Strength training exercises that target chest muscles often involve reaching arms overhead to perform these moves; this may put strain on your shoulder tendons – known as the rotator cuff – which could result in pinching or straining them.
By including shoulder-friendly chest exercises in your daily workout regimen, it is possible to continue strengthening your chest muscles without discomfort or irritation.
Cable Flys
The cable fly is an effective isolation exercise designed to both strengthen and grow pectoral muscles. Furthermore, it helps improve overall shoulder stability which makes this an excellent exercise choice for people recovering from shoulder injuries or who cannot perform higher intensity multi-joint movements. Furthermore, standing versions of this exercise also work core muscles, improving posture while developing core strength.
This movement involves holding two pulley handles with neutral grips in each hand, taking one step forward to place your feet into staggered stance position with elbow height handles slightly abducted. Bend your elbows slightly as you push both handles together in front of you creating a cross, before gradually returning them to their starting positions at elbow height for repeated repetitions. By moving arms in circular movements rather than up and down movements or out and back movements you reduce shoulder and arm involvement and can achieve optimal results more quickly.
Adjust the angle at which the cables are adducted to customize your movement, with low to high settings focusing more on the upper or clavicular head of the pectoralis major and an upward motion targeting more on its lower or sternal head. Add a crossover at the end of your range for further stimulation of chest.
Common errors when performing this movement include using hips and shoulders to generate momentum, leading to too much stress on shoulders and rotator cuffs. Instead, keep control of the movement, focusing on feeling in your chest rather than any burn in shoulders or arms. You may increase its difficulty by increasing weights, reps or time under tension at an appropriate pace for your training level.
Narrow Grip Bench Press
An exercise variation that uses a narrow grip puts more of the emphasis on the triceps muscles than traditional pressing exercises. This exercise can help build the size and strength of your upper arms. This move is especially effective for athletes with shoulder issues who cannot perform traditional bench presses without experiencing discomfort. Simply lie on a flat bench with feet in either provided stirrups or flat on the floor for this workout. Lift the barbell from its rack using a narrow grip and place it directly over your chest. Lower it slowly while keeping elbows close to body to maximize triceps stimulation. Pause once reaching chest level to squeeze triceps before pushing upwards again.
Conventional bench press movements require you to lower the bar to your lower chest, which places unnecessary mechanical stress on your elbows and wrists. Instead, keeping your elbows close to your torso eliminates this issue and allows your triceps alone to generate upward force during bench pressing movements. A tighter grip also prevents you from trying to bench press with biceps instead of triceps which could result in injuries over time.
According to research published in Strength and Conditioning Journal, this particular grip width also offers additional benefits in terms of reduced shoulder strain. With reduced shoulder abduction during closed position bench pressing, this technique may prove particularly helpful for individuals experiencing prior shoulder discomfort or recovering from injury.
Be mindful that while this exercise is ideal for targeting chest and triceps, other pressing exercises, such as incline and decline presses, should still be included to work the pectorals as well. Furthermore, make sure you choose an appropriate weight load so as to decrease injury risk while increasing strength gains – consulting a certified trainer or physical therapist can assist in helping determine how much weight is appropriate based on your level of fitness.
Wall Push-Ups
Wall push-ups offer an effective variation on traditional push ups, targeting chest, shoulders and core muscles with less strain on shoulders and joints than standard push-ups do. Wall push-ups may be especially beneficial to people experiencing shoulder issues or injuries that make traditional push ups difficult; wall push ups provide an alternative that’s gentler on these parts. Wall push ups should only be attempted once comfortable performing standard push ups.
For an effective wall push-up, stand approximately an arms length away from a wall and position your hands with palms facing each other (slightly wider than shoulder width apart) with fingers pointed upward. Move your body slowly down toward the wall until both nose and chin touch the surface before straightening out your arms back to their starting positions and returning back up again.
This exercise works your pectoralis major – which is the primary muscle of your chest – as well as your triceps, which are located on the back of your upper arm. Furthermore, this strengthens latissimus dorsi muscles found in shoulders which facilitate scapular rotation as well as strengthening core muscles that help support and stabilize spine health.
When done correctly, this exercise offers many advantages, such as improved posture and reduced shoulder pain from impingement or other problems, increased shoulder stability, increased range of motion and decreasing repetitive upper body tasks such as scrubbing or painting more easily. Furthermore, it may help alleviate neck and upper back pain by decreasing pronation (where the shoulder blades pull down toward back) while increasing elevation (when they move forward).
Wall push-ups are a good option for people who are unable to or prefer not to do traditional floor push-ups, and provide an accessible beginning point before progressing to other surfaces such as counter ledges or the ground.
Try incline push-ups for an even greater challenge: standing with feet hip-width apart and hands slightly further than arm’s length from a wall, placing hands slightly farther than an arm’s length away, with feet placed parallel to floor or above body height on a decline position. Walk up wall until feet reach point that’s parallel with floor/above body height (a decline).
Doorway Push-Ups
With so many gyms closing nationwide, many people are searching for effective home chest exercises that can still strengthen multiple muscles simultaneously. Pushups and their variants pose no significant risk to rotator cuff integrity if proper form is maintained.
Standard pushups involve placing your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor and bending your elbows until your chest is parallel with or slightly below your bent elbows, then pushing through your palms to straighten arms back up and return them to their starting positions. Repeat.
As you perform each repetition, be sure to breathe deeply through your nose – this will ensure oxygen reaches your muscles while also acting as a metronome for your exercise session. If possible, aim to complete an equal number of repetitions for every set.
Once you can perform several dozen pushups without experiencing discomfort, the next step should be increasing their difficulty. You can do this by adding weight or altering the movement; for instance, crossing over both feet with each pushup, stacking them stacked upon one another, or placing your weight on a bench as resistance increases challenge of this exercise.
Another variation on the traditional pushup involves spreading out your hands further apart, rather than placing them directly on the floor. Instead, place them on a door frame approximately six to 12 inches apart (the further apart, the harder).
When performing doorway pushups, take your time and concentrate on maintaining good form with each movement. If you wish to add more reps, go ahead, but be mindful that rushing them could compromise their integrity – for instance cheating into lower position by pushing their head too far forward may increase stress on neck muscles over time leading to injury.
