Why Do I Only Feel Chest Exercises In The Front Of My Shoulders? 15 Things To Consider
When you work out, do you only feel the chest exercises in the front of your shoulders? If so, you’re not alone.
Many people only feel chest exercises in the front of their shoulders.
It leaves you to ask “why do I only feel chest exercises in the front of my shoulders?”
It can be frustrating when you’re working out and you don’t feel the muscles you’re trying to target.
There are a few possible reasons why you might be. What can you do about it?
In this post, we’ll explore those questions and give you some tips on how to fix the issue.
Why Do I only feel chest exercises in the front of my shoulders?
Only feeling chest exercises in the front of your shoulders can happen for many reasons. If you aren’t engaging your scapula properly, the front deltoids will have to work harder to stabilize the weight. This can lead to your front delts getting stronger than your pecs, and you will feel the exercise more in your shoulders than your chest. Another common reason is if your grip is too wide. A grip that is too wide puts your shoulder joints in a position where they aren’t able to generate as much power. This can cause you to feel the exercise more in your front delts than your pecs. Another reason you might only feel the exercise in your front delts is if you have muscle imbalances. If your front delts are stronger than your pecs, they will take over the exercise. This can lead to you feeling the exercise more in your shoulders than your chest. The bar path, where you are lowering the bar or if your overall form is poor, can also affect how you feel the exercise. If you lower the weight too far down, you will put your shoulder joints in a position where they are more likely to get injured. This can lead to you feeling the exercise more in your front delts than your pecs. Lastly, you might only feel the exercise in your front delts if you have rotator cuff issues or injuries. This can cause you to feel the exercise more in your shoulders than your chest.
Chest mechanics
When you perform a chest exercise, the muscles that are responsible for moving the weight are your pecs. The pecs are a large muscle group that covers the front of your chest.
The main function of the pecs is to bring your arm across your body. The secondary muscles that assist in this movement are your front deltoids and your triceps.
The front deltoids are the muscle group that covers the front of your shoulders. The main function of the front deltoids is to raise your arm in front of you. The secondary function of the front deltoids is to stabilize the weight.
The triceps are the muscle group that covers the back of your upper arm. The main function of the triceps is to extend your arm. The secondary function of the triceps is to stabilize the weight.
Poor form
When you are struggling with any exercise, you have to check your form. Improper form is one of the main reasons why you might only feel the exercise in your front delts. Remember to keep a few things in mind when you are performing any chest exercise.
Now, when you do any kind of chest exercise, it’s not as simple as lifting the weight, there are a few key points you have to remember and do at the same time to do the exercise effectively.
Let’s look at some of the reasons you might feel chest exercises in your shoulders, as opposed to your chest…
Scapula movement
One of the main reasons you might feel chest exercises in your shoulders is that you aren’t engaging your scapula properly. The scapula is the large bone that makes up your shoulder blade.
The scapula needs to be stabilised during any chest exercise. This is because if the scapula isn’t stabilised, the front deltoids will have to work harder to stabilise the weight. This can lead to your front delts getting stronger than your pecs, and you will feel the exercise more in your shoulders than your chest.
To properly engage your scapula, you need to retract and depress your shoulder blades. To do this, imagine that you are trying to squeeze a pencil between your shoulder blades.
Once you have retracted and depressed your shoulder blades, you need to hold them in this position throughout the entire exercise. This will ensure that your scapula is stabilised and you are more likely to feel the exercise in your chest, as opposed to your shoulders.
If you can effectively retract your scapula when doing bench press, it will feel like a completely different exercise to some.
Bar path
The bar path is the path that the barbell takes as you are performing the exercise. The bar path can have a big impact on how you feel the exercise.
If you lower the weight too far down your torso, you will put your shoulder joints in a position where they are more likely to get injured. This can lead to you feeling the exercise more in your front delts than your pecs.
Many people tend to naturally lower the bar just under their chin/collar bone, which is too high and will make your shoulders work harder to lift the weight back up.
To avoid this, you need to lower the weight down to your mid-chest (around the nipple area). This is the safest position for your shoulder joints and will allow you to feel the exercise more in your pecs.
