My Rotator cuff hurts like a B i TcH.

[StuartScott]

First of all heres my weekly workout.

Monday

Cardio-10 minutes all out, heart rate approaching 190.

Legs-Leg curls, smith machine, calf raises, the one where you push forward sitting down, leg abductor, leg adductor, lunges, and some balancing exercise

Arms-Curls, preacher curls, hammer curls, the one where you pull the dumbbell up and bring it down

Chest-Bench, dumbbell Incline, dumbbell flyes, dumbbell bench, close grip bench with small barbell


Thursday-same exact thing

Legs
Arms
Chest

Monday.....

That's what I've been doing for the past month and a half and my chest and arms have definitely gotten bigger but today I pulled a muscle or something.

Anyway, Diesel, I followed your advice and took 2 weeks off. I ended up losing about 40 pounds on my bench but I started getting in the groove again this past monday and today I was feeling comfortable on the bench, I was on my 3rd set doing 215 6 times and on the 5th lift I felt something on my left rotator cuff, like a pinch or pull or something but I ended up finishing my set with a littl epain. So on my 4th set I got a spotter and was doing 225 4 times, got the first 2 easy, on the third, I felt pain again, not wanting to risk further injury, I just stopped and worked on my leg again.

I talked to someone and he told me it's my rotator cuff, that It's probably nothing serious but I just didn't give my muscles enough time to heal. I told him "I only go twice a week but all out" He said he only goes once a week and twice a week may be pushing it. So I finished and was about to go home but asked one more dude (some employee), he said the same thing and that I was probably doing ym bench wrong. He ssaid I shouldn't go all the way up on my bench but almost all the way up and don't come all the way down but about 2-3 inches from my chest (which I've been doing lately) then he tried to sell me some $hit about my techinque being wrong and testing my body fat and tried to set up a workout appointment but fukk that, I'm 19 years old and pretty big. I ain't paying for no personal trainer, so that's why I came here.

I really don't want to take 2 more weeks off, cuz I'm gunna definitely lose some weight on my bench, they said to just take the rest of the day off, take some nuprin and come back monday. I think I'm gunna do that.

P.s. I think my doctor must have fukked with a nerve in my left knee cuz I feel no burn whatsoever on my quads when working on my legs, all the burn is on my right quad but none on my left quad.



[This message has been edited by StuartScott (edited 08-23-2002).]

 

[Pecker]

Do you puff out your chest as much as possible when you bench? Is the bar right in line with your nipples? Lots of people have their back flast against the bench where they should be arching it upward so the emphasis goes on the chest and not the shoulders. This might be your problem.

 

[DIESEL]

hey stuart

are you on the juice like you said you were going to go on?

rotator cuffs are the name of the game in chest work. As you get stronger, eventually it'll act up. The reason is your pecs get way stronger than your rotator complex (composed of a bunch of smaller muscles) and at a certain weight you begin to feel them.

Even sterling form can't prevent it. They'll have to heal and grow strong.

I think it's best to exclusively switch to dumbbell presses for awhile, the dumbbells work the stabilizers (in this case the rotator cuff) much harder than the barbell press.

Also, warm up with rotator cuff specific exercises - I can't really explain them, try www.exrx.net and they should some animation on it.

If you're not on juice, then cut your pec workouts to once a week. If you're juicing then continue at 2x week.

You didn't really lose 40 lbs. on your bench - you were coming off a rest period. If you rest more than 1 week, the first week back should be done at no more than 70% of what you were maxing before the break. Then the week after you can start hitting the maxes again.. you will notice that your bench will start going up again.

That benching technique is half right. Don't lock out at the top.. that ****s your elbow up. But you should be coming down right to your chest.. none of that 2-3 inches off ****... that robs you of range of motion and thus, pec development.

