Who else can’t do incline presses without experiencing shoulder pain?

headtrainer · Mar 3, 2023

buck said:
EMG studies that i have seen show more upper pec activation from a slight decline press like 15 degrees then from an incline or flat bench.

One thing is for certain,a slight decline presses has made my chest bigger than any other exercise and it helps take pressure off my shoulders.

headtrainer · Mar 3, 2023

juggy38 said:
Ha. Man. If its in the AC joint.....you can fix it. Its a external rotator weakness and tight chest. if its in actually in the shoulder capsule....well, just double the lateral raises.

Ex college fullback...i know shoulder fuckery

Keep in mind I’ve had two surgeries on my right shoulder and one on my left shoulder. They sawed they end of my right Acromiclavicular off due to arthritis. This has changed how my shoulders function. Both are arthritic. “Reverse cable flyes” have helped strengthen my external rotator cuffs and reduce shoulder pain more than any other exercise. But direct external rotation exercises for the rotator cuff increase my pain. Incline presses push my humerus down into my arthritic shoulder joint. That seems to be the primary culprit. I’ve tried decline push-ups since they free up the scapula and cause less compression. But I still get too much pain to stick with that exercise.

headtrainer · Mar 3, 2023

Alan1 said:
Great suggestions above with using a pad on the bar and/or stopping a bit short of touching your chest.

For some time now I've been dealing with adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) in my right shoulder which limits my range of motion/causes pain. I've both narrowed my grip a bit and started NOT touching my chest on incline smith machine presses which has allowed me to keep the movement in my routine and make progress. I also stick to low incline, preferably 15-20 degrees depending on the bench, but going over 30 degrees seems to just stress and fatigue my shoulders more than anything.

Yes, it’s a great suggestion. But limiting the range of motion still doesn’t allow me to do inclines without bad pain. But limiting the range of motion has helped with the flat flye machine and decline and flat cable chest presses.

Cv215 · Mar 3, 2023

They make a bench block that has different slots to put the bar in and each slot limits the ROM when you lower the bar to a different degree

Hatchet · Mar 3, 2023

qbkilla said:
I have a partially torn labrum I'll tweak it every now and then doing them. Key imo is more pulling than pushing work the rear delts rotator cuff with bands, stability stuff etc

This ^^
Life-long shoulder issues. Damaged the right-one as a kid trying to throw as hard as I could, practicing for baseball, etc.
Its never been the same. Off and on, over the years, tears/flareups.

6 months ago, loud POP when benching, good thing wife was spotting. Almost failed the rep it hurt so much.
Took a month off from pressing, then started to use the Slingshot and bench-block, to work on at least my lockout.
Was almost back to "Normal" (for me) but I got a bit brave doing close-grips w/out the slingshiot. (A few weeks back) another POP, but less severe.
So ignoring pressing right now as far as normal bench. I can do things like JM press, and oddly, BNP's don't bother me in the slightest.

It mainly just normal bench press and normal inclines (that hurt).

OuchThatHurts · Mar 3, 2023

Since I had both shoulders done, it's dumbells and machines only (and only certain machines). No more barbell presses of any kind for me. No more smith machines. Ever. My shoulders are like new and I want to keep them that way. Anything that forces me outside a natural range of motion is just asking for trouble.

UnholyAlliance · Mar 3, 2023

I've given up barbell benching of any sort and now use dumbbells exclusively. For inclines I set the bench at 15° and use a neutral grip which has helped my own shoulders which have taken a bit of a beating over the years and with some arthritis creeping in.

juggy38 · Mar 3, 2023

headtrainer said:
Keep in mind I’ve had two surgeries on my right shoulder and one on my left shoulder. They sawed they end of my right Acromiclavicular off due to arthritis. This has changed how my shoulders function. Both are arthritic. “Reverse cable flyes” have helped strengthen my external rotator cuffs and reduce shoulder pain more than any other exercise. But direct external rotation exercises for the rotator cuff increase my pain. Incline presses push my humerus down into my arthritic shoulder joint. That seems to be the primary culprit. I’ve tried decline push-ups since they free up the scapula and cause less compression. But I still get too much pain to stick with that exercise.

