Other/Mixed Can't fix my bench press after injury. Any advice?

[Scott Mason]

Hi, everyone.
I'm here to ask for your opinions, people.
The story is that I am recently back to training after a long 2-years break.
I have had a shoulder injury with surgery. Hardly recovered not so long ago.
So after a month in the gym I noticed that my bench press is stuck almost at where I started.
To give you more details - I'm 190 lbs, my personal best in bench press was 320 lbs. 2 years ago.
Suprisingly I haven't lost that much strength in other exercises like squats or curls, but my bench press is a huge problem now.
Or, forgot to give you numbers - 200 lbs sharp for a single-rep feels kinda...meh and it doesnt go up.
I can't get what's wrong? Could it be my elbows or my shoulder? My chest seems like growing fast but it doesn't give power at all, not a single pound.
Thanks if anyone could tell me anything.

 

[william bad butt]

Not knowing anything about you... So you are doing a greater than body weight bench press after taking several years off and having a significant surgery. This seems wonderful to me. I would be grateful. I would be willing to bet that most out-of-conditioned folks cannot bench their body weight.

Years ago, when I restarted (after a many year layoff), I struggled with 135 lbs at first (whereas I was capable of lifting a lot more). A proper training plan should get you strong again, maybe a linear progression plan? 1 month is not that much time.

This all assumes that you are healthy and that you are cleared, by a doctor, to do this (since the surgery).

Besides for the weight (now vs then), are there any major differences in how the press feels? You specifically mentioned your elbows and shoulders. Do they feel different?

 

[Scott Mason]

Hi. I should have been more specific. Let me give you a picture.
Say, I am doing a regular bench press.
So I star with 50 lbs. for 15 reps, everything feels ok. Then I do 80 lbs. for 12, fine again. Then 120 lbs. for 8, more or less. But when it comes to 150 and higher it gets really really strange.
The difference between now and then is the feel. At some point the barbell gets stuck like it's static and my shoulders and forearms seem to turn off instantly in one sec. So I literally drop the bar down an struggle not to finish the press but keep my chest from being smashed. It scares a lot when you can't control the movement.
The mid-amplitude feels to me like the biggest problem. When I ask people in the gym to watch they all say I could do more.

 

[Al Ciampa]

What was the diagnosis, and then the corrective procedure?

In my experience, though pain was resolved through surgical intervention, shoulder function was permanently changed/limited. I am 4 years post op.

 

[Scott Mason]

The diagnosis was mid-deltoid rupture. It means my shoulder was literally torn in two parts. Under skin I mean, because I couldn't see that. It was swollen and red. At first, I thought it was fine, but after almost a week the pain started to get worse and I had to go to the hospital. After the operation, I was removed part of the middle deltoid. Doctors say that it is surprising that I decided to come back to the gym, and I understand that after such an injury I could not recover at all, but still ...

 

[offwidth]

Similarly to @Al Ciampa my shoulder surgery resolved pain, and restored some function and range of motion; but it has never been 'the same'

 

[Scott Mason]

Yeah, I am afraid I got the same situation. It looks fine (if you pretend you don't see a huge scar), feels ok (almost), I can even do my regular shoulders routine, but when it comes to bench press...
Still need to find a correct way to exercise considering my "new circumstances"...

 

[Al Ciampa]

Yeah, I am afraid I got the same situation. It looks fine (if you pretend you don't see a huge scar), feels ok (almost), I can even do my regular shoulders routine, but when it comes to bench press...
Still need to find a correct way to exercise considering my "new circumstances"...

That’s exactly correct. You have a new set of circumstances, and you simply can’t do what you can’t do. Bench pressing may be on that list.

Hit your rehab hard and don’t stop just because a clinician “cleared you”. You may make small but incrementally positive changes for years to come. Make use of what you can do... e.g., I can’t overhead press, but I can snatch, jerk, and get up all day. Use what tools do you have.

 

[Scott Mason]

Btw, guys, speaking about techniques.
I am thinking about trying bands or chains. I know that bands are used in fitness classes, I even once saw a girl squat with them. And guys from the gym said that I can try chains. I googled, that's what I found so far - Increase Your Bench Press | Bench Press With Chains
I think that if I have a problem with the mid-amplitude, then maybe it makes sense to try them out? Because still I can't give up bench press completely. What do you think?

 

[Shahaf Levin]

I think that if I have a problem with the mid-amplitude, then maybe it makes sense to try them out? Because still I can't give up bench press completely. What do you think?

I think it's a bad idea. Bands, chains and other accommodating resistance methods are for performance enhancing purposes. It is used to change the loading pattern to (usually) increase rate-of-force-development in intermediate and advanced lifters.

Following the thread so far I do not think that your bench press has a performance problem but a structural/mechanical/neurological/etc. alteration caused by your injury and surgery. If you want to try to increase your bench press you should, IMHO, to treat it as rehabilitation and patterning work.

You can actually do use band for it by hanging the plates on bands instead of directly on the bar like a Bandbell bar, use light weight.

As @Al Ciampa and @offwidth said, your shoulder is different than it was, explore your options and see what work best.

 

[Scott Mason]

So... lighter weights, small increase and hope for better, right?

 

[ShawnM]

You could try machines if you really want to press. You can easily adjust the bench to reduce the range of motion. If that's not an option very light floor presses work great as you reduce the range of motion as well.

 

[Steve Freides]

So... lighter weights, small increase and hope for better, right?

I'd work with a coach - too many things on which your own judgement could be suspect. If you're not sure, get yourself a couple of good spotters, test your _current_, _training_ max, and do an existing program based on that number.

-S-

 

[Carl in Dover]

My two cents.....

After a 2 year long break , I'd suggest starting over. I may be wrong but it sounds to me like your attempting to pick up where you left off before the surgeries.
I'd suggest going back to the basics ......start a LP program and slowly but surely work your way back to whatever your new max may be. There are plenty of Linear Progession programs out there, but the theme is the same. Work your way back, slowly and safely a little bit at a time. Don't jump in too deep-too quick and get reinjured.

Carl in Dover

 

[Scott Mason]

Ok, guys. I appreciate your opinions. And I hope my bench press will get back as soon as possible. Thanks!

 

[kiwipete]

So... lighter weights, small increase and hope for better, right?

Hi Scott,

Just to add a few points...

Hope is a poor strategy... perhaps it's prudent to check the reason for the injury in the first place (unless it was a car crash etc) and use that knowledge to help inform your rehab strategy moving forward.

When I get injured I like to reframe the circumstances so if I can't do 'Z' then I focus on something else I CAN do. (like ABCD>>>>>Z)

If the shoulder, arm, hand whatever is not quite ready YET then maybe this is a GOLDEN opportunity to find those not so strong areas and make them REALLY strong.

Mobility, stability, control etc

All the best moving forward!