SHOULDER PROBLEMS?

[CoCoa]

MY SHOULDER IS SO BAD I CAN HARDLY BENCH ANYMORE.HEARD THAT GLOUTAMINE WORKS IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE?

[Rocket]

Chances are you have injured your rotator cuff..try declines and see if they are easier. If they are that is likely the problem. I have some good info on this (rotator cuff) so e-mail me if you need help!

Rocket

[CementHead]

I'm 32 and can't flat bench anymore either. My chest workout looks like this:

1) incline bench press
2) weighted dips
3) machine flys

I've talked to lots of older bb'ers who seem to have the same problem.

A few years back, when Dorian was Mr. O., I read in Flex magazine that he didn't flat bench anymore, he just did Declines and Inclines.

I'm not sure if I should believe everything I read in Flex, but I do know that Flat bench is not essential for bodybuilding.

[Razzit]

I have had shoulder probs for a long time. went to chiropractor he did treatments for a while then went on Celebrex when it acts up. works great

[Mojo Rising]

There was a thread over at Profmusc by steak helmet. He had soem shoulder problems and we all gave him tons of ideas.


Off the top of my head. Stop all overhead pressing movements for a couple weeks( do side laterals etc that dont put you past parralel to the floor) Stop barbell bech and do incline or decline dumbells, so its a more natural movement and less restricted. Lighten up the weight to around 12-15 reps... dont worry going from heavy to a lighte weight wont cause you to lose muscle over night let alone a couple weeks of going light. Make sure to do some rotator cuff exercise... ask a trainer at the gym to show you... it involves a cable machine usually and very very very light weights.

You can also do heat(preferably wet heat opposed to dry heat) then dry off and do ice. This will help to rush in blood for oxygen nutrients and the ice to help get the free radicals out and prevent inflamation.

Glucosamine, chondriton and MSM can help. Vit C , E and citris bioflavinoids for there antioxidant properties. Start drinking alot of water to help rid your body of toxins etc.

YOu can also take in some flax or fish oil... or eat some more fish as EFA(essential fatty acids can help out MANY problems including joint soreness.) Check out that thread i talked about earlier as some good info in there. Good luck!

Also Deca helps too!

[Steak Helmet]

Stay off of the flat bench...your rotator cuffs take a beating unracking and reracking the barbell. Your Rotatr cuff is a stablizer and when injured, it takes a long time to heal because you use it in just about everything you do...from lifting to daily activities.

I have found that the Smith machine should be used when you have a shoulder injury when doing chest. MAke sure you incline. I would say give it a good 2 to 3 month rest if it is that bad. get yourself an elastic band and do some rotator cuff exercises. Also, light up right rows and rear delt flyes should help strengthen up the shoulder girdle. The rotator cuff is a sensitive thing. Four muscles make up the rotator cuff and they all come from your scapula and contect to the shoulder. Unlike the hip socket, the shoulder does not have a socket to reast the head of the humerous in...instead, it just sits out there and the muscles of the rotator cuff and the deltoid help to keep it in place.

Anyhoot, I have injured mine and I am doing a routine that is making it better every week. if you have any questions, please PM me or e-mail me???

Best of luck...and remember to leave the ego at the door when doing shoulders and chest.

[mike man]

Said it best. Check out that thread.

[rj420]

yep, I'm with Steak on this one. Had to take over two months off, then start back slowly. I could not do any dumbell presses, only the Smith Machine allowed me to lift painlessly. I do inlines and declines on it. I have recently started doing dips and cable crosses as well. No flat bench or dumbells for a while... probably will never do flat bench again.

After each back and chest workout I go through a 4 exercise routine of 2-3 sets each for my rotators. This, along with ice and anti-inflammatory meds has gotten me better fast. Remember to warm up slowly and do the rotator rehab work.

[Abombs]

Most of the bigger guys I know don't do flat bench press, I'd say 90% of shoulder injuries I know of are caused by flat bench. I stopped doing flat bench about 6 months ago to avoid uinjury and my chest actually grew by 1.5 inches. Here's what I do;

Cable crossovers (warm up and get the blood pumping)
Incline Barbell
Decline Barbell
Incline dumbell flies
Flat bench dumbell (light and burnout)

[CoCoa]

THANKS GUYS ALL THAT INFO HAS HELPED ALOT.MY SHOULDER NOW IS ALOT BETTER SINCE I THROUGH OUT FLAT BENCH AND HIT THE DECLINE.