Shoulder arthritis and the Press

[Iceman64]

Hello,

I'm 58 years old "experienced" lifter, meaning I've grown up with Muscle & Fitness Arnold "blast" programs, Mike Mentzer "Heavy Duty" routines, Arthur Jones puke routines; also competed in Powerlifting in college utilizing the Ed Coan reverse pyramid programs with a steady diet of trying all the "Workouts of the Month" articles as seen in successive issues of Powerlifting USA magazine.

In other words, I done fucked around and wasted my younger years dicking around with nonsense and have finally taken up SS and am enjoying good results.

So with that aside, I am now pretty beat up with arthritic shoulders, lower back and elbows, and junky knees. Through proper form correction, I am squating, benching, and deadlifting with some good results (meaning I can do the exercises without any hinderances and can add weight), but any overhead work, like the press agitiates my shoulder arthritis and jeopardizes my ability to bench.

I went to a sports clinic and had an MRI and was diagnosed with arthritis of the AC joint (which most people have by the time they are in their 50's), no big deal, I can try to work with that. But what was unusual (according to the doctor) was that I also had arthritis within the ball and socket joint, which is not usual.

When I keep my shoulders tight and slammed together against the bench, I can bench without pain. I am carefull to keep my bar tracking in a specific groove that does not agitate my arthritis, but the overhead press is a different story.

First of all, I can't get my body totally under the bar that results in a plumbed line down my body. My left shoulder mobility does not allow for the full movement allowing me to bring my body under the bar; the bar is a bit forward of my body at lock out. Afterwards I feel the arthritis agitation in my shoulders and my AC joints ache the day after and it hurts when I do stuff like trying to put on a jacket.

Again, benching does not result in this.

I am thinking since I worked back into the bench press, I am hoping I can overcome this and wórk back into the Press. I was told by the clinic not to do any overhead work, but I am thinking they may be wrong, and I can get my body to adapt to the exercise and eventually be able to it (with some pain, but not prohibitive pain).

Any experience with this?

I am thinking of just shit-canning the press altogether and enjoy the stuff I can do, or do some kind of alternate exercise like DB presses that could give a similar, although not total, benefit. But I love the Press.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Can you chin? Video.

[Iceman64]

Naw. I stoped doing chins about 4 years ago as they were wrecking my shoulders. Even when I try to hang from the bar today my shoulders scream out in pain. This happens with an assortment of grips. When I try to hoist my body up, the pain intensifies. I'll try get a video of me doing this stuff.

Here are a couple videos. I train in the gym with standard barbells, but took these shots at home with a garage set.

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[Mark Rippetoe]

We are not going to sign in to watch these videos.

[Iceman64]

Re-posted on Youtube

IMG 2476 - YouTube

IMG 2475 - YouTube

[Mark Rippetoe]

I see no attempt to shrug the bar into the finished position.

[Iceman64]

Feedback noted, will work on it. Thank you

[Chiaki Nitya]

So, I also have a shitty arthritic shoulder, and after a lot of experimentation I found a press variation that allows me to continue to mostly kinda sorta continue to press and add weight. It's a pin press from right about nose level. Everything else is by the book in terms of Starting Strength press technique. For whatever reason, that bottom quarter range of motion is what was really aggravating my shoulder.

I have had zero issues since switching to this method, it may be worth trying to see if it helps.

[Iceman64]

Sounds like its worth a shot. Thanks for the tip....I was always assuming it was the top portion of the movement that irritated the arthritis, but I will try this. Thanks

[Iceman64]

Hello,

I'm 58 years old "experienced" lifter, meaning I've grown up with Muscle & Fitness Arnold "blast" programs, Mike Mentzer "Heavy Duty" routines, Arthur Jones puke routines; also competed in Powerlifting in college utilizing the Ed Coan reverse pyramid programs with a steady diet of trying all the "Workouts of the Month" articles as seen in successive issues of Powerlifting USA magazine.

In other words, I done fucked around and wasted my younger years dicking around with nonsense and have finally taken up SS and am enjoying good results.

So with that aside, I am now pretty beat up with arthritic shoulders, lower back and elbows, and junky knees. Through proper form correction, I am squating, benching, and deadlifting with some good results (meaning I can do the exercises without any hinderances and can add weight), but any overhead work, like the press agitiates my shoulder arthritis and jeopardizes my ability to bench.

I went to a sports clinic and had an MRI and was diagnosed with arthritis of the AC joint (which most people have by the time they are in their 50's), no big deal, I can try to work with that. But what was unusual (according to the doctor) was that I also had arthritis within the ball and socket joint, which is not usual.

When I keep my shoulders tight and slammed together against the bench, I can bench without pain. I am carefull to keep my bar tracking in a specific groove that does not agitate my arthritis, but the overhead press is a different story.

First of all, I can't get my body totally under the bar that results in a plumbed line down my body. My left shoulder mobility does not allow for the full movement allowing me to bring my body under the bar; the bar is a bit forward of my body at lock out. Afterwards I feel the arthritis agitation in my shoulders and my AC joints ache the day after and it hurts when I do stuff like trying to put on a jacket.

Again, benching does not result in this.

I am thinking since I worked back into the bench press, I am hoping I can overcome this and wórk back into the Press. I was told by the clinic not to do any overhead work, but I am thinking they may be wrong, and I can get my body to adapt to the exercise and eventually be able to it (with some pain, but not prohibitive pain).

Any experience with this?

I am thinking of just shit-canning the press altogether and enjoy the stuff I can do, or do some kind of alternate exercise like DB presses that could give a similar, although not total, benefit. But I love the Press.

Just got back from a lifting camp at Brussels Barbell and got my press dialed in. Steve Ross looked at my form and said that I can press, just that I am tight as hell. After some work in the rack with band walk outs, I was pressing decently by the end of the session. Can press now without pain.