Bench pressing/bodybuilding
Bench press trains not only the large and small pectoral muscle (Mm. pectoralis major & minor) but also the triceps (M. triceps brachii) and the deltoid muscle. Bodybuilding is particularly prone to injuries, as it often involves training with weights in the maximum range.
It is true that injuries can be prevented by warming up the muscles, correct execution of the training and possible support from partners – especially useful when bench pressing. However, especially the back and shoulder are a source of pain when injuries occur. This is due to the fact that the deltoid muscle with its “pars spinalis”, i.e. its rear part facing the spine, originates from the rear shoulder on the one hand.
On the other hand, the triceps with one of its three heads also originates at the shoulder blade. The origin of a muscle is the sinewy or fleshy connection between the muscle and the corresponding bone. The bone serves as the foundation for the muscle, which is figuratively speaking the winch.
So why does overstrain or injury cause pain right here? On the one hand, in bodybuilding the high weight can lead to tension in the muscles, which inevitably leads back to the muscle origin. Furthermore, you need M. Triceps brachii for numerous movements that you would not associate with bodybuilding at first: A typical movement that uses the back part of the deltoid muscle is the “Getting the yellow pouch out of your pocket”.
The M. Triceps Brachii is also used not only for bench press but also to put the arm against the body – both movements that are performed several times a day and each time irritate the points of origin at the back shoulder anew. We all know the feeling after a very strenuous training, when literally every muscle hurts us and you have a strong sore muscle. A sore muscle is nothing more than the smallest tear in the muscle fibers.
Within days, these fibers reconnect, regenerate and the muscle grows. However, if you exert too much strain, for example when doing bench press or bodybuilding in general, larger tears will occur, up to the well-known muscle fiber tear. This can also occur at the origin of the muscle at the muscle-bone connection and causes severe pain in the rear shoulder area.
In individual cases it can even lead to a muscle tear. Another area at risk in this respect is the origin of the short biceps head at the front shoulder blade.
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