hurt my shoulder early in the footall season during practice. It got better by just favoring and resting it. Later in the year, I was incline benching and my shoulder gave out. I was doing my normal weight that I work on. I worked on rotator cuff exercises, started to concentrate on building my shoulder muscles more, and then started using dumbells instead of the bar to work on my chest. Well, I'm starting to bench again...and my shoulder kills now. I noticed that being able to hold the bar straight is my problem, I tried lowering my weight significantly, and still I have problems with my shoulder. I'm worried when I'm benching that my shoulder will give again. which leads me to my question.

--Cliffnotes--
Hurt Shoulder in football
Hurt Shoulder Again while lifting
Stopped Benching for a while for dumbells instead
Started benching again
Shoulder hurts, afraid I'm going to hurt it again.

Would using the smith machine give my the same results as regular free benching?
Are there any disadvantages of using that machine over a regular bar?

 

[Turkish]

Simply no. Just use lighter weights or get a spot.

 

[RagingBITCH]

The natural motion of lowering and pushing the bar up isn't completely straight up and down. So you do limit the range of motion slightly, but with a shoulder injury you're better off safe than sorry.

 

[Francodman]

get your shoulder checked out

 

[Sluggo]

Get your shoulder looked at before you totally screw it up. If it has already failed once doing bench presses, chances are it is in pretty bad shape.

Bench presses are shoulder killers to start with, especially at higher weights. Incline benches are even worse, the shoulder isnt designed to support as much weight as your chest can manipulate.

You can really permanently damage your shoulder and severly limit your range of motion in your shoulder for the rest of your life if you continue down the path you are on.

 

[Literati]

What's the problem with going lighter?

I know a guy who benches about 85 pounds 40000X times a set for 500 sets, 300 times a session.

The biggest guys in the gym don't say sh!t to him.

He is absolutely ripped. He easily gets his peice of gym respect.

He is ripped, quick, extremely strong and has amazing endurance. He infact can outpreform just about 70% of the hardcore gym rats on any given machine/excersize.

There is nothing wrong with going light if you have the discipline. Most people want immediate gains with the least amount of effort and would rather have mass than applicable strength.

If you lift for football than you are a fool to go for anything else.

Honestly though, If you find a decent weight to lift for your body type, one you can rep 30-40 times explosively for about 7-10 sets every session, I would put money down that you will outperform anyone else in that gym, and on the field, where it counts.

If your serious about results that is. Most people hit the gym to get bigger without any functional strength. If that's your thing than great. If you are going to enhance performance, then lifting heavy is counter productive.

 

[Rock Hydra]

I didn't say that I had a problem with going lighter. In fact, I have heavy days with higher weights with 10 reps per set. Then I have endurance days 10 reps of lighter wieght, taking 4 seconds per motion and concentrate on improving Range of Motion. Then I have my what I call strenuous endurance when i quickly do 15-20 reps per set. Anyway, under this decreased weight, it feels that my shoulder is going to give. My concern is not about how much I can bench, it if it would be better for me to us the Smith Machine to help guide my movement and would that yeild the same results as using the free bar. Also using dumbells doesn't seem to stress my shoulder as much either, so how does using dumbells translate to overall efectiveness?

 

[toekramp]

Originally posted by: MantisFistMonk


I know a guy who benches about 85 pounds 40000X times a set for 500 sets, 300 times a session.

holy sh|t that's 6,000,000,000 reps a workout!

 

[Kipper]

Originally posted by: MantisFistMonk
What's the problem with going lighter?

I know a guy who benches about 85 pounds 40000X times a set for 500 sets, 300 times a session.

The biggest guys in the gym don't say sh!t to him.

He is absolutely ripped. He easily gets his peice of gym respect.

He is ripped, quick, extremely strong and has amazing endurance. He infact can outpreform just about 70% of the hardcore gym rats on any given machine/excersize.

There is nothing wrong with going light if you have the discipline. Most people want immediate gains with the least amount of effort and would rather have mass than applicable strength.

