Why Does My Shoulder Hurt When Bench Pressing?
Shoulder pain when bench pressing is a common complaint we see in people who regularly
train in the gym.
You lower the bar towards your chest and feel a pinch, ache or discomfort around the front or side of the shoulder. For some people, it only occurs when the weight gets heavier. For others, even relatively light bench pressing starts to become uncomfortable.
The immediate reaction is often:
“Should I stop bench pressing?”
Not necessarily.
Sometimes the exercise itself isn't the problem. Instead, we need to look at how you are bench pressing, how much load your shoulder is being exposed to, and whether your shoulder currently has the capacity to tolerate that load.
Why Does My Shoulder Hurt When Bench Pressing?
There isn't one single cause of shoulder pain during the bench press.
Your symptoms can potentially be influenced by:
Your bench press technique
Shoulder blade position
Grip width
Elbow and shoulder position
Training volume and intensity
A sudden increase in load
Shoulder strength and capacity
Previous shoulder injuries
Fatigue
How frequently you are pressing
This is why simply being told to stop bench pressing doesn't necessarily address the underlying problem.
A good starting point is to look at whether changing the way you perform the exercise changes your symptoms.
Your Shoulder Blade Position Matters
One of the first things we often look at when someone experiences shoulder pain during a bench press is the position of their shoulder blades.
Your shoulder isn't working in isolation.
The shoulder blade — or scapula — provides an important base for the shoulder joint and the muscles surrounding it.
During a bench press, creating an appropriate stable position through the shoulder blades can alter how forces are distributed through the shoulder.
Recent biomechanical research has specifically investigated this.
A 2024 study examined experienced strength athletes performing multiple variations of the bench press. The researchers changed grip width, shoulder position and scapular position and measured the resulting forces around the shoulder.
They found that retracting the shoulder blades altered shoulder joint loading, including reductions in some glenohumeral and acromioclavicular joint forces. Grip width also influenced the forces being placed through the shoulder.
The important message isn't that there is one perfect bench press position for everybody.
It is that technique can meaningfully change the forces your shoulder experiences during the exercise.
Try Creating a More Stable Base
If your shoulders tend to roll forwards as you lower the bar, one modification may be to gently draw your shoulder blades back and create a more stable base against the bench.
Think about positioning the shoulder blades before you unrack the bar rather than trying to correct them halfway through the repetition.
Then perform the movement with a manageable weight and see how your shoulder responds.
For some people, this relatively simple change can make the exercise feel significantly more comfortable.
However, if changing your shoulder blade position doesn't improve your symptoms, we need to look further.
What About Your Grip Width?
Grip width is another variable worth considering.
Very wide grip positions can change the amount and direction of force being placed through the shoulder.
The same 2024 biomechanical study found that narrower and medium grip positions below approximately 1.5 times bi-acromial shoulder width reduced some components of shoulder joint loading compared with wider positions.
This doesn't mean everyone with shoulder pain should immediately use a narrow grip.
It does tell us that changing grip width changes shoulder biomechanics.
If your current grip consistently produces pain, trialling a modest change in grip position may be worthwhile.
Training Load Is Just as Important as Technique
Technique isn't the only consideration.
Imagine you've comfortably been bench pressing 60 kg for several months.
Your training then changes and suddenly you're:
Benching three times per week instead of once
Increasing the weight significantly
Adding additional chest exercises
Training regularly to failure
Increasing your total number of sets
Your technique may not have dramatically changed, but the total demand being placed on your shoulder has.
Pain can sometimes occur when the load being placed on a tissue exceeds what it currently has the capacity to tolerate.
This is why rehabilitation shouldn't always mean complete rest.
Instead, we may modify the training stimulus while maintaining as much useful exercise as possible.
That could involve temporarily changing your weight, repetitions, sets, range of movement, frequency or exercise variation.
Should You Keep Bench Pressing If Your Shoulder Hurts?
This depends on the individual.
Mild discomfort that settles quickly and doesn't worsen may sometimes be managed by modifying the exercise.
Increasing or persistent pain is different.
You should be more cautious if your shoulder pain:
Is progressively getting worse
Continues well after training
Is affecting everyday activities
Is associated with significant weakness
Started following a traumatic injury
Is affecting your sleep
Continues despite modifying your training
In these situations, an appropriate assessment can help determine what's contributing to the problem.
Strength Still Matters
Once we have identified positions and loads your shoulder can tolerate, the longer-term goal is generally to build capacity rather than continually avoid load.
Depending on the individual, rehabilitation may involve strengthening the rotator cuff, shoulder blade muscles and larger upper-body muscle groups.
The exact exercises aren't the same for everybody.
Someone who has recently increased their bench press from 60 kg to 100 kg may require a very different program from someone returning to the gym following a previous shoulder injury.
This is where an individualised strength and conditioning approach becomes important.
Don't Just Stop the Exercise — Work Out Why It Hurts
If your shoulder hurts when you bench press, completely removing bench pressing may settle your symptoms.
But it doesn't necessarily tell you why the exercise became painful in the first place.
Sometimes we can modify the movement.
Sometimes we need to modify training load.
Sometimes we need to improve strength and capacity.
And sometimes there is an underlying shoulder condition that requires further assessment.
The aim should be to understand the contributing factors and then gradually build your shoulder's ability to tolerate the activities you want to perform.
Shoulder Pain Physiotherapy in North Adelaide
At Body Fit Physiotherapy in North Adelaide, we work with people experiencing shoulder pain during gym training, sport and everyday activities.
Our approach isn't simply to tell you to stop doing the exercise that hurts.
We look at your shoulder movement, strength, training history and the specific exercise causing your symptoms. From there, we can modify your training where appropriate and develop an individualised rehabilitation and strength program.
If shoulder pain is stopping you from bench pressing or training the way you want to, we're happy to help.
Body Fit Physiotherapy North Adelaide, South www.bodyfit.life
References
Noteboom LN, Belli I, Hoozemans MJM, Seth A, Veeger HEJ, Van Der Helm FCT. Effects of bench press technique variations on musculoskeletal shoulder loads and potential injury risk. Frontiers in Physiology. 2024;15:1393235.
Motlagh JG, Lipps DB. The Contribution of Muscular Fatigue and Shoulder Biomechanics to Shoulder Injury Incidence During the Bench Press Exercise: A Narrative Review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2024;38(12):2147–2163.
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