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Shoulder pain with angled pushups and bench?

5RWill

Optics Fiend
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Full Member
Minuteman
  • Oct 15, 2009
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    I've been lifting and doing an upper body workout of mine for about a year now. I've hit breaks in between but nothing too terrible where i can't manage what i've been doing. When i was benching at first i would go down and then of course push the weight back up. But afterwords my shoulders would be killing me. I don't know how to describe it but that particular day i had to sit down and lean on my elbows to keep pressure off my shoulders. So i stopped benching and just stuck with regular push-ups. Decided last night i'd try these angled push ups (they're slightly angled nothing big) and when i descend down all the way and push back up i get the same type of pain in my shoulders after a set. Idk whether i have bad shoulders or what i've never really hurt anything before. That said when i move my shoulders back and then come forward just standing there is a good deal of "popping sound". I just read though that push-up will heal shoulder injuries or strengthen your shoulders?

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Seems the correct term is atlas push-ups
     
    Been meaning to get my shoulders checked out for some time. Also they feel weak when holding a rifle in standing position even my 14.5" BCM. I don't guess surgery is applicable for this kind of thing?
     
    Could also be a rotator cuff injury. Don't even think about surgery until you've seen a Sports Medicine Doc and have gone the Physical Therapy route ... they work wonders. Am a rock climber and I've had many shoulder injuries. Physical therapist has always been able to patch me up and get me back out there.
     
    ^^^^ What he said...

    As a general rule, don't jump to surgery unless it's a life threatening issue.

    The weakness and pain as you described it sounds like a rotator cuff issue, which depending on severity will NOT need surgery. I have been able to correct both of my shoulders with a period of rest combined with NSAID's (i.e. motrin) followed by physical therapy.
     
    I wouldn't go through surgery i just didn't think you could really do it for these types of issues. Kind of like a disc replacement it's a gamble. I did 4 sets of atlas push-ups tonight just until my elbows were bent at my shoulders, no lower, and it feels alright. When i go as low as i can is when it really kicks in. Same with bench i'd bring the bar down to touch my chest and after pushing up the pain would set in.
     
    I found myself in a similar situation before xmas, I was doing a routine called 3000/6000 and while doing push ups i heard a pop in my right shoulder and had a reasonable amount of pain. I cant bench any heavy weight now and anymore than 20 push ups really stings it. I went to my doc and he told me id just pulled a muscle and it would go away once i stopped doing any lifting. Its not as bad now but still there if I sleep on my right side. It does affect my shooting after long periods of time. My doctor made no suggestions as to it being a rotator cuff issue or torn labrum. If you happen to find out what the issue is that you have I would be interested to find out.
     
    You may want to look at your form when benching and also doing push ups. On the bench I try and keep my shoulder blades in as much as possiable and my elbows down toward my body. You dont want your upper arms to be at 90 degrees from your body, that will put a lot of stress on the shoulder and not to mention reduce your strength in that movement. Here is how you can set up for a good bench: grasp the bar at shoulder width or slightly over (like thumbs over your shoulders) and when you bring the weight down to your chest try and bend the bar (think of it like this: your thumbs are pointing towards each other as you hold the bar, try and bend the bar in a direction that would make your thumbs point over your head as if you are giving a thumbs up). Now I know the bar will not bend but this will help keep your elbows tucked down toward your side. Keep in mind this is a slight rotation of the position so insted of 90 degrees they should end up around 50-60 degrees. Just modify the position until you are comfortable and strong but try and stick to this basic position and see if it dosent help.

    As far as push ups its the same idea. You hands need to be somewhere around shoulder width and your fingers should point slightly out ward. This will help keep your elbows in some.

    Good luck with the shoulder pain! I am constantly fighting shoulder problems and this has helped me, YMMV
     
    Best Rotator Cuff Exercises- Shoulder Exercises- Strengthen the Rotator Cuff - YouTube

    -------> Try and ignore the gay music, what is causing your shoulder girdle pain is underdeveloped tendons. What you need to do, is once a week focus on external and internal rotation of the rotator, and once a week focus on scapula retraction and protraction. This will improve that connective tissue's mechanical strength and get some good blood flow into the area. Start out light on the rotations for sure. The face pulls are a squeeze and feel exercise not a load up weight and grunt one. Try and visualize touching your elbows together over the middle of your spine. Doing these exercises once a week got rid of my rotator strain, got me into doing muscle ups and got my bench press up about 50 pounds or so.
     
    From personal experience, I've pushed decent weight on bench and had problems like this before. Possibly a muscle imbalance due to week shoulders, which would explain a rifle being heavy or pushups being easier to do. Rotator cuff excercises, and switch to doing military press for a while and try to train the upper back and the posterior deltoids. Strengthening the back and rear shoulder muscles with not allow the front shoulder and chest muscles to fold in and impinge tendons if I remember correctly.

    Form could also be off check your elbow positioning the they should NOT be at a straight 90 degrees in reference to the torso going of the armpits. If you look like jesus on the cross when your benching chances are you can impinge your shoulders after a period of time. Mark Rippetoe has a book out on basic form that goes in depth on why people get hurt benching do to bad form and what good form is.

    Out of curiosity is there a weight threshold where it starts to hurt benching?

