Getting heavier DB's in place

K

kaos

New Member
Basically I'm having slight issues getting the DB from my thighs up to start doing my incline. I haven't tested it on a flat bench, but I don't think it would be as hard.

What happens is the first rep always bothers my left shoulder, but every rep after that is fine until the next set.

Here's what I do. I put the DB's near my knees and not my thighs. I then kick up and as I'm lying down I press the weight up all at the same time in one motion. So by the time I'm on my back on the bench, the weight is up. The other way I've tried is just getting the DB's up to my chest first and then doing my first rep, but that leaves the DB's to low and bother my shoulder as well on the first rep.

Any suggestions on fine tuning this aspect. I've heard about those power hooks thing here, but I would rather not have to buy those and haul them around at the gym.
 
Kaos

The hooks might be the best solution, you don't haul them around, they fit onto the DB's and then you can hang them from a BB.

To your second question, no...you should first get into a almost foetal position so that it is easier to kick up the d/b's, make sense, keep your knees up onto the bench or something then once the bells are up you lay down.

Better yet, if I were you I'd change to BB as those are all recipes for disaster, the chances of getting hurt are higher.

Other option, do the bench on a machine, safest yet if you're alone.
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<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">foetal position</div>

Yes, squat the DB's up.

Also, if the DB's are getting that heavy, you could stick with the barbell version of the exercise. I have switched most of my exercises over to barbell because it is a lot more convenient -- you can rack the weight. The biggest plus side of using DB's is the use of stabilizer muscles though.
 
Thanks for the tips. Personally I would rather use a BB as well, but I don't quite know all the exercises that bother my shoulder. I'm still slowly experimenting I know that BB flat bench bothers my shoulders. I haven't actually spent time doing DB flat bench to see if that bothers my shoulders.

The incline DB has not bothered me at all and I'm getting closer to my BB flat bench weights. Which is still not heavy, but for me it is.
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Thus my reluctance to use the BB incline. I hate to mess with something that seems to be working and causing me no pain.
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But during my last set of DB's I couldn't get the weight up. So I went to the BB incline and I managed to go up 5 pounds on weight and do my reps. I guess at this point, I should try inclining with the BB and see if that causes me issues. If it doesn't then I'm golden.
 
At some point you have to go to the bar, but I like DBs too and have been using PowerHooks, as suggested by Fausto. I screwed up my shoulder for a short time last year trying to clear heavy DBs before getting some of the hooks.
 
Steve sent me his hooks and I thought they stunk. I went back to kicking them up.
If your shoulder is bothering you in the first (hardest?) rep, it could be the angle of attack and shoulder problems arising. You could try lowering or raising the bench angle and see if that helps. Also, check out your shoulders, study up on them and related problems before you wind up with them. A little maintenance would have gone a long way for some of us.
 
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