clavicle and bench press

DANZIG · 05-03-2004, 05:32 PM

I was recently reading where the clavicle length and attachment has a lot to do with the amount of resistance you can overcome during the bench press exercise. My question is if you have seperated your AC joint and allowed it to heal on its own can this somehow blunt or interfere with strenth gains in the bench press? My left clavicle is higher than my right clavicle due to the ac seperation.

bryanc · 05-03-2004, 06:30 PM

I'm not sure I understand the question. How does clavicle length affect bench press load? (according to what you read, at any rate)

10iscoach · 05-04-2004, 01:20 PM

Yes, it can Danzig. the clavicle is a strut bone meaning all the force is driven toward the middle or in this case toward the middle/upper portion of the chest. If the bone did not heal correctly you could lose a significant amount of strength. I have seen professional tennis players who have had to retire because of this injury and the effect it had on their serve and strokes.

bryanc · 05-04-2004, 02:37 PM

I am confused. All the force is driven to the middle of the _chest_ (i.e. the sternum) or the middle of the pectoral muscle (i.e. halfway between the sternum and the insertion of the pec on the humerus)? And either way, how is it driven there?

I DO know that people (and active, bench pressing people at that) can undergo a procedure whereby a portion of the distal clavicle is removed (i.e. the clavicle no longer articulates with the acromion) and those that bench pressed before the procedure, don't seem to have large losses of strength after the procedure unless it's pain limited. Mind you, that's all ancedotal from the football players' trainer.

I suspect that those tennis players who had to quit because of an AC separation would have had to do so because of either a painful range of motion or a reduction in range of motion, rather than actual strength loss.