4 Easy Ways to Modify Bench Press and Overhead Press in Athletes With Shoulder Pain

By djpope

February 17, 2019

Bench Press, biceps, bursitis, coach, Crossfit, injury, modification, modify, modifying, olympic weightlifting, overhead press, pain, personal trainer, rotator cuff, Shoulder, tendonitis

I’ve been dealing with shoulder pain off and on since I was 17 years old.  It all started when I fell head first with my arms overhead after a failed pole-vault attempt.  That ended in a torn labrum.  I’ve also injured the other side and the same side several more times over the past several years (labrum, impingement, AC joint issues, god knows what else I haven’t had an MRI in a long time).

Luckily I’ve been able to rehabilitate both shoulders every time and keep working towards my training goals (I’m currently hitting PRs on bench press).  On top of that, I treat a ton of shoulders.  It’s competing up there with lower back pain for the title of most hurt joint.  Shoulder injuries are very common in recreational weight training, powerlifting, olympic weightlifting, bodybuilding and CrossFit (TM).  If your shoulders aren’t hurting on a regular basis you probably aren’t training hard enough (kidding).

That being said, I’ve gleaned a ton of knowledge over the course of time on how to work with painful shoulders.  As a coach I’m sure you’ll be working with a few athletes over the course of time with a nagging shoulder injury.

Just like with any other injury it’s important to know some good modifications you can try so that you can keep your athletes driving towards their goals when they’ve got painful shoulders.  What’s interesting about shoulder pain in the fitness realm is that pressing exercises are usually more of a problem then pulling.  Dumbbell rows are usually pain free but movements like bench press or overhead press can be very painful.  So what can we do when we are working with these athletes that have pain during pressing exercises?

4 Easy Ways to Modify Bench Press and Overhead Press in Athletes With Shoulder Pain

If you enjoyed this short clip then I wanted to let you know it’s part of a much longer webinar series included with subscription into my Fitness Pain Free Insiders Online Mentoring Program:

“Essential Coaches Series – What Every Coach Needs to Know About Pain and Injury”

I created this series because coaches and personal trainers everywhere are working with athletes in pain every day of the week.  This series will tell you exactly what to do (and what not to do) with these athletes so they can continue working towards their goals and prevent injuries in the long haul.

  • 7 Reasons Why Athletes Get Hurt in the Gym and What to do About It
  • Evidence Based Guide to Mobility Prescription
  • What is Pain and What You Need to Know When Dealing with Athletes in Pain
  • How to Modify Exercises for Athletes with Knee, Lower Back, Shoulder and Hip Pain
  • Plus 30+ hours of webinars about all things fitness and rehabilitation

Click HERE to Learn More About Fitness Pain Free Online Mentoring Program

Who needs a labrum anyway?

Dan Pope DPT, OCS, CSCS, CF L1