    Feb 2012 I had horrible should pain in my right shoulder even looking at anything above 245(which at the time 290 was my top end), stopped benching for 6 months did nothing but military press, handstand pushups, dips pushups variations, with a lot of deadlifts and rowing, August 2012 I had a 205lb military press was able to do 320 on bench for 2 sets of 2. After spending 3-4 weeks of reworking my form on bench press.

    Maybe you should put the bench on the backburner, theirs a lot of things to supplement and maintain strength while you heal up. A couple of powerlifters I know do shoulder circles while holding chains. Well that kid that beat phelps in the olympics a couple times actually was doing something like that which surprised me.
     
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    You may want to look at your form when benching and also doing push ups. On the bench I try and keep my shoulder blades in as much as possiable and my elbows down toward my body. You dont want your upper arms to be at 90 degrees from your body, that will put a lot of stress on the shoulder and not to mention reduce your strength in that movement. Here is how you can set up for a good bench: grasp the bar at shoulder width or slightly over (like thumbs over your shoulders) and when you bring the weight down to your chest try and bend the bar (think of it like this: your thumbs are pointing towards each other as you hold the bar, try and bend the bar in a direction that would make your thumbs point over your head as if you are giving a thumbs up). Now I know the bar will not bend but this will help keep your elbows tucked down toward your side. Keep in mind this is a slight rotation of the position so insted of 90 degrees they should end up around 50-60 degrees. Just modify the position until you are comfortable and strong but try and stick to this basic position and see if it dosent help.

    As far as push ups its the same idea. You hands need to be somewhere around shoulder width and your fingers should point slightly out ward. This will help keep your elbows in some.

    Good luck with the shoulder pain! I am constantly fighting shoulder problems and this has helped me, YMMV

    This:

    I had shoulder problems with heavy weight for years. Certain exercises force your shoulders into a range of motion your shoulders weren't designed for (particularly overhead barbell presses) but the best way around this problem is to bring your elbows in. Once I changed my form the pain went away in a few weeks and I've gotten stronger than I've been in 7 years.
     
    I have rotator cuff issues also, but they hurt more at night when I take long breaks from the gym. I avoid bench press, do other movements instead.

    The best thing I have found to date for my type of injury is the SCAPTION, just a lateral raise but with the arms coming up on 45 degree angle instead of straight out front or at your sides. I couldn't do 5lbs at first, getting up to 20 now. Also remember to do them with 3 different grips - palm down, palms up, and palms facing each other (hammer curl style).

    a video:

    Standing Scaption - YouTube
     
    Rest. Go get checked out by a sports medicine dr. I would go to a good physical therapist and stay with their recommendations for a while.

    My 2c. I hope it starts feeling better. Shoulder pain sucks. Mine flairs up on me when the weather changes and its hell.

    Randal
     
    Trying swapping to dumb bells. Much less stress on the joints.
     
    When i do push up my wrist start hurting around 15-20, anyone have a tip on how to help get over that because right now i just treat it like a cramp well running and that is by just dealing with the pain until I'm done. Which i know isn't really the right way to go about things, since that typically means your doing something wrong or pushing yourself to much.
     
    I had a similar problem, been working out my whole life never had issues then I did. have shoulder pain I wen to the sports doctor, at first they thought it might be a rotator cuff, but after Xrays and MRI, they diagnosed it as Arthritis. NOt the genetic kind but the kind you get from years of very heavy lifting. It sucks getting old :) but it does beat the alternative
     
    I had shoulder popping so I started to do a good warm-up with exercise bands, doing what is in some of the above videos. That fixed it without needing a doctor visit.
     
    Well while shadowing an orthopedic surgeon we got on the subject of this and while i couldn't repeat everything he said and really talk in depth about it because i was shadowing not seeing him as a patient. He basically told me not to over extended my elbows beyond my shoulders. To keep them on the 180 degree plane with my shoulders.

    Haven't worked out in some time due to tendonitis in my wrist from tennis which has been worsened from working on the farm. Had wrist problems since it's been stepped on in 7th grade. One day of tennis and i've having to rest it. It's been a real bitch honestly. It's fine till i hit that 90 degree angle curling/lifting weight and then there is constant sharp pain down my ulna. Been resting it though so I should start back this week.
     
    Not to sound like a smart butt, see a DOC before doing anymore working out!!! I am in graduate school getting my DPT and number one mistake guys make "I'll just push through it!!" The popping is probably nothing, a good stretching routine can help but see a doc and physical therapist because even stretching will do damage if there is a tear. Shoulder problems can stem from back and even hip problems! Sounds crazy but I have treated athletes with neck and shoulder problems because of hip alignment issues! Hope you get it fixed.
     
    The slingshot for bench when and if you get a release from your Doctor. The elbow pain you need some wraps or tight neoprene. I have been lifting heavy and if my elbows and shoulder start to hurt I know my technique is wrong or I'm needing to wrap it and ice it after working out.
     
    BlackOps_2,

    From my experience, shoulder pain is a result of over-working a ligament/tendon. Muscles/joins/ligaments all need adequate recovery periods. Little do most know that protein shakes aren't enough to repair the body after a workout.
    I would recommend that search for a collagen supplement (Amazon has protein powder with collagen), and take that for a couple of months and see if it helps. I do a lot of hand to hand combat/boxing/martial arts and have experienced several hand injuries during training. The first injuries I didn't take any supplements and it took about a full 8 weeks for my hand to heal. While on the collagen supplement, I was down to around 3-4 weeks.