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Thread: Geezer Shoulders

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
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    308

    Default Geezer Shoulders

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    For what it's worth...

    I'm posting this in hopes this info might be useful to someone else.

    Bench pressing has always bothered my right shoulder. Don't know why. Maybe bad form benching when I was a teen? Anyhoo, since I began SS in June 2014, I avoided the bench.

    My press was up to 120x3 and about 3 months ago I added dips and got those to 3x10. Then one day I guess I dipped too low - heard a couple rice krispies pop in my wierd right shoulder. Hurt like hell. My rehab: ice, no more dipping and greatly reduced the weight on my presses.

    I'm back to 110x5 now and my shoulder is better, but not 100%. Simple stuff like grabbing a gallon of milk out of the frig is, well, very uncomfortable. Also, I can't sleep on my right side.

    Off to the Orthopod today. He says dips are shoulder killers. I say, yeah, I'm done with them. When he performed the tests where I hold my arms out and he pushes down, my right arm caved. Next, the ultra-sound revealed AC arthritis (acromioclavicular joint?). An MRI is scheduled. He prescribed an NSAID and ice for now.

    To be continued...

    Feel free to add your story.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Lakeland, FL
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    3,112

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    It would be silly to blame dips for anything considering how long you have been doing dips.

    I have some AC arthritis in my left shoulder as well as some separation at the joint. My other shoulder has some issues as well.

    I do not bench due to hearing some crunchies when I tried, but i do push ups now. Not sure how dips would work for me.

    I find that my shoulders have issues when I do certain things that have more to do with having myself in less than ideal positions for long times rather than straining them.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Murphysboro, IL
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    Dips hurt some people's shoulders and many do fine with them. It's an individual thing I think. I never had many problems when I did them, but like you Taters, my AC sometimes objected if I went too deep. As for bench presses, try a narrower grip and less elbow flare. A wide grip was the chief cause of my own shoulder problems, always the AC. I haven't had a peep out them for a few years now.

    Knock wood.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
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    New York
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    Your tale of woe sounds all to familiar. Over twenty years ago I had an issue with my RT shoulder, I had an MRI and was told it was a rotator cuff imprigement. I had a cortisone shot twice. Eventulally things got better. I avoided dips, since I tried them once and it caused a flair up.
    This July while benching I felt a twinge in the left shoulder while benching, so I cut the WO short. Next WO was supposed to be presses, I had no strength. I know the deal about trying to lift a milk container. One nite at a restaurant I couldn't even pour a glass of water from a one quart plastic pitcher . I went to an ART practitioner for treatment, but i believe rest, ice and Aleve is what helped best. I have only recently began doing some presses using 15lb dumbells . I found flat benching out of the question, standing and incline seem ok. I hope you heal up quicker than I have. Things sure worked better and faster before becoming a geezer.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
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    308

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    Nah, I'm done with bench, even CGBP. I've tried and even those are also problematic. However, yeah, with OHP I've learned to not flare my elbows as much and it's helped quite a bit.

    Yup. Getting old ain't for sissies.

    Thanks for stoppin' by, guys. I'll pick this up again after my MRI.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Everett, WA
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    I tore my rotator cuff years ago doing dips. I had something like 40lbs on a belt and was dipping away when all of a sudden I collapsed due to VERY sharp pain in my right shoulder. Coming back from surgery with that was not fun. I won't do dips anymore.

    I was getting very bad pain again in my right shoulder about six months ago and went and saw the surgeon. After an MRI it's not torn but there is some abrasion. I did no lifting for three weeks and started taking turmeric. After that I start lifting again very light weights. For OHP was 20lbs it felt stupid but that's what I did and then slowly crept the weight up for both it and the BP. Now I'm at 101 for the OHP and 151 for the BP. The shoulder still isn't 100% but getting closer.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Texas
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    I injured my shoulder while bench pressing 3x5@185, but not to the point that required surgery. I had Airrosti treatment, which is probably very similar to ART. I dropped bench pressing for several months, then reintroduced it as 3x10 starting at 85 lbs. Over the last three months I have slowly increased to 3x10@140 and climbing. My pain went away and I'm able to sleep on the injured side now. I confine bench work to volume-only, while with all other movements I continue to pursue strength.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    Dallas
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    I'm 57 yo, and I do not bb bench press. My left rc is in terrible shape and benching with a bar at any weight just hurts. I do single arm DB press which does not bother my shoulders. SA also forces you to stabalize your body which is a plus. I'm in the 100-105 neighborhood for sets and my shoulders feel great. I start out at 2 reps for sets and work my way up to 5 reps for sets before making a jump to the next DB (5 lb jumps). This has worked out well for me and I am confident that I'll maybe add another 20 odd lbs next year. Overhead pressing is fine with the BB. I'm in the 185-190lb range right now. I have zero plans to compete (except for the SS invitational which I had to miss this year), but they to OH which works for me.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
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    This is interesting. In 2009, right after New Year's, I was leaving for work and when I took a step on the 5' stairway leading out of my screen porch and down to the garage, I went crashing down. We'd had an ice storm overnight. I somehow instinctively jammed my left arm behind my head as I was going down, and trying to stop myself with my feet by jamming them into each step as I was going down, but it was all ice and instead I just went down the whole staircase thump thump thump thump. I had a bruise on my left side from just above my knee to my armpit. I couldn't put my arm behind me at all for weeks. Totally screwed it up for me.

    I notice this now with the overhead press especially. It still feels stiff and a little crunchy, kind-of. I'm just trying to take it easy and not expect a lot of progress on the weight - just slow and gradual. If I can do one more rep, I'm good with that.

    I just was stretching a little after doing lat pulls last week and noticed that when I put my arms above my head and pull them back towards my back, keeping the arms as straight as I can, my right arm goes down about four more inches than my left.

    Amazing that something like that can still create issues for me seven years later.

  10. #10
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    Apr 2012
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    Garage Gym
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    starting strength coach development program
    Just forget benching and do Overheads. Close grips are not safe either, I blew my left shoulder out doing them. (16" Grip)

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