Find the correct bar path that works for you around this area to see the best results and also take some much-needed pressure off your front delts.
Related: Why is my bench press so inconsistent?
Rounding shoulders
Rounding your shoulders is another common mistake people make when performing chest exercises. Rounding your shoulders puts your shoulder joints in a position where they can’t generate as much power.
This means you will have to rely on your front delts more to lift the weight, which can lead to you feeling the exercise more in your shoulders than your chest.
To avoid rounding your shoulders, you need to keep your back straight and engaged throughout the entire exercise, as well as pull your shoulders back too. This will ensure that your shoulder joints are in the correct position and you can generate more power from your chest muscles.
If you find it difficult to keep your back straight, you can try doing the exercise on an incline. This will help to take some of the pressure off your lower back and make it easier to keep your back straight.
Alternatively, you can try using a foam roller to release any tightness in your back muscles. This will help to make it easier to keep your back straight when performing chest exercises.
Arch lower back
A frequent error people make when working out is not arching their lower back during chest exercises, such as the bench press.
Not arching your lower back puts your shoulder joints in a position where they can’t generate as much power. This can lead to you feeling the exercise more in your shoulders than your chest, particularly when dealing with heavier loads.
To properly arch your lower back, you need to tilt your pelvis up and squeeze your glutes. This will help to take some of the pressure off your lower back and allow you to arch your back more easily.
Once you have arched your lower back, you need to hold this position throughout the entire exercise. This will help to keep your shoulder joints in the correct position and allow you to generate more power from your chest muscles.
Also, keep your feet firmly planted on the floor. This will help to stabilise your lower body and make it easier to arch your lower back.
Not tucking elbows
When doing any kind of bench press, make sure your elbows aren’t pointing outwards at a 90-degree angle. As this will make your shoulders take over the majority of the work. Instead, tuck your elbows in at a 45-degree angle.
Not only will this help to take some of the pressure off your shoulder joints, but it will also help to better target your chest muscles.
If you find it difficult to keep your elbows tucked in, you can try using a narrower grip. This will help to make it easier to keep your elbows tucked in and also allow you to better target your chest muscles.
You can also try using an incline bench press. This will help to take some of the pressure off your shoulder joints and make it easier to keep your elbows tucked in.
Alternatively, you can try using dumbbells instead of a barbell. This will also help to take some of the pressure off your shoulder joints and make it easier to keep your elbows tucked in.
Related: Should I Still Workout My Chest If It Is Sore? How To Make The Right Decision
Not engaging your lats
Your lats are a large muscle group that runs down the sides of your back. Engaging your lats is important when performing chest exercises, as they help to stabilise your shoulder joints.
If you find that you can’t feel your chest muscles working during exercises such as the bench press, it may be because you’re not engaging your lats.
To engage your lats, you need to keep your shoulders down and back. This will help to take some of the pressure off your shoulder joints and allow you to better target your chest muscles.
You can also try using a resistance band. This will help to engage your lats and also allow you to better target your chest muscles.
Grip width
When using a barbell for chest exercises, make sure that your grip isn’t too wide. A grip that is too wide prevents your shoulder joints from generating maximal power. This can lead to you feeling the exercise more in your shoulders than your chest.
To find the ideal grip width, you need to position your hands so that your forearms are perpendicular to the floor when your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
You can also try using a narrower grip. This will help to take some of the pressure off your shoulder joints and allow you to better target your chest muscles.
Alternatively, you can try using dumbbells instead of a barbell. This will also help to take some of the pressure off your shoulder joints and make it easier to keep your elbows tucked in.
If you find that you can’t keep your elbows tucked in, take the time to “de-load” and focus on perfecting your form. This will help to ensure that you are using the correct muscles and help to avoid any potential injuries.
Not using a full range of motion
When performing chest exercises, make sure that you’re using a full range of motion. This means that you should lower the weight all the way down to your chest and then press it back up until your arms are fully extended.
Partial reps won’t fully engage your chest muscles and can lead to you feeling the exercise more in your shoulders than your chest.
