Bench press shoulder impact

[Greg C]

Hey all:

The last few times on the BP, I've felt some significant tension (not quite pain) in the rear shoulder (see pic below) of both arms (infraspinatus, towards the muscle belly). Was wondering if this is normal? Thanks.

[Brad Davis]

Since nobody has replied, I'll add my $0.02 for what little it's worth. It'll be a bump if nothing else.

I do not think that's normal, or at least it's not a good thing. I've had on and off pain in the area you describe for pretty much forever that I've been dong BP. If I'm careful not over-do it, it doesn't get worse. A while back, I had a pain outside the gym--just kind of a random incident, in that general area. Then, during subsequent weeks, I could feel minor pain in the area you described, mostly during bench warmup sets. It's degraded over time, and now I'm trying to figure out what to do.

My only point for you is that it might degrade and turn into pain, then get worse, and force you to stop and rehab it. Course of action? Don't know exactly. More presses and less bench comes to mind, but then again, that always comes to mind for anybody who has read SS:BBT. Might also look into some rotator cuff stretches.

My favorite idea is to change grips or some other aspect of your form. I read Wendler's 5/3/1 book a while back and he recommends a very narrow grip, like 18" with the idea that this is easier on the shoulders. That would seem to result in less internal rotation, so maybe that'll help. I'm an average sized guy and that's my press grip also. Might try that--see if you can find some modification that makes the discomfort go away.