Hey guys, I can barely bench 1 plate a side and when I do get to it, I feel a clicking in my shoulders. So I do a lot of dumbbell presses and im increasing in that. I also do weighted dips with a 55lb dumbbell. My chest is getting sculpted but should I be worried about my bench falling behind? Or that the other guys are at 2 plates and I rarely bench with them
If you’re your own man, and show confidence in who you are - the other boys will want to play with you again.
Try incline bench pressing. Its better for chest development anyways and I find it much more shoulder friendly.
[quote]Drice21 wrote:
Try incline bench pressing. Its better for chest development anyways and I find it much more shoulder friendly.[/quote]
I think you mean decline
Unless you are wanting to be a competitive powerlifter don’t get caught up with the numbers game on your bench. That clicking is telling you have some mobility/stability issues. Forcefully attempting to increase your bench is just going to compound these problems over long term.
Look to your technique, plenty of good articles on this site. Scapula down and back creates a strong, safe platform. Also very light strict cable face pulls will help activate stabilizers, help to prevent impingement problems. Heavy face pulls skip the most important part of the movement, so they won’t help you. The action is about movement, not brute strength.
I have the same problem with the clicking shoulders, I think it might be something to do with my rounded upper back (kyphosis), as most sources show that kyphosis can lead to shoulder issues. OP if you have this problem, I would recommend checking this out: Heal that Hunchback!
[quote]xXSeraphimXx wrote:
[quote]Drice21 wrote:
Try incline bench pressing. Its better for chest development anyways and I find it much more shoulder friendly.[/quote]
I think you mean decline[/quote]
Nope, sticking with incline. Maybe its just personal but I prefer it. I have a pretty bad shoulder and find incline doesn’t aggravate it like flat bench does. Also after doing nothing but incline barbell and incline DBs over the past 3 months, I PR’d my flat bench. That being said I don’t ever decline so maybe you’re right.
Are you meeting your goals?
Well step one would be to learn how to bench safely. But if a big bench isn’t your main priority do what doesn’t hurt.
[quote]UzywUzy wrote:
Hey guys, I can barely bench 1 plate a side and when I do get to it, I feel a clicking in my shoulders. So I do a lot of dumbbell presses and im increasing in that. I also do weighted dips with a 55lb dumbbell. My chest is getting sculpted but should I be worried about my bench falling behind? Or that the other guys are at 2 plates and I rarely bench with them [/quote]
This only matters if you’re a powerlifter, preparing for the combine or any other situation in which you bench press strength will be tested. Otherwise, barbell benching isn’t mandatory.
[quote]nighthawkz wrote:
[quote]UzywUzy wrote:
Hey guys, I can barely bench 1 plate a side and when I do get to it, I feel a clicking in my shoulders. So I do a lot of dumbbell presses and im increasing in that. I also do weighted dips with a 55lb dumbbell. My chest is getting sculpted but should I be worried about my bench falling behind? Or that the other guys are at 2 plates and I rarely bench with them [/quote]
This only matters if you’re a powerlifter, preparing for the combine or any other situation in which you bench press strength will be tested. Otherwise, barbell benching isn’t mandatory.
[/quote]
I think you should do whatever you need to do to achieve your goals, which unless you are specifically tested on it, isn’t the flat bench. I would avoid it/relearn it if you hear a clicking in your shoulder.
[quote]Drice21 wrote:
[quote]xXSeraphimXx wrote:
[quote]Drice21 wrote:
Try incline bench pressing. Its better for chest development anyways and I find it much more shoulder friendly.[/quote]
I think you mean decline[/quote]
Nope, sticking with incline. Maybe its just personal but I prefer it. I have a pretty bad shoulder and find incline doesn’t aggravate it like flat bench does. Also after doing nothing but incline barbell and incline DBs over the past 3 months, I PR’d my flat bench. That being said I don’t ever decline so maybe you’re right. [/quote]
Relevance to pec development: 3/100