If you find that you can’t lower the weight all the way down to your chest, try using a lighter weight. This will help you to better control the weight and avoid any potential injuries.
Once you have perfected your form, you can then start to increase the weight.
If you aren’t able to use the full range of motion, it might be due to the fact you have tight muscles. In this case, you should focus on stretching and foam rolling to help improve your range of motion.
Always make sure you warm up before any kind of exercise to make sure your muscles are loose and to help avoid any injuries.
Muscle imbalance
This means that the muscles in the front of your shoulders are stronger than the muscles in the back of your shoulders.
This can lead to your shoulders becoming “rounded” and can cause pain in the upper back and neck.
To correct a muscle imbalance, you need to focus on exercises that target the muscles in the back of your shoulders. These include Bent-Over Lateral Raises, Reverse Flyes and Face Pulls.
In addition to these exercises, you should also focus on stretching the muscles in the front of your shoulders. This will help to improve your range of motion and help to correct muscle imbalance.
It’s also important to make sure that you’re using the correct weight. If you’re using too much weight, you won’t be able to properly engage the muscles in the back of your shoulders. This can lead to further imbalances.
If you find that you can’t properly engage the muscles in the back of your shoulders, try using a lighter weight. This will help you to better focus on the muscles you’re trying to target.
Related: Bench Press – Everything You Need To Know – All Your Questions Answered
Rotator cuff issues or injuries
If you find that you can only feel chest exercises in the front of your shoulders, it could also be due to a rotator cuff issue or injury.
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint. If these muscles and tendons are damaged, it can lead to pain and weakness in the shoulder.
If you think you might have a rotator cuff issue or injury, it’s important to see a doctor or physical therapist. They will be able to properly diagnose the problem and create a treatment plan.
Another reason could also be due to overuse of your shoulder muscles.
This is often seen in people who do a lot of overhead pressing or lifting. Over time, this can lead to the muscles and tendons in the shoulder becoming irritated and inflamed.
In some cases, surgery might be necessary to repair the damage. However, in most cases, rehabilitation exercises and physical therapy can help to improve the function of the rotator cuff and ease the pain.
Going too heavy
If you find that you can only feel chest exercises in the front of your shoulders, it could also be because you’re using too much weight.
When you use too much weight, your body isn’t able to properly control the weight. This can lead to your shoulders taking on most of the stress, which can cause pain.
If you find that you can only feel the exercise in your shoulders, try using a lighter weight. This will help you to better control the weight and focus on your chest muscles.
If you find you are rushing the movement, especially when trying to lift heavier weights, this can put unnecessary stress on your shoulders.
Make sure you are taking the time to properly control the weight and focus on the muscles you are trying to target. It also shows a lack of focus and concentration.
Change up routine and change the order of exercises
If you find that you can only feel chest exercises in the front of your shoulders, it might be because you’ve been doing the same routine for too long.
Your body adapts to exercise pretty quickly. So, if you’ve been doing the same exercises in the same order for a while, your body will have adapted to that routine.
To avoid this, it’s important to change your routine regularly. This doesn’t mean you need to completely change everything about your workout.
You should switch up the exercises you’re doing and the order in which you’re doing them. This will help to keep your body guessing and prevent it from adapting to your workout routine.
For example, if you typically start with bench press, try starting with dumbbell flyes instead. This will help to target your chest muscles from a different angle and help to avoid muscle imbalance.
Change it up a little and see how that goes.
Final thoughts…
If you find that you can only feel chest exercises in the front of your shoulders, there are a few things you can do to fix the problem.
First, make sure you’re using the correct weight. If you’re using too much weight, your body won’t be able to properly control it. This can lead to further imbalances and pain.
Second, change up your routine regularly. This will help to keep your body guessing and prevent it from adapting to your workout.
Finally, focus on the muscles you’re trying to target. If you find that you’re losing focus, take a break and reset. Make sure you have a clear mind before starting the exercise again.
If you follow these tips, you should start to feel the chest exercises in your chest and not just your shoulders.
Do you feel chest exercises in your shoulders? Let me know in the comments below.
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