Bench press shoulder joint angle and shoulder pain
Due to human genetic characteristics, anatomical structure, training history and other factors, there are differences in various sports structures of people. For example, when the shoulder joint is abducted and adducted during the bench press, some people prefer an angle of 90 degrees (most gym coaches think so); some people prefer it to be less than 90 degrees, because an increased angle will cause shoulder pain. .
Bench pressing shoulder joint angle and shoulder pain
Cause analysis:
When the coronal plane (abduction-adduction position) of the bench pressing shoulder joint is clamped When the angle becomes larger, for example, when it reaches 90 degrees (the angle between the arm and the ribs is 90 degrees), the shoulder joint capsule will be under tremendous pressure, which increases the risk of collision or friction between the glenohumeral joint head and other tissues in the joint capsule. When the bench press reaches the lowest end, the two ligaments IGHL (inferior glenohumeral ligament) and MGHL (middle glenohumeral ligament) in the picture above will undergo hyperextension, and the collision between the ligament and tendon between the acromion and the glenohumeral joint will be increased. or the chance of friction (such as the biceps tendon impinging or rubbing against the subacromial intrabursal ligament).
In short,the coronal plane shoulder joint angle is large during bench pressing, which increases the risk of shoulder injury.
But the problem has two sides. When the shoulder joint angle becomes larger, due to excessive pressure on the soft tissue of the shoulder joint capsule, the human body will proprioceptively contract the shoulder deltoid and rotator cuff muscles. The group performs muscle protection. In other words, the increased angle of the shoulder joint will strongly stimulate the deltoid and rotator cuff muscles. However, this method of stimulating the deltoid and rotator cuff muscles is risky and only applies to the deltoid and rotator cuff muscles. It is not suitable for general fitness people who have developed group.
When the shoulder joint angle becomes smaller, for example, to 45 degrees, it protects the shoulder tissue; but at the same time, the grip distance becomes narrower, making the elbow joint angle smaller and then larger. Elbow joint stress. That is, those with injured or weak elbow jointsElbow joint pain may occur when performing bench presses with a small shoulder joint angle.
Conclusion:
The stimulation of muscles during training changes dynamically with the change of joint angle. Not one fixed joint angle is suitable for everyone. Can we use individual differences and diversified training methods according to the characteristics of each trainer to maximize the training effect and distinguish the difference between mediocre coaches and professional coaches? Chest training should select the coronal plane shoulder joint angle that is suitable for the trainer based on the trainer's own characteristics.
Those with shoulder pain or weakness should train the chest muscles. The coronal shoulder joint angle tends to be less than 90 degrees and as close to 45 degrees as possible to avoid shoulder pain. For example, use a small angle when bench pressing, and also use a small angle when doing push-ups. For those who have obvious shoulder pain, you can use standing push-ups instead of ground push-ups; or use dumbbell neutral grip ground position bench press instead of barbell bench press.
Shoulder joint angle small angle bench press:
Shoulder joint angle push-ups:
Standing push-ups
Bench press with dumbbells in neutral ground position.
Supplement : When the coronal plane shoulder joint angle is less than 45 degrees, the bench press tends to be a narrow press, which becomes a training to stimulate the triceps brachii. Use your heart to understand that the stimulation of the muscles changes with the change of the joint angle. Dynamic changes. That is, the shoulder joint angle becomes larger, the shoulder muscle training effect is strengthened, and the upper chest muscle training effect is obvious; as the shoulder joint angle becomes smaller, the force of the triceps brachii increases, and the force of the chest muscles increases from the upper chest to the lower chest. As the chest migrates, the strength of the shoulder muscles gradually decreases.
Those with elbow pain or weakness should train the chest muscles. The coronal shoulder joint angle tends to be greater than 45 degrees, between 60 degrees and 80 degrees. Avoid elbow joint pain
Tip: People with shoulder pain and elbow joint pain should not use excessive weight.