Shoulder pain

[Jr_Geezer]

Thanks, Will, very useful information. I’m about to start my workout and I’ll post back how it went.

So I worked up to six doubles at 135, no real problem at all. Whatever pain is there is definitely in the lower third of the movement. We'll see how I feel in the morning but right now I plan on adding a bit more weight at the next workout.

[Will Morris]

So I worked up to six doubles at 135, no real problem at all. Whatever pain is there is definitely in the lower third of the movement. We'll see how I feel in the morning but right now I plan on adding a bit more weight at the next workout.

I'd keep doing that, and in the meantime, I'd look into buying a red or blue slingshot.

[Jr_Geezer]

I'd keep doing that, and in the meantime, I'd look into buying a red or blue slingshot.

Just so I understand the purpose: The slingshot is to allow higher weights at the top of the movement while taking off some of the weight during the lower, more painful, portion of the movement, correct? More importantly, how do I avoid looking like a douche at the gym using a slingshot to lift 150 lbs? :-)

Is there a recovery time associated with this or is this shoulder issue now a chronic thing, making the wild assumption you can predict that over the internet?

[Jr_Geezer]

Just so I understand the purpose: The slingshot is to allow higher weights at the top of the movement while taking off some of the weight during the lower, more painful, portion of the movement, correct? More importantly, how do I avoid looking like a douche at the gym using a slingshot to lift 150 lbs? :-)

Is there a recovery time associated with this or is this shoulder issue now a chronic thing, making the wild assumption you can predict that over the internet?

No offense meant to anyone who might be using a sling shot at lower weights. I've just only see it used by guys putting up big numbers, so I'm speaking from zero actual experience and knowledge.

[Will Morris]

Just so I understand the purpose: The slingshot is to allow higher weights at the top of the movement while taking off some of the weight during the lower, more painful, portion of the movement, correct? More importantly, how do I avoid looking like a douche at the gym using a slingshot to lift 150 lbs? :-)

Is there a recovery time associated with this or is this shoulder issue now a chronic thing, making the wild assumption you can predict that over the internet?

In your case, the slingshot is going to be used on a weight you can lift raw, but the slingshot is going to take some of the strain off your shoulder at the bottom, allowing you to do more volume with less irritability. It is a function of keeping your training, by limiting the strain on your shoulder at the painful range of motion, but not throwing the baby out with the bath water and just nixing bench altogether.

[Jr_Geezer]

So I'm up to 170x2x8 close grip, no slingshot, without much discomfort at all during the exercise. I did try a light normal grip width rep and felt some pain so I didn't do any more. Done a couple of overhead presses and face pulls as well. Where should I go from here in terms of weight progression, sets and reps?

During normal movement there still is some pain (no more than 1-2 on the pain scale) in the shoulder, hard to localize but definitively more pronounced on the lateral part of my upper arm and slightly distal to the shoulder joint and oddly, most pronounced when I'm lying in bed. I've had this pain since October, when do I start to look into treatments other than benches?

Thanks.

[Will Morris]

So I'm up to 170x2x8 close grip, no slingshot, without much discomfort at all during the exercise. I did try a light normal grip width rep and felt some pain so I didn't do any more. Done a couple of overhead presses and face pulls as well. Where should I go from here in terms of weight progression, sets and reps?

During normal movement there still is some pain (no more than 1-2 on the pain scale) in the shoulder, hard to localize but definitively more pronounced on the lateral part of my upper arm and slightly distal to the shoulder joint and oddly, most pronounced when I'm lying in bed. I've had this pain since October, when do I start to look into treatments other than benches?

Thanks.

For 1-2 level pain, seeking additional treatment should come along right about the time you feel like throwing money out of your car as you drive down the highway.

[Jr_Geezer]

For 1-2 level pain, seeking additional treatment should come along right about the time you feel like throwing money out of your car as you drive down the highway.

Yeah, pretty much the answer I was expecting because, well, it makes sense. I would just like the pain to go away, even if it's only a 2. When I wrote the above post, I had forgotten about the elbow pain that seems to go along with the shoulder pain at times, right at the joint on the anterior surface. After almost four months, it's getting to be tiresome and I'm wondering if it will ever get better and if I'll be able to get back to my two-plate bench again. That and the tightness in my quad and weird feeling in my hip that I've had since my back tweak in August of 2017 has slowed progress on my squat and deadlift. Yes, I know others have had far worse injuries, worked through them and recovered. I'm doing what I can to work through this and the quad/hip issue but it feels like they are not really improving at this point, so I'm looking for guidance and reassurance that I'm doing the right thing.

[Jr_Geezer]

Yesterday evening I did 175x2x8 close grip bench (and by close grip I mean I grip the bar so my arms are vertical at the top of the motion) and then later had difficulty falling asleep because of the pain in my arm. Pain is a bit better this morning but still there. Do I just continue to push through this or do I try something else because, recovery-wise, I just don't feel like I'm making much progress? Or should I look at the increasing weight I'm benching as progress?

If I do continue with the close-grip bench, when should I switch to sets of 3? Sets of 5? When do I widen my grip to more normal width? Should I go down in weight when changing reps or grip width? How much?

[DeanT]

Yesterday evening I did 175x2x8 close grip bench (and by close grip I mean I grip the bar so my arms are vertical at the top of the motion) and then later had difficulty falling asleep because of the pain in my arm. Pain is a bit better this morning but still there. Do I just continue to push through this or do I try something else because, recovery-wise, I just don't feel like I'm making much progress? Or should I look at the increasing weight I'm benching as progress?

If I do continue with the close-grip bench, when should I switch to sets of 3? Sets of 5? When do I widen my grip to more normal width? Should I go down in weight when changing reps or grip width? How much?

You said you have shoulder supraspinatus tendonitis right? I've had it now for around 2 years. It comes and goes...stays longer than it goes though. When the pain radiates down the arm at night, I get up and roll my shoulder with a lax ball. The main tendon is right in the middle just under the bone but the front ones generally hurt too (hurts like a son-of-a-gun but feels better after). I keep my elbows tucked in when I sleep on my side and when it is really bad, I sleep with a pillow under my lat. I don't like sleeping on my back so I will place a small pillow along my back so I half prop to my side and that will keep my shoulders back when sleeping. Sleeping on my stomach (my personal preference) is a huge no go. Any time spent with the shoulders forward generally results in pain the next morning. I've slept with a figure 8 clavicle harness to keep the shoulders back, but that is not terribly comfortable.

I never skip benching because of it. I've narrowed my grip some (pinkie just inside of the ring) but I find I can bench just fine. The first few sets are always painful and I really hate unracking heavy weights alone on a standard bench (this is why I bought a mono-lift for my rack). That said, my shoulder feels good after 3 or 4 sets and the second half of my bench workout is almost always easier. I do lots of doorway stretches and shoulder dislocations between warmup sets. I really try to get the pec minor by stretching in the corner. I'm a huge believer in getting them warm...the warmer they are, the better they perform. I like to do all my bench work on 2 minutes rest. It keeps me moving and the shoulders warm.

Things are better for me recently because I've added in a bunch of light DB shoulder work after I'm done with the compound movements. I think making all the little muscles in the shoulders stronger is really helping things improve.

Best of luck.