Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

I am having problems with my bench press, namely I get hurt every time I have attempted it. The last few times I have tried doing it with the bar only and having a spotter to watch my form as I assume this is the problem and I am just not "seeing" it. They said my form is dead on, but half way through my first set I pulled my back out again (had to have the spotter take the weight off me). Just below the shoulder, quite sore now.

I have lifted my feet up on the bench this time as I have a very distinct curve in my lower back and this helps flatten my back, but it didn't help. Could I be doing something else wrong? My spotters are at a loss, and so am I. I have never had any problems with any other exercise to date.

Have you ever had any injuries to your shoulder? That could be the problem. If so put your hands in closer like when working out the tris, it should release the tension on your shoulders. Also do rotator cuff exercises found here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dorian1.htm

Not that I can recall. I will try your suggestion. It just bothered me because it is such a great exercise (so I have heard) and I have not run into an exercise I couldn't do (to date). I am worried I can't benefit from completing such a basic exercise.

Thanks

You are welcome, any time. This happens a lot with people who have shoulder injury or past shoulder injury. You may want to get a check up and see if your rotator cuff or your shoulder is damaged at all. Halt from doing it till then.

I had the same problem for a while. This helped a lot.

grab the bar where you would normally grab it but dont lift it, leave it on the rack. Look at where your right hand and visually mark the bar at the inside of your hand. Now move your hand closer in so that the outside of your palm aligns where the inside of your palm was. Your hand should be exactly 1 palm length inside of where you normally put them. Do the same with your left and try the press, if it still hurts try going in by half-palm lengths.

Also it is important to do those rotator cuff lifts. I would take 2 weeks off from the press and do those instead. 2 weeks of waiting is better then a lifetime injury.

I don't understand the problem fully, as it is late here (in Germany) and my English is somewhat limited...

But if the problems continue, you don't HAVE to do benchpress. Dips for example are a very good substitute exercise for pecs, triceps and shoulders. Or do the incline bench. Or dumbells. Or...

You don't need bench press to develop your chest. Get used to the thought (and i know it, my chest is by far my best body part, and i'm relatively weak in bench press!).


Greetz,
Daywalker

_________________
No one said it would be easy.

I agree with Daywalker, I don't think you need bench presses. I do a bunch of pushups at least twice a week, and one day a week I have a day where I do 2 sets to failure of: incline flyes, flat bench flyes, and decline flyes - and that blasts my chest better than any other routine I've tried.

Hey man, maybe try practicing just with the bar without weights on it? Not sure if that would help, but it would be less dangerous

Any time I have tried to use anything more than 45 on each side, the pressure hurts my back.

I've had a history of problems with my upper back and neck though.

Do you have the same pain trying to do pushups? Or try flies or other nautilus type exersize.

I've found that using a Smith Machine helps with my benchpressing as well.

I had a really hard time with bench press, too. It didn't hurt me at all, but it was extremely difficult to keep the bar straight and level, even without weight on it. At first, I thought maybe it was because one side was stronger than the other, but then I had no problem with dumbbells when I switched to those.

Years later, a thoracic x-ray showed that I have slight scoliosis, which was probably the cause of it.

I have not flat bench pressed for over 20years flys incline decline dips do the job fine [not all in one w/out just 1 of those ] VEGAN-POWER-ROBBIEx