I’m doing incline press with DBs in a prone grip, at a 2-1-X tempo. The final rep of each set ends with a bottom pause. Is there a way I should lower the DBs to protect my shoulders? Brian
Are you using a prone grip or a neutral grip? If your thumbs are pointed toward each other, that’s a neutral grip. I don’t know what you are currently doing, but my suggestion would be to lower the DB’s to your thighs after your last rep instead of trying to control them down past your side like a bicep curl/front raise, like most people do. - Joe.
Is that pronATED grip? Like you would be if it were a barbell? (BTW, palms facing each other is a neutral grip) Then I’d say rotate to a neutral grip and do as suggested. It’s much easier to do on inclines than on flat.
To brider, If you knew anatomy, you would know that when you grab the bar like in an incline press, and your shoulder abducts your forearn is neutral, if you were pronated, your hands would be facing away from your body! Go ahead and try it, abduct your shoulder to 90, flex your elbow to 90, and supinate, then pronate, your hands go from facing toward each other, to thumbs facing center, to palms facing away from each other! Wow, that must be secret super double pronation! NO, it is just regular old pronation, if you understand anatomy!
Joey…that doesn’t sound quite right. As for my knowledge of anatomy I feel I know a fair bit but I still consider myself a layman. Now I always thought if my palms were facing forward that would be a pronated position. If my palms were facing each other that would be a neutral grip and if I was using a barbarian or underhanded grip like Anthony Clark does I would have a supinated grip. I think we need another opinion. Anyone? Because if I am indeed wrong I would most certainly like to know. 
It’s my understanding (and I suppose I could be wrong) that with a bar, you only have a choice between pronated and supinated grip. No handles for doing neutral grip. “Pronation” is merely the motion of going toward a more pronated position. Same thing applies to the feet, though the positions achieved are in a much smaller range (MBE excluded). I think we both have that straight, our only contention is the “stopping points” that constitute “neutral” vs. “pronated” grip. Are you trying to say that it is dependent on the forearm position? Or the position of the hand relative to the elbow? If so, you would be the first person I have EVER heard calling it that way.
Everyone-it’s important to remember that the reference point for all of these movements is the anatomical position!!! When describing pronation and supination, consider which way the thumb rotates from the anatomical position, and then apply it to the specific movement. Maybe I’m missing something, but I think you’re overcomplicating things.
It was not my intention to upset or confuse anyone. In some Kinesiology classes it is taught that where the hand is in space determines pronation or supination. What I am saying is that your body determines this. If you start from anatomical position, you are supinated (the ulna and radius side by side). When you move to a pronated position the bones are crossed over each other, and when you are neutral they are “stacked” for lack of a better term. As we know, these positions will determine the recruitment of different elbow flexors, depending what position you choose. Example, when you are supinated, the biceps brachii are very efficient. When you are neutral, the brachioradialis is very efficient, but the biceps brachii are not as efficient as they were in supination. Hence, when doing a pull-up/down type mevement, knowing that when you grab the bar with a wide overhand grip your forearm is neutral could be important, that’s all I was trying to point out! It’s kinda funny though, because what forearm position you are in doesn’t really matter for most pressing movements, unless with the DB press your hands are out further than your elbows (moving toward a “fly” type movement) then it does matter what position you are in! Hope that helps!
I was thinking that if at the end of the set I raised my upper arms so that they are parallel to the floor, then rotated the weights downward. That way I’d have the eccentric portion of a Cuban press at the end of every set of DB inclines. Would this be safe on my shoulders? Brian