Posted: 3/22/2017 9:01:30 AM EDT
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I expect 1 educated response for every 30.
I've been lifting for a long time, I'm a pump chaser not a numbers chaser. I recently tried something very weird to me. Flat bench with my head hanging off the end of the bench. It was like the heavens opened and the angels came down to heal the clickity-clack ice-pick stabbing pain in my shoulders. At first I thought, "hey, maybe I'm just having a good bench day" and slipped my head back on the bench only to be met with the familiar pain in my shoulders again. The head off bench thing really was the variable eliminating pain. T-nation has a very brief write up about it and it's where I learned about it, but I'm struggling to understand the mechanics of it. Aside from more strain on my traps, my posterior chain feels no different, retraction feels the same. I imagine the pressure moving off my head to almost completely on my t-spine is helping with t-spine alignment and opening things up, but how, what's opening up? What's moving around to make room for my shoulders to move around? 99% of my pain during bench is at the tip of my clavicle that I'm almost certain it's caused from impingement. Usually I have a really good grasp of body mechanics, but this one has me lost. |
| Are you normally lifting your head off the bench when you press? Keeping your shoulders depressed and retracted? You sound like you have a good idea of what you are doing but it is very easy to let your form go when you are trying to move too much weight or tired. I used to elevate my feet when I benched to keep my head down, but it gave me a less stable core and my elbows would move towards my head to balance the weight. Moving my feet back to the floor with a small arch in the back really helped me keep proper form throughout the movement. |
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Quoted:
I expect 1 educated response for every 30. I've been lifting for a long time, I'm a pump chaser not a numbers chaser. I recently tried something very weird to me. Flat bench with my head hanging off the end of the bench. It was like the heavens opened and the angels came down to heal the clickity-clack ice-pick stabbing pain in my shoulders. At first I thought, "hey, maybe I'm just having a good bench day" and slipped my head back on the bench only to be met with the familiar pain in my shoulders again. The head off bench thing really was the variable eliminating pain. T-nation has a very brief write up about it and it's where I learned about it, but I'm struggling to understand the mechanics of it. Aside from more strain on my traps, my posterior chain feels no different, retraction feels the same. I imagine the pressure moving off my head to almost completely on my t-spine is helping with t-spine alignment and opening things up, but how, what's opening up? What's moving around to make room for my shoulders to move around? 99% of my pain during bench is at the tip of my clavicle that I'm almost certain it's caused from impingement. Usually I have a really good grasp of body mechanics, but this one has me lost. Wat? How did you manage to unrack the bar and do reps if you were that far forward on the bench without continually hitting the rack? Link to T-nation write-up needed. |
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All I can picture is straining a neck muscle that way. Slightly lift your head off of the bench so you don't strain it. Think of just touching your hair to the bench. |
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Wat? How did you manage to unrack the bar and do reps if you were that far forward on the bench without continually hitting the rack? Link to T-nation write-up needed. Like this: 
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Are you really retracting your scapula? I have minor shoulder/neck issues, but when I really focus on retracting my shoulder blades, keeping my elbows in, and getting a slight arch I am good to go. Most people bench with too wide of a grip. I keep the tip of my thumbs on the smooth part of the bar, and noticed this has helped as well.
I also started incorporating foam rolling and have figured out tight rhomboids are likely my cause for slight pain. |
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Quoted:
Are you really retracting your scapula? I have minor shoulder/neck issues, but when I really focus on retracting my shoulder blades, keeping my elbows in, and getting a slight arch I am good to go. Most people bench with too wide of a grip. I keep the tip of my thumbs on the smooth part of the bar, and noticed this has helped as well. I also started incorporating foam rolling and have figured out tight rhomboids are likely my cause for slight pain. I do almost 100% incline because flat has killed me for the past 3-4 years. |
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I've been through it all on flat. Hanging my head off is the first thing that really killed the pain. I do almost 100% incline because flat has killed me for the past 3-4 years. |
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Have you tried dumbbells on a foam roller? Leaves your scapula free to rotate. So far I've done a few chest days doing this vs. dumbbells on a bench, and it does seem better for my old shoulders.
Also your head won't be supported by anything. 
 Foam Roller Chest Press |
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The correct response has been posted.
Get your shoulders all the way together and onto the bench before you do anything else. When you press, lift your head slightly off the bench. Just enough to take the pressure off the back of your head, though some people do more (and that's not a problem, AFAIK). I've also got a Rogue SML-1, and it's friggin' awesome. |
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Quoted:
The correct response has been posted. Get your shoulders all the way together and onto the bench before you do anything else. When you press, lift your head slightly off the bench. Just enough to take the pressure off the back of your head, though some people do more (and that's not a problem, AFAIK). I've also got a Rogue SML-1, and it's friggin' awesome. Of course, if you compete you wouldn't think it's a good idea to bench with your head hanging off the bench. |
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LOL I was sitting here thinking "WTF is this dude talking about" until I realized you're picturing a fixed bench setup. I have a stand-alone bench and squat stand for benching. Like this: http://www.rogueeurope.eu/media/catalog/product/cache/5/rogue_header_2015/1472x927/472321edac810f9b2465a359d8cdc0b5/s/m/sml-1-squat-stand-lg_1.jpg Quoted:
Quoted:
Wat? How did you manage to unrack the bar and do reps if you were that far forward on the bench without continually hitting the rack? Link to T-nation write-up needed. Like this: http://www.rogueeurope.eu/media/catalog/product/cache/5/rogue_header_2015/1472x927/472321edac810f9b2465a359d8cdc0b5/s/m/sml-1-squat-stand-lg_1.jpg 
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