How to Bench press Without Shoulder Pain
Updated: Apr 5, 2022
One of the most common complaints among gym goers is pain in the front of the shoulder when doing the bench press exercise. Read on to find out what causes this pain and what it can be done to lift without pain.
Shoulder pain when bench pressing is often due to rotator cuff and/or biceps tendinitis. In most cases, this is caused by excessive training volume or poor technique. The painful angle is usually when the barbell is close to your chest.
Thing to do to facilitate healing and get rid of the pain:
Temporary limit the movement to a pain free range using safety pins. You can also switch to dumbbells as they give you more freedom of movement.
Use a narrow grip so that your shoulders will not abduct over 60 degrees.
Make sure that your shoulders are retracted to give more stability to the shoulder joint.
Temporary reduce the weight to a comfortable amount and periodize your training so that your muscles have time to recover.
Work on strengthening your rotator cuff muscles to make them more resilient and less prone to injuries.