I am 43 and embarking on training for Law Enforcement and a TRT patient.
I got some really solid advice from a former operator now turned trainer, he was really good to me with information an asked nothing in return but I now have an issue…
Since my last job was rather sedentary and on nights it took a toll over my fitness a bit.
I do have a back ground in having been fit in the past, was a US Marine then a security contractor for a bit, then got desk bound for almost 3 years.
I was going to get my strength up and cardio with Kettlebells as they have done wonders in the past for endurance.
I am basically following a 5X5 3 days a week with the barbell and swings and snathces the alternate days weekends off. Deadlift, squat and bench… working pretty well as my strength is increasing steadily and have put on a bit of size.
He had recommended that “Do incline bench as it is easier on the shoulders” …
I have flat benched all my life and had minimal problems with it at all, but about 2 weeks into it I started having discomfort in my right shouder, I started icing daily…
As time went on my right shoulder started to feel better but my left soon followed the same exact path and symtopms, now both shoulders are very tight, the joint hurts and also the area around where the bicep meets the medial deltoid.
I do not think I have a tear but they ache pretty badly some days…
would I benefit just going back to Flat bench? as I have never has a past issue with it?
Flat bench would be fine if performed correctly (search for Dave Tate’s article on how to bench). Also it sounds like you have some bicep tendinitis. A couple of sets of very high rep curls here and there should alleviate.
I was going to suggest dropping the weight some and starting over with lighter weight allowing your body to adapt to working out again. Also maybe some higher rep work.
PeteS has WAY more experience than I do so I am sure his advice is gold.
I can say that high rep work on bicep curls has gotten rid of any bicep pain I had.
You may already be doing this but if your not doing mobility work prior to your pressing work that is where I would start. The threat at the top of the O35 section has some great movements and suggestions.
[quote]damutt wrote:
I was going to suggest dropping the weight some and starting over with lighter weight allowing your body to adapt to working out again. Also maybe some higher rep work.
PeteS has WAY more experience than I do so I am sure his advice is gold.
I can say that high rep work on bicep curls has gotten rid of any bicep pain I had.[/quote]
+1
High rep work can be better then time off when it comes to pain.
Just make sure your technique is as good as you think it is. If you feel pain, then more than likely its how you’re doing it.
[quote]damutt wrote:
I was going to suggest dropping the weight some and starting over with lighter weight allowing your body to adapt to working out again. Also maybe some higher rep work.
PeteS has WAY more experience than I do so I am sure his advice is gold.
I can say that high rep work on bicep curls has gotten rid of any bicep pain I had.[/quote]
+1
High rep work can be better then time off when it comes to pain.
Just make sure your technique is as good as you think it is. If you feel pain, then more than likely its how you’re doing it.[/quote]
High rep is almost always way better than time off. Time off you tend to stiffen, tighten up, and don’t get the blood flow needed to heal. So you end up still injured + lack of range of motion.
A few years ago I injured my right shoulder doing inclines. I was concerned it was a torn rotator but never had it diagnosed. I laid off inclines for a few months and took up swimming. It healed up pretty fast doing laps.
Do you train rear delts? imagine a golf ball sitting on a tee as the shoulder joint. muscle imbalance created from all the pressing. according to bret contreras emg studies the band face pull had the highest muscle activation for the rear delts. i’m pretty sure the study is on T-Nation.
If I feel an injury may be coming to any of my body parts, I back off, RIGHT AWAY. You have to listen to your body. I will go light weights and slow reps. I may not even work that muscle for a few weeks and do other exercises around it so I can rest it. After several weeks I will try the area that was causing the discomfort to see how it feels now. If it feels better I will VERY SLOWLY start to try to get back to where I was when it first started. I may rest more and train with a few less sets until I feel confident that I am again making progress
.
Your body is telling you something is not right. Listen to it and let it heal so you can rebuild again. The one thing you do not want to do is to keep pushing yourself. It will not get better on its own, and you may even cause more serious harm to the problem area if not addressed.
You can not train at your best if you are injured. The longer you are injured, the longer it will take to become your former self.