Is dumbell bench press safer for the shoulders?
I have been having some mild but chronic shoulder pain for a while, and I suspect it's due to the bench press. While my bench press form is not perfect (as can be seen here https://startingstrength.com/resourc...lder-pain.html), I don't think I violate an extreme rule where it's obvious that I'm putting my shoulder in danger.
I'm seeing a PT tomorrow and he will also be doing an ultrasound and I hope he can confirm there are no tears etc.. However, I am preparing for some possible bad news. If there is something visibly wrong with my shoulder I don't know if I want to get back to my regular benching because there will not be a clear causation for my shoulder injury in the first place. So I would likely just continue hurting my shoulder.
My Press and bench are only 120 and 175 (BW 168), but I am happy with my current physique, and while I would love to get stronger I would also be very happy with maintaining my current muscle mass for the rest of my life and not needing shoulder surgery.
I remember you saying you only do light dumbell bench presses now because of your shoulders, are they safer for your shoulders than barbell bench?