# Best way to warm up your shoulders before a heavy bench press set?



## Robbie789

My shoulder has always hurt on bench since I strained it when I was a newbie doing dumbbell bench far to heavy.

I'm doing 5x5 atm and am only up to 55kgs on bench, but when I finished my set yesterday I felt a pain in my shoulder for a while (it's fine today), so I know when I start going heavy again, sh!t is going to snap..

So what's the best way to warm my shoulder up before a set?


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## Mingster

I do something similar to this before every chest workout...


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## Robbie789

I've been doing rotary cuff exercises at home recently to try and help my shoulder, but I'll start doing them before bench now as well.

Cheers mate :thumb:


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## dtlv

Rotator cuff warm-ups are very smart, worth doing.

For general warm ups if using a heavy weight for working sets do a progressive warm up with 2-3 lighter sets.


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## zack amin

^^^ i find to much flat bench aggrovates rotator cudd injuries, use 2-3 warm up sets and cuff warm ups help alot


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## Proteen Paul

robdobbie said:


> My shoulder has always hurt on bench since I strained it when I was a newbie doing dumbbell bench far to heavy.
> 
> I'm doing 5x5 atm and am only up to 55kgs on bench, but when I finished my set yesterday I felt a pain in my shoulder for a while (it's fine today), so I know when I start going heavy again, sh!t is going to snap..
> 
> So what's the best way to warm my shoulder up before a set?


All of the posts above.

When mine was bad i did my rotor cuff routine before EVERY workout....inc legs!.... Why?

It's not just a warm up but specifically strengthening a weak spot.

After a couple of months i cut it back and used it for a warm up for chest and shoulder routines.

Much better now, and little bit wiser for it.


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## MRSTRONG

I do face pulls .


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## braven

I only recently started doing rotator cuff exercises on push days and I warm up with push ups too.

Try and focus on your chest and take your shoulders out of it when benching.

Also don't go too deep, bench to parallel as all your doing going below is straining your shoulders


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## Robbie789

braven said:


> I only recently started doing rotator cuff exercises on push days and I warm up with push ups too.
> 
> Try and focus on your chest and take your shoulders out of it when benching.
> 
> *Also don't go too deep, bench to parallel as all your doing going below is straining your shoulders*


This is another thing that helped towards injuring my shoulder, I'm 6'1 so my arms are quite long, and when I started I thought if you didn't go to your chest it didn't count lol

I've also found that using the correct grip position (hands just wider than shoulders) helps a lot to, having a really wide grip just puts more strain on the shoulders.


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## Ste7n

braven said:


> I only recently started doing rotator cuff exercises on push days and I warm up with push ups too.
> 
> Try and focus on your chest and take your shoulders out of it when benching.
> 
> Also don't go too deep, bench to parallel as all your doing going below is straining your shoulders


Is that not only with dumbbells? Most guides have you barbell benching an inch above the chest...


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## viewtothegym

You can use anything similar, i.e. two scaffold poles cut down to around 24"


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## superdrol

zack amin said:


> ^^^ i find to much flat bench aggrovates rotator cudd injuries, use 2-3 warm up sets and cuff warm ups help alot


 Do you prefer decline bench?? What would you hit chest with given a rack, bench (does incline/decline), barbells and dumbells alone??


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## Jakemaguire

Maybe you have bad bench form? You should post a video. But for your shoulder in terms of warming them up i find rotator cuff work with a theraband mines a green band but you may need a heavier or lighter one but I believe bands to be superior to the little plates every one uses as you get a constant resistance, I do mainly external rotation until I feel everything pumping up and firing well. Another thing to consider is your lats tight lats will give your shoulders a lot of grief so get them rolled out at the armpit right where they tie into your delt i use a pvc pipe foam is too soft. But as I say you may just have shitty bench form


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## Jakemaguire

Also tight bicep tendons can be a issue


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## Ultrasonic

superdrol said:


> Do you prefer decline bench?? What would you hit chest with given a rack, bench (does incline/decline), barbells and dumbells alone??


 You've quoting someone who hasn't logged in for 3 years - I'm betting you may be waiting a while for a reply  .

Decline dumbbell presses are great though  .


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## superdrol

Bugger, I forgot I was searching for stuff lol, I'll try em bud ta! 



Ultrasonic said:


> You've quoting someone who hasn't logged in for 3 years - I'm betting you may be waiting a while for a reply  .
> 
> Decline dumbbell presses are great though  .


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## G

I have suffered for ages. I find using bands and light weights for a warm up helps an amazing amount. Seriously a handled band for rotator cuff and rear delta flies just gives so much benefit so little investment.

Then make sure you also focus on things like Face pulls Heavy rear delt work and stretching your pecs and you will be good unless it's an actual structural issue.


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## 75013

I do this, makes you look a bit funny though but its worked for me.






As someone else said, some of us have long arms and what powerlifters might call poor leverages. For just building muscle there's little advantage in letting your elbows go past your ribcage. If you do have long limbs it can easily put your glenohumeral joint into an anterior glide which really irritates the anterior capsule, labrum and LHBT and may eventually lead to anterior instability. Another thing is to stay away from barbells and smiths machines and even flat bench. I personally could never feel flat bench in my pecs that well. 30 degree decline DB press is best for me and 60 decree incline.


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## Jordan08

Mingster said:


> I do something similar to this before every chest workout...


 This gets my vote too. Has really helped me a lot.

In addition, 1-2 sets of light weight with 20odd reps before starting the actual work.


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## Pancake'

Resistance bands exercises e.g band pull a parts/shoulder dislocations and a few warm up sets of paused light benching sets.


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## Quackerz

I do this and external dumbbell rotations, works well.


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## Prince Adam

Chances are the OP would have figured it out by now!


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## Lifesizepenguin

Prince Adam said:


> Chances are the OP would have figured it out by now!


 Or is dead


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