Post Bench Press Pain? Try Sandbag Floor Presses Instead
Video by Kirsten Ahrendt
We love this bench press modification for so many reasons! The benefits of training with odd-shaped objects is one – subbing in a sandbag for various movements is a fun little cycle to go on and one that you’ll definitely see benefits for doing. But the main reason we are talking about this today is to eliminate your pain in the shoulders from bench pressing.
If you are an athlete who experiences pain in the shoulder(s) after a bench press session, there’s a sandbag modification is for you! Today we are talking specifically about modifying a barbell bench press into a sandbag floor press movement.
Here’s why we recommend it. By squeezing in on the sandbag throughout the movement, you fully engage the pecs and put your shoulders in your strongest pressing position. Since you are laying on the floor, your range of motion is shortened by a couple of inches when your arms touch down, so less stress is put on the shoulder and you usually stop short of where anterior rounding begins. Now you can focus on staying engaged throughout the entire movement!
In this video, Coach Kirsten will explain the sandbag floor press to you, talk about it’s benefits, then show you how to get into position (there’s a trick) and properly perform the movement.
Give it a try and let us know what you think!