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Shoulder injury prevention

ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2008/06/19, 02:06 PM I don't have a shoulder injury, but I feel like one is approaching. When I military press or bench it feels like it strains my right shoulder a lot. The pain isn't bad and I can suck it up and workout through it but I don't want to get an injury that keeps me from pushing for a few weeks or months. I currently do a lot of back work including rear delts and traps. Other than shoulder presses/military presses and bench I don't do much shoulder work though. I realize the shoulder socket is pretty complex and that I'm missing something, suggestions are appreciated.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2008/06/19, 03:15 PM Stop pressing full range and stop squatting with a straight bar. See how you feel in a few weeks. -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2008/06/19, 05:30 PM My gym only has straight bars....are front squats better or what is a good substitute? By full range presses do you mean stop short of lockout or don't come down all the way, ie. floor press or board press.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2008/06/20, 08:50 AM Anything that doesn't put your shoulder in an externally rotated position under load. Front squats would work. Board press and floor press especially. Floor press should be the basis, since you don't arch. -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2008/07/27, 04:49 PM Before I post, response to your last post Steve, I never said I don't arch when I bench. I have a pretty exagerated arch compared to most that I workout with.
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2008/07/27, 04:56 PM Anyway - the problem got better for a little while, but when I started doing work with my shoulder in an external rotation postition again it came back. It is my right shoulder, a dull pain but sharp when I do something just right. It tends to be when I lift it my arm higher than shoulder level or try to point type of a motion. It notice it when I shoulder press or bench. I haven't back squatted in about 3 weeks so that isn't the problem. I did a ws4sb3 program for most of the year, but the past 2 months I've switched it up. I did a fullbody split for a month and now I am doing a high volume push/pull split. Still high focus on compound exercises, little to no iso work. I've been doing 4-5 sets of 8-12 for most exercises with oly 30-45 sec rest in between. I've been considering this more of a conditioning type workout plan. This is largely to due with my schedule being too hectic to have regular workouts at my gym but that's beyond the point. Anyway, shoulder hurts, maybe a rotator cuff problem? When it becomes a sharp or intense pain it goes from about the bottom of my rhomboid or lower trap to down my tricep to almost the elbow with the emphasis being on the shoulder cap area. Need anymore info? It isn't to the point that it has kept me from doing anything, but it is pretty uncomfortable and I'd like to keep it from becoming a real problem.
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2008/07/27, 05:01 PM The rant about my routine was supposed to reflect that I haven't been lifting really heavy - for the most part 70-80% of my max but going for more reps.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2008/08/05, 10:10 PM With that description it seems rather simple... most likely a bicep tendon problem, specifically the long head of the bicep. Do you do curls? Sleep with your arms overhead? Does it feel like blood is occluding at the shoulder? How about if you flex forward and let your arm hang forward loosely? -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2008/08/06, 09:05 AM I don't really do curls. I occasionally throw them in at the end of a workout for 3 sets maybe, but nothing hardcore. I do a lot of pull-ups and curl-ups, weighted and non-weighted as of late though. Maybe the curl-ups are contributing. I don't sleep with my arms overhead. I'm not exactly sure what blood occluding would feel like so I can't give you an honest comment. It seems strange that a pain from my back, over the shoulder and down my tricep would be a bicep issue but you obviously know more than I do. I had finals last week so I was only able to make it to the gym twice. The pain has gotten better but I worry about it coming back again like it did last time.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2008/08/06, 01:51 PM When you do curls, do you ever do the seated incline ones? It's not weird at all. The long head of the bicep crosses the shoulder, but rarely presents with pain at the elbow. Occlusion is like a really bad pump. The only other possibility is still another form of impingement, but in this case rotator cuff impingement, but I don't think that's the case with you. Try to raise your arm in front of you with your pinky up and shoulder down. If you can't do it sans pain, then it's impingement. -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2008/08/06, 05:35 PM Yes, when I do curls I tend to do either straight barbell curls or seated incline curls. No occlusion. Tried the arm raise and that seems to hit the head on the nail. That's been one of my main issues the past few weeks. The pain isn't always there, sometimes it is, sometimes not. The pain comes when I do something "just right" you know, specifically like raise my arm.
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2008/08/06, 05:36 PM So what would one do in the case of an impingement.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2008/08/07, 09:45 AM manual manipulation (IR and ER stretching) and rest. No overhead lifting for 3-5 months, no benching for 2-3 months, no incline curls ever again. You can look into various joint supplements, cissus, glucosatrin chondroitin, high dose omega-3's and NSAIDs. I don't have much experience here though. Other than that there is surgery. -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2008/08/07, 03:24 PM Wow....well, you gotta do what you gotta do. Care to help me figure out a program then with those limitations? Any suggestions? I was planning to go back to a WS template in about 3 weeks.
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2008/08/11, 12:23 PM I can focus on heavy leg and back work, bring up my abs/obliques (still feel they're lagging)... Is shoulder work out all together or just overhead pressing? Is heavy trap work alright, what tricep movements would still be acceptable. Dips? What can I do instead of bench, or is chest just out all together then?
Parch Posts: 2 Joined: 2006/07/15	2008/08/11, 10:36 PM Sounds like a rotator cuff. I had a partially torn rotator. Doc said surgery won't happen until rehab was attempted. It was slow improvement, but it did improve. It's been a year and it's almost 100% now. Stop the overhead work for awhile and then reduce the weight considerably until it stops hurting. Slowly build up weight again with a variety of shoulder exercises. Don't make it worse by pushing through the pain with too much weight.