Bench Press

[lucky]

Which puts more stress on your rotator cuff - flat bench or incline?

[solidj55]

In my opinion if you bench like a bodybuilder, as apposed to a powerlifter, then more stress is put on the rotator when benching, but if you bench like a powerlifter then I would have to say inclines. So I guess I mean its all in the form.

[The French Curler]

solid's right, bodybuilders have more chest injuries than powerlifters. The reason is because bodybuilders like to go to failure while powerlifters keep their reps superlow. Specifically, performing incline presses has more of a chance of injury if a) you use a barbell b) it is a really high incline. Just remember to set the bench at a medium incline and use dumbbells (barbells restrict your range of motion and also have an unnatural motion).

OH yeah, when you do an incline, you start to use more of your shoulder rather than your chest (the higher the incline, the more stress on your shoulders), so of course that alone is a higher risk of a rotator cuff injury.

[Jimmy_Bravo]

When I do Inclines, I like to stop about 4 inches from my chest. The further down you go, the more your delts get invloved. I had some difficulties awhile ago with my right shoulder on the flat bench. It was a combination of poor form, and too much weight. Anyway's to answer your question, I would say that inclines would put more stress on your rotator cuffs. The more of an incline you lift from ( from flat, all degrees of incline, to over your head. ) the more you invlove your shoulders. This being said, inclines involve your shoulders more, so they would also involve your rotator cuffs more.

[$uperman]

i actuall feel more pressure on my rotator when i do flat bench.... i dunno , i dont think im doing anything wrong

[D3m3nt3d]

pain wise...incline bar hurts my shoulders worse, but as far as next day muscle soreness, flat bench kills my shoulders there because i go down so far my delts get highly involved =\