I would do all the pressing movements first before I did my flyes. Also if you are looking for pec mass then do the inclines first. Flat bench for show, Inclines for mass.

peace,
D

 

[StuartScott]

thx 4 tha advice. First of all, I'm not on the juice. I explained my reasons in the "Steroid" post earlier tonight, it's a little further down the page, it has like 34 replies. I should have explained a little further. This was my 3rd week coming back from that 2 week rest period. The first week I could barely get 215 up 2 times but I think that was a combination of me resting for 2 weeks and also doing incline press before bench. Now into my third week, I was feeling my strength getting back to where it was b4 I hurt myself today, like my first 3 sets were a breeze, I was coasting until I hurt my shoulder. I'm definitely gunna do some rotator cuff strengthening exercises though.

The thing abot weight lifting is that you get so much contradictory info sometimes that you don't know whats right. First someone says don't go all the way to my chest cuz I'll be working my shoulders more than my chest, then someone says extend all the way then you backdoor and say that I should touch my chest. But b4 that someone says going all the way down will put more pressure n my rotator cuff. I'm just gunna stick with what I've been doing and going all the way down but not all the way up.

p.s. About how long do you think I have to wait. I just iced it down a while ago, and I'm hoping to be back lifting on the barbell by thursday.

[This message has been edited by StuartScott (edited 08-23-2002).]

 

[kickman72]

"Lots of people have their back flast against the bench where they should be arching it upward so the emphasis goes on the chest and not the shoulders. This might be your problem."

Don't do this.

 

[DIESEL]

yeah, stuart...

that's pretty much the problem in weightlifting these days.. too many points of view. Way too many training philosophies, and the newer lifters get all confused.

At least w/ me you can know that I only say something if I've done it myself. So in that regard I won't bullshyt you.

My advice is to just use your brain when someone gives you advice. For example, look at where the advice is coming from.. if the dude is a little runt, then obviously it's not working for him. if the dude is huge, you may give him the benefit of the doubt and give it a go.. but if it doesn't work for you, then you keep trying new ****.

The key is to constantly keep educating yourself on how the body works and then through trial and error you come up with what works for YOU. Fukk what anybody else says.

All those people who say lifting like this works your delts more than your pecs, are probably full of shyt and regurgitating some b.s. they read in "Muscle and Fiction" or "Flex".. everyone has different biomechanics and as such you are the only one who can accurately predict how a certain grip on the bar is going to affect your development.

You're in control, you do what feels best to you. Listen to your body.

About your rotator.. you can ice it if you want, but I'm warning you.. go easy on it...if you fukk it up or tear it.. you're out at least six months... pretty much every upper body exercise goes through the cuff.. so at the slightest twinge of pain.STOP. Rotator injuries are definitely no fun.. trust me on this one, I know.

peace,
D

 

[StuartScott]

Well the weekend went by and on Thursday, I was feeling 100% pain, now (Sunday Night) it's at like 10%, so it's about 90%. Anyway, I'm prolly just gunna do Dumbbell bench exercises Monday and then resume on the barbell on Thursday or next week monday.

DIESEL, on that site, what is the technical term for a rotator cuff, you know the scientific term b/c I had a hard time finding the exercises there, thanks.

 

[College_Man]

I believe the rotator cuff is called the "Supraspinatus". Hope this helps.

[This message has been edited by College_Man (edited 08-25-2002).]

 

[Aiken_Drum]

Stuart, you are overtraining by doing bench twice a week. A few months ago my forearms hurted everytime I worked them. No wonder, since I exercise them twice a week! Since I started doing every body part (with the exepction of doing chest+biceps & back+triceps, so I give arms one more small workout) it has stopped. I'm sure it's the same for you.

------------------
"In doing good, avoid notoriety; in doing evil, avoid self-awareness" Duncan Idaho, Mentat (Dune).

"I can imagine a perfect world, a world without hate, a world without war. Then I can imagine us attacking that world
because they'd never expect it." --Jack Handey's "Deep Thoughts"

 

[Ricky]

Bump on this.

My bench has gone up alot recently. I don't think my joints have caught up to the increase.

My right shoulder feels like hell. Thanks for the advice Diesel, I use to dumbbell press alot. I'm going back to it for a while.

Actually I did do some recently, they seem to work well but my gym has only 75 lb dumbbells max.

I definitely need a week break or so.