Long term rotator cuff repair

[Bbinck1]

I know you have talked about this in past but I wanted to get an idea of what your long term results were. I have had my supraspinatus repaired and am currently pressing pain free. Did you find that you could press well for years afterwards or is it almost inevitable that the cuff gets injured again. Also what was your experience with bench press if you don’t mind discussing. I ask you because there is actually very little information available about this. Most people only talk about lifting light weights and resuming Activities of daily life.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Bench took a while for me, and it's the only thing that has given me any problems. Press is pain free, always has been. A cuff tendon repair is not really good surgery, because the shoulder is really a substandard joint already. Sorry, bou may have problems with it in the future.

[Bbinck1]

Bench took a while for me, and it's the only thing that has given me any problems. Press is pain free, always has been. A cuff tendon repair is not really good surgery, because the shoulder is really a substandard joint already. Sorry, bou may have problems with it in the future.

Well part of me wants to call it a day with bench. I am nearly 50, I train to stave off death, not to hit PRs. But I also don’t like the idea of just giving up bench. However the more I live the more I realize some things just get worse with time.

[Mark Rippetoe]

If you can safely bench, it will be with a close grip. Try it and see.

[Gbraddock]

I had a rotator cuff repair, bicep tenodesis, and arthritis cleanup in a single procedure back in 2017. My shoulder HATES bench press. ZERO problems with press.

Question is, are push ups enough to stave off floppy pecs? Something else? I may try close grip bench again but it didn’t really seem to offer a lot of relief.

I don’t want to look like a damn National Geographic pic from the 80s (floppy man pecs)..can I get a witness?

[MashedTaters]

I had my RC repaired in 2017.

I'll assume you followed Rip's post-surgery protocol. I also followed Rip's advice that goes something like this - press only for 3 months, then press 2X and bench 1X per week for 6 months, then press/bench 1:1. It worked for me, although my bench grip is, shall we say, close-ish. I also was, and still am, very conservative about adding weight to both my press and bench.