I have only been using dumbells for benching for a while.
I was thinking of starting back since my shoulder seems to be pain free now.
For over 50 lifters have you changed anything about your benching.
Such as hand spacing , reps or stretching.
No, benching stays pretty much the same regardless of age.
Honestly, if you have a history of shoulder pain and don’t plan on competing just cycle your barbell and dumbbell training every few months. In the long run the variety will help you keep your shoulders and elbows healthy.
While benching may remain the same, our bodies do not (flexibility, soft tissue, etc…). What happened to your shoulder?
My own experience (45 yo), I’ve had to change my bench approach to way more pulling for balance, and include preventative, activities to stay healthy (foam rolling, stretching, shoulder dislocates, etc…). And incorporate stuff in-between sets (face pulls, band pull-aparts). I get what Cavalier is saying (no disrespect), but I’ve had to fight against tightness as I’ve aged, mainly lats and pec minor. I still bench the same, just a whole lot more goes with it now.
Tom I moved my grip way in as I have aged… my thumb when extended would be right on the edge of the touching the smooth…its narrow but it beats the heck out of shoulder crapola…Grove makes some excellent points on pre-hab stuff…I’m 53 and pain free!
Thanks for the information.
I am going to try some light benches tonight.
I need to get some bands.
I got to 105 and felt pain so I guess I will stay with dumbells
Changes as I’ve gotten older:
- When I was a young buck, every Chest day started with heavy flat-bench. I no longer flat-bench. Ever.
- I do all incline/decline bench work on the Smith machine.
- Smith machine work is always done late in the sequence, when my chest is maximally fatigued. (The more fatigued I am, the less weight I need for an effective set on the Smith.)
If you are feeling pain in the shoulders it’s likely due to your bench form.
Flaring the elbows and/or not squeezing the scapulas together are two obvious issues. Too wide of a grip can also be a problem or bringing the bar down too far up the chest. Find a good video tutorial or get some live coaching from some who knows what they are doing.
I still bench at the age of 61. I have moved my grip in a few inches, not a whole lot, just a few inches total. That seems to stress my shoulder a bit less than a wider grip. I also use a suicide grip which is much, much, more comfortable for me. Once I get over 2 plates a regular conventional grip is very uncomfortable on my hand and wrist and the discomfort is distracting.
That was not true when I was younger. And the final thing that I do different now is to ramp up so slowly that if you watched the first 10 minutes of my workout you would think that I was in the pink dumbbell set. I actually start with a few presses with an empty bar to loosen up a bit, then repeat the empty bar 15 seconds later. I don’t do “stretching” in any way, shape, or form, I just do a lot of easy reps at increasing weights to get warm and stretch the joint that I am using, whether we are talking bench, squats, deadlift, snatch, or whatever.
Anyway, on bench I then move up to a whopping dime on each end of the bar, then a pair of dimes, etc. all the way up to what ever I am lifting that day. After a few sets at my max I back off 40 pounds and do some higher rep sets. Up until the back off sets everything is low rep while I ramp up and the reps at my max weight for the day: 1 to 3 reps, but these are NOT at a 1 rep max weight. I’m just doing low reps and leave one or two in the tank. I seem to have a lot less injuries when I am not pushing for PR’s (duh!) or higher reps.
A few years ago I was in physical therapy for my shoulder, but it is fine now. I consider that to be a minor miracle at my age. After the PT I actually have a better range of motion in the shoulder than I had at any other time in my life, but that is really extraneous to this thread.
As Hara said it is a good long term plan to cycle your lifts. Dumbbell presses can give you a break from the barbell.
Sorry, didn’t mean to give the impression that age is irrelevant. In my case, I’ve been shown some good techniques in the past year (I’m 57), so benching is actually going slightly better. What I meant is that if benching changes, something has changed. Either you started working out and fighting years of neglect, or you’ve incurred injury and have to scale back. It’s more what you’ve done in the past years, not exactly the years themselves.
Or you’ve just got smarter and do things better. Have started more stretching, it helps.
Thanks for all the ideas.
I will try some of them next workout.
I agree with Hara.
Cycling your lifts and varying the placement of your hands will most often deliver results.
Am 51 and still compete in PL. I blew my shoulder out 3 years ago and my bench was in the crapper. It’s slowly coming back. I consider myself lucky in that I train with some incredibly knowledgeable lifters. I’ve moved my grip in so that pinkies are inside the rings. This seems to take stress off my shoulder. I don’t arch as much anymore and have learned to engage my lats. I touch the bar lower on chest. I hammer my back and triceps. I now do overheads with kettlebells, as opposed to straight bar.
Shoulder mobility and proper warmup is critical for me. Shoulder dislocates, band pull aparts, internal/external rotator movements all happen before my fat ass gets on the bench.