Too Much Benching!

Q: I have been lifting for a few years now, but I mostly stick with bench presses. My coach says I am getting too tight in my shoulders to play football any more.

A: What your coach has noticed is that all of your benching has led to the overdevelopment of your internal rotator muscles.

Bench Pressing

When this happens, your shoulders 'roll' forward and you look like a hunched over caveman. (This same rounded forward look is common with people who work at a computer all day)

Do You Have A Caveman Back?

The problem is that the weaker muscles of your back get stretched out and are made even weaker.

You can fix this though balancing out your training. Pushing strength is important in football, but your training is too much focused on this one thing.

For starters, even out your training with plenty of rowing exercises. Some examples are cable rows, bodyweight rows, and dumbbell rows.

Bodyweight Row

And if you're looking to become a great athlete, start training your lower body with squats, deadlifts, and lunges.

Start training right and not only will your performance improve, your shoulders will thank you for it someday.