If you lift for football than you are a fool to go for anything else.

Honestly though, If you find a decent weight to lift for your body type, one you can rep 30-40 times explosively for about 7-10 sets every session, I would put money down that you will outperform anyone else in that gym, and on the field, where it counts.

If your serious about results that is. Most people hit the gym to get bigger without any functional strength. If that's your thing than great. If you are going to enhance performance, then lifting heavy is counter productive.

Depends, if he's a lineman then he needs mass. The guy you know is not going to be a defensive back anytime soon.

Get your shoulder checked out. If you're still young the injuries can be treated, but as you get older it gets harder.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Originally posted by: Sluggo
Get your shoulder looked at before you totally screw it up. If it has already failed once doing bench presses, chances are it is in pretty bad shape.

Bench presses are shoulder killers to start with, especially at higher weights. Incline benches are even worse, the shoulder isnt designed to support as much weight as your chest can manipulate.

You can really permanently damage your shoulder and severly limit your range of motion in your shoulder for the rest of your life if you continue down the path you are on.

Exactly, especially if you're a lineman it could be serious. Get it checked out by a sports medicine doctor & be thorough.

 

[SludgeFactory]

You probably should see a doctor and/or PT about what's wrong with your shoulder. A bad shoulder can nag you forever.

Being in a rehab situation, lightweight use of the machine might be OK, consult with a professional. Normally, I don't think the smith machine is a good idea for anybody. Any exercise that involves a large ROM and artificially restricts you to a particular path or plane of motion is just begging for joint injury when your bodyparts don't line up exactly with that motion. The typical bench press motion has some arc to it, not straight up and down like a smith machine.

Squats in the smith machine are even worse, what an abomination. My only use for it is standing calf raises, the ROM is so small that you can't really mess up anything.

 

[Need4Speed]

i had my shoulder scoped last year because i injured it as well during sports...benchpressing with the barbell was abig part of my routine, but now I just use dumbells instead. it offeres more balance and better motion...

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: MantisFistMonk

I know a guy who benches about 85 pounds 40000X times a set for 500 sets, 300 times a session.

lol

 

[FFactory0x]

I know exactly what your talking about. I hurt my should 3 times lifting on bench and incline. I couldnt sleep ion it forever let alone do a pushup. It felt like it was slipping out of the socket or locking up each time i hurt it. What to do is lay off bench for a while or work light and work you way back up.


I lift a lot and this is what you do. Widen your grip. Its better for your chest and takes the strain off your shoulder and put it more on your chest. I widen maybe 6 inces on each side. Try it, and you will see yourself increase a lot. I havent hurt my should since

 

[Rock Hydra]

Originally posted by: FFactory0x
I lift a lot and this is what you do. Widen your grip. Its better for your chest and takes the strain off your shoulder and put it more on your chest. I widen maybe 6 inces on each side. Try it, and you will see yourself increase a lot. I havent hurt my should since

My grip is pretty wide already, normally.

Barbell:
-----||------I----------------------I------||-----

The I is where the positioning marks are on the bar. I usually put my middle finger on that. I have pretty large hands and broad shoulders, so from the outside of my hand to the rack where the bar rests is about 5 inches. I don't wanna pinch my hand when I'm trying to re-rack the bar.


Okay. Also, I will try to avoid the Smith Machine and use the Dumbells more.
Also, I'm a senior this year, sports are not of a concern, as I probably will only be playing Street Hockey or Basketball.
Anyway, I'm going to have my shoulder checked soon.

I also have scoliosis, and it's gotten worse over the years. I'm concerned that starting a more intense back-building routine would maybe cause a lot of discomfort as I start building muscle in my back.


Edit: Yeah. I was a lineman.

 

[msparish]

I don't think you should bench at all until you see a doctor first. You could permanantly damage your shoulder. Take a week or two off until you can get into the Doctor. Talk to the Doctor about the scoliosis and building up your back as well.