Right shoulder pain on dips (my 5x5 tri exercise)

[Synpax]

Hi,

The last two times I did dips after about 2months off from lifting, my right shoulder was hurting from the upward pressure.

This is the same day I do 5x5 chest, and the shoulder doesn't hurt with any of my other excercises because none of them push it up like dips do.

Today I tried again and it didn't really hurt until the last set becacuse, until then, I think I was doing them at a kind of angle that didn't upset it. But I must have changed something on that last one that changed it.

AGain, this is just my right shoulder. Any suggestions on what I should do?

I really like weighted dips, and I am loath to pick another 5x5 exercise for my tris. CG are sort of out because I already did regular presses for my chest.

All thoughts welcome.

 

[psychedout]

Switch up with skullcrushers or rope pushdowns? Both of those are extremely shoulder friendly.

 

[Synpax]

I use them as my 2x10. I don't think they are good for the 5x5 exercises because it is difficult to do them with a lot of weight, like close-grip flat bench or weighted dips.

 

[from zero]

Close grip bench should be fine ...

 

[bigstve12]

i would use CG...your body's telling you it doesnt like something with those dips, so leave them alone for a while. Personally i love dips but havent done them in about a year, just to painful for me

 

[WalkingBeast]

Personally I would never use a 5X5 routine on arms. That rep range is way too low for me on the arms. Ill often hit 3-5 rep sets for arms through out my routine, but I go through all the rep ranges at some point in my routines. I always aim to keep the reps higher. Lower reps put alot of pressure on my joints due to the very heavy weights and dont fatigue me for long. I feel I can really tear the shit out of my arms with some 10-15 rep sets to complete failure. So those make up the bulk of my arm training. Id rather do 160 for 10 on preacher curls then 5 sets of 200 for 5, or something similiar. Though I always do some heavy sets. Id reccomend an exercise, but I cant think of anything for triceps that Id want to do in the 5 rep range. Lots of strain on the joints for me personally. Close grip bench is probabally the closest thing to dips. I love skull crushers on an incline also but I usually keep the reps above 10 for the most part.

 

[anthrax]

I also hurt my shoulders doing dips and bench dips

 

[bignate73]

lowest i go for arms is 6-8. I dont think you need a 5x5 all the time for arms, as beast said. put it this way, you get low volume high load work with shoulders, and chest on your presses. just my opinion

 

[coolcolj]

Are you doing any sort of rotary cuff and lower/mid trap work?

If not now is the time!

 

[Synpax]

Are you doing any sort of rotary cuff and lower/mid trap work?

If not now is the time!

I don't know if my exercises are covering that. What exercises/motions do?

 

[bignate73]

seated rows
"L" rotations
scapular pulldowns
askem windmills

 

[coolcolj]

basicly as he said

lots of seated pull rows for the lower/mid traps
L-Flyes, either lying down with elbows at the side or standing with elbows supported, which ever is pain free
etc

read article
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459577

 

[Spanky11]

its definately your rotator cuff thats causing you the problem.

I used to start all my upper body workout with some cuff work. I stopped about a year ago, and am still paying the price for it. you need good shoulders to do full movement on dips.

 

[Synpax]

seated rows
"L" rotations
scapular pulldowns
askem windmills

I know you are trying to help, but I never heard of some of those exercises and can't even find one of them in google - namely L rotations.

For the 99% of the rest of us who don't know all four, here is a link (I am guessing that everyone knows what a steated row is).

Askem Windmills: http://jva.ontariostrongman.ca/WINDMILLS.htm

Scapular pulldowns (with a band?): http://devweb3.vip.ohio-state.edu/Materials/PDFDocs/exer-reh/upper/ther-scap.pdf (it's in there)

 

[needsize]

I would say go with close grip as your 5x5 as well, but as for dips, if you use a narrow grip, and keep your elbows in close, it'll keep more stress off your shoulders

 

[bignate73]

I know you are trying to help, but I never heard of some of those exercises and can't even find one of them in google - namely L rotations.

 

[supreme]

The problem your having with your shoulder is more than likely that you are or have gone to deep and caused a stretching of the anterior joint capsule (often do to full ROM benching, dumbell benching below the pectoral line, dips beyond a 90 deg. elbow angle and leaning back during front lat pulldowns - upright rows & traditional lateral raises can also screw up the area too!)

First you need to have YOUR end range of motion determined for benching, for many the bar touching the chest is too deep and every rep done like that causes shoulder damage - When you lie on a bench or retract your scapula at the START of a pulldown you decrease motion of the scapula, disrupting scapula-humeral rhythm and placing increased stress on the glenohumeral joint, the excess ROM also stretches out the anterior capsule leading to anterior shoulder instability - so what you probably have done is overstretched the anterior capsule allowing the humerus to move around an irritate other tissues. When you do your full ROM dips you are literally shoving the humerus up into the acromion and irritating all the tissue in between - can lead to bursitits, tendonitis, R. cuff problems and impingement syndromes.

I would get it evaluated. I would also change my routine and add in rotator cuff strecthing & strengthing, scapular retraction & depression, lay off dips and eventually go back with a reduced ROM, stop flat benching - move to DB's on the floor and then a stability ball and then back to the bench. Make sure my pulldowns / pullups are 100% vertical and use an underhand or neutral grip, avoid upright rows and swtich lateral raises to the L-lateral raise and avoid the standing calf raise machine - the lever arms can cause compression injuries or aggrevate other problems in the shoulders.

To help with scapula movement and control and rehab - great series of vids by Ian King:

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http://www.kingsports.net/


Good LucK!

 

[Synpax]

"You must spread some Karma around before giving it to bignate73 again."

Thanks all.

 

[bignate73]

its the thought that counts bro, glad I could help.

 

[Parabellum]

Hi,

The last two times I did dips after about 2months off from lifting, my right shoulder was hurting from the upward pressure.

This is the same day I do 5x5 chest, and the shoulder doesn't hurt with any of my other excercises because none of them push it up like dips do.

Today I tried again and it didn't really hurt until the last set becacuse, until then, I think I was doing them at a kind of angle that didn't upset it. But I must have changed something on that last one that changed it.

AGain, this is just my right shoulder. Any suggestions on what I should do?

I really like weighted dips, and I am loath to pick another 5x5 exercise for my tris. CG are sort of out because I already did regular presses for my chest.

All thoughts welcome.

Stop doing dips.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dorian1.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/likness22.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/luis4.htm

 

[gjohnson5]

Sounds like you've separated your shoulder before...
Stop doing dips

 

[InTraining]

I eliminated dips because of the sternal pain they caused me after 1-2 sessions of doing them...

The result: no more sternal pain

Personally I think some of us aren't "designed" for dips

 

[Synpax]

I would say go with close grip as your 5x5 as well, but as for dips, if you use a narrow grip, and keep your elbows in close, it'll keep more stress off your shoulders

You, sir, are brilliant.

See, I had done dips before with no problem with a lot of weight on my belt. Since I took two months off to be beaten up for one month and then live like a slob for another, I decided to ease back into it and started off with zero weight.

EAch session I tried dips (4 in all), the pain would be less and less. I added a mere 10 lbs to the weight belt last time and didn't really feel any shoulder pain until the last set.

However, this time, I remembered the words of the wise needsize and kept the elbows in close. No pain, no problems, great tri workout.

I will get some bands and start doing some rotator cuff work either at wake or in the morning, and I will start my dip work with a few at -50 on the gravitron, but my real problem was that when I returned to doing dips, I wasn't using proper form, and now I am, thanks to Mr. Needsize.