Is the Bench Press exercise bad for your shoulders?
Many people have pain with bench press, but does not mean its bad for you
Bench pressing can be bad for your shoulders if you don't use proper technique, or if you lift too much weight, or if you progress to quickly with your workouts.
BUT, bench pressing is not per definition bad for your shoulders.
However if you have shoulder pain, you might need to modify your bench press exercise.
Repetitive motion
Repetitive overhead movements like bench pressing can inflame the rotator cuff muscles, which can lead to pain and clicking.
Lack of shoulder mobility, lack of shoulder stability, or lack of thoracic mobility can lead to problems with overhead movements.
Heavy weight
Loading the same muscles with a heavy barbell week after week can damage the shoulder joint. You should vary the weight and the number of reps every few weeks. In general, you should typically have 1-2 quality reps in reserve and dont train to failure.
Incorrect technique
Using improper technique can lead to shoulder impingement, instability, or rotator cuff injuries
To reduce strain on your shoulders, you can try:
- Limiting how far down the barbell or dumbbell goes
- Keeping your elbows above the midline of your upper body
- Pressing the barbell or dumbbell from the floor
- Using dumbbells instead of a barbell
You need someone to assess your mobility, your strength, and your form if you have pain with bench pressing.
There is lots of modifications we can teach you, once we know what the specific problem is for your shoulder.
Not everyone is the same and therefore treatment needs to individualized.