Ahhh ok, I didn’t know if you’d had work done on them.

Incline pressing might just need to be retired.

Have you tried low-to-high cable flys…stepping forwards so the tension is really high in the stretched position, and just doing like 3/4 of a fly?

Sacario · Mar 3, 2023

slesh said:
Machines bro…. We all get to a point in life when free weights no longer conducive to our well being. With technology today and the amount of brands you can grow and get sick pumps with machines. Give up the barbells and dumbbells…

I agree. I've been moving more and more to machines. DB for lat raises and flat db press everything else is machines.

LATS · Mar 3, 2023

I haven't been able to do inclines for over a decade.. at least nothing over 10 degrees or so.. any motion no matter how light above that angle causes alot of pain.. that being said my upper chest isn't lacking nor has it diminished because of lack of incline work.. incline for upper pec is overrated.. many ways to hit the upper pecs

MouthBreather1982 · Mar 3, 2023

try retracting your scapula with chest exposed and shoulders back. Also the kabuki Cadillac or titan version of neutral bar make a huge difference as does what I previously mentioned. Assuming you're not doing that already. Also try keeping joints stacked as in now a wide grip, wrists horizontal.

MouthBreather1982 · Mar 3, 2023

over head pressing is said to correct some shoulders issues.

IronM · Mar 3, 2023

I only do incline on smith machine and it helps a little with shoulder pain . Then again I don’t touch the bar to my chest any more either as I feel like I loose tension when I touch my chest

IronM · Mar 3, 2023

LATS said:
I haven't been able to do inclines for over a decade.. at least nothing over 10 degrees or so.. any motion no matter how light above that angle causes alot of pain.. that being said my upper chest isn't lacking nor has it diminished because of lack of incline work.. incline for upper pec is overrated.. many ways to hit the upper pecs

Which other way other then incline can you hit upper chest if it’s lagging ?

headtrainer · Mar 3, 2023

Hatchet said:
This ^^
Life-long shoulder issues. Damaged the right-one as a kid trying to throw as hard as I could, practicing for baseball, etc.
Its never been the same. Off and on, over the years, tears/flareups.

6 months ago, loud POP when benching, good thing wife was spotting. Almost failed the rep it hurt so much.
Took a month off from pressing, then started to use the Slingshot and bench-block, to work on at least my lockout.
Was almost back to "Normal" (for me) but I got a bit brave doing close-grips w/out the slingshiot. (A few weeks back) another POP, but less severe.
So ignoring pressing right now as far as normal bench. I can do things like JM press, and oddly, BNP's don't bother me in the slightest.

It mainly just normal bench press and normal inclines (that hurt).

I can still do overhead presses on the machine as long as I keep my elbows out in front of me. The press behind the neck would kill my shoulders. I used to do them back in my teens and 20’s. Had to eventually stop that exercise about age 30.

headtrainer · Mar 3, 2023

juggy38 said:
Ahhh ok, I didn’t know if you’d had work done on them.

Incline pressing might just need to be retired.

Have you tried low-to-high cable flys…stepping forwards so the tension is really high in the stretched position, and just doing like 3/4 of a fly?

Low-to-high Incline cable flyes as you described hurt my shoulders more than anything. Inclines and dips are next in line. Dips are almost as bad as inclines for me now.

headtrainer · Mar 3, 2023

LATS said:
I haven't been able to do inclines for over a decade.. at least nothing over 10 degrees or so.. any motion no matter how light above that angle causes alot of pain.. that being said my upper chest isn't lacking nor has it diminished because of lack of incline work.. incline for upper pec is overrated.. many ways to hit the upper pecs

You’re right! My upper chest is just as big as it ever was even though I no longer do inclines when you take into account my body as a whole is not as big now as it was back in my 20’s, 30’s and 40’s.