I know this has been posted before but not lately. I am 57 years old with shoulder and elbow issues but love to press. Which would be better the football bar or the swiss bar for my pressing exercises (BP, IN BPs, etc?)
Swiss Bar. The neutral grip seems to go easier on my shoulders and tris than any of that slant-grip shit (I dont own a footbal bar but I am accustomed to the grip style). I mostly use the Swiss in accessory work and not prime movements though.
My 2 cents:
Go with the Swiss Bar. Pressing and rowing with it hammers your arms and shoulders in the BEST way.
Also, are you avoiding pronated/suppinated barbell pressing entirely? If so, is it beause of past injuries or just discomfort?
The only reason I ask is because discomfort can probably be corrected with better technique and a month or so of high volume, low intensity…
The reason is from lifting for 43 years I now have an arthritic shoulder (bone on bone.) The doctor says there is nothing they can do other than a replacement shoulder. I still want to bench through the pain. Its not going to hurt anything now.
You might also want to check out the T-Grip Barbell at http://t-gripbarbell.com/.
I have the 7’ bar with single neutral grip handles and love it. I looked at a lot of different bars with a neutral grip and went with this one. Its also good for EZ Curls if you are into that.
Everybody who I’ve read that have tried both bars say the swiss was much easier on their shoulders. I have the swiss and can’t bench w/o it. It’s rust prone but well worth the money.
I still have days when my shoulder says no way but more often than not the swiss bar is a go.