I had to take a break from training for a few years (new hip, thyroid cancer, all better). I did jujutsu for years and played hard. Had to get right RC (rotator cuff) repaired. Now that I am returning to the gym, it is clear the left one was not too far behind. (supraspinatus and infraspinatus are at issue.) We are still evaluating options, but the doc has stated that it is entirely possible there is no surgical fix possible since the injuries are old. A shoulder replacement has a 40 lb. max forever, so that is not an option.
The major change is that I am on TRT and can now hit the gym really hard. My health crashed because of thyroid issues that turned into cancer, but the thyroid is gone and I now have the correct thyroid hormones, which means I have a metabolism again. I am losing weight and am gaining muscle for sure (go 5/3/1 + BBB). The plan is to get back to training weight which is to lose 80 lbs. and stick at my usual 7% bodyfat. Yes, this is a long-term project. I’ve lost 25 lbs so far.
Everything works, but I got a left RC injury trying to do light overhead pressing (trying to restart that plane of motion). No direct over head for me since it turns out (as per doctor) it is not actually possible to reach directly overhead thanks to structural changes in the shoulder. I am fine with doing landmine presses (those work great). I am paranoid about trashing my shoulder doing bench. I stick to DBs and not terribly high weights.
Questions:
(1) Any tips for DB bench with a chronic RC issue. Do’s and don’ts. Form tweaks for flat bench?
(2) Does it make sense to get some gear like a shoulder brace? If I could offload the RC forces that would be great, but most shoulder braces are crap. If there is an actual medical brace, I could probably get a prescription for it.
(3) Any suggestions on very RC friendly pec/chest exercises? I’m not stuck on presses.
Mostly I want the optics of a good chest since everything else is coming along fine. Given the RC issue, trying to sling big loads of iron will fail, probably catastrophically at some point, and that would end my upper body lifting. I figure that at this rate in a several months, if my chest lags I am going to start looking funny. Posterior chain and legs work great and I should be able to get nice mass and thickness in the back.
As ever, thanks!