Can't do push ups, but I can bench press

[Groundshaker]

So I can't do push ups (or dips) because I broke my left arm when I was a kid.
I wen't to the doctor and he told me that only thing he can recommend is to operate, but it's pretty expensive and if i did that I wouldn't be able to train for more than 6 months.

The weird thing is that I can bench press with absolutely 0 discomfort in my elbow.
I can bench press my own bodyweight (80 kg) 3 times. It's not that much, but it's better than nothing.

So my main question is: Is it ok to replace push ups with bench press? If not what other substitute excercises would you recommend to me?

I know that if I do that I will never be able to advance to some harder variations like press handstand, but will I still get some carryover on other excercises?

[Cole Dano]

If an operation will restore normal movement to the elbow, then the 6 month layover is worth it.

[Groundshaker]

If an operation will restore normal movement to the elbow, then the 6 month layover is worth it.

 

I wen't to the doctor and he told me that only thing he can recommend is to operate, but it's pretty expensive and if i did that I wouldn't be able to train for more than 6 months.

It's too expensive for me and the risk/value ratio doesn't sound too good to me.

This isn't an easy operation. If the doctor screws it up and accidentally damages the nerve in my elbow, it can lead to me being unable to move my arm completely.

I honestly don't want to take that chance.

[Blairbob]

 Can you hold a straight arm plank position? On feet, on knees?

Do you need to use parallettes to hold said position? So is the wrist the problem?

Do you have less than 180 degrees in your elbow when it's unloaded. Like 150 degrees so there is an angle in the elbow?

I mean, let's be honest, you can probably do a wall pushup. Perhaps you can't do full ROM but can you hit a 90 degree angle in the shoulder and elbow?

 

Do you full ROM in the bench press?

Can you support yourself in that yoga dog position or bear walk position?

[GoldenEagle]

For more information on the elbow issue the original poster has.

 

Previous thread: Elbow pain gone after doing Handstands

[Cole Dano]

My daughter had to make a similar decision after a horseback riding accident. Your first post didn't mention risk, which is a totally different consideration than time or money.

 

Blair is asking the right questions, with the little bit of information you've given there is just no way to assess why you can bench and not do push ups. On the surface there is no logical reason for this.

 

edit: Thanks Rayne - that puts this in much better perspective.

 

I have a student with a similar issue, and I myself have osteoarthritis in one elbow which causes a similar straight arm flair.

 

The reason for the pain is partially due to the fact that the two arms track differently, but your mind hasn't processed this yet, so you are most likely moving the 'bad' arm as if it were not injured.

 

For pushups you would do well to de load them as much as possible and work on finding the correct groove that doesn't cause the popping or grinding you are currently experiencing.

 

Ways to de load would include wall pu / table or chair / knee etc...

 

Also cross compare with how you do bench press,how are your arms moving there and how do your elbows track?

[Groundshaker]

 Can you hold a straight arm plank position? On feet, on knees?

Do you need to use parallettes to hold said position? So is the wrist the problem?

Do you have less than 180 degrees in your elbow when it's unloaded. Like 150 degrees so there is an angle in the elbow?

I mean, let's be honest, you can probably do a wall pushup. Perhaps you can't do full ROM but can you hit a 90 degree angle in the shoulder and elbow?

 

Do you full ROM in the bench press?

Can you support yourself in that yoga dog position or bear walk position?

I can hold plank position for over 60 seconds. I can also do planche leans, handstands, tuck planche etc, anything with straight arms is perfectly fine for me.

I can also hold bear position and yoga walk position it's really not a problem for me.

I can even hold a bent arm push up position, but something pops in my elbow when I try to push and if I ignore it, it will eventually start to hurt like hell... like someone is stabbing me with a knife

I'm doing full ROM bench presses, the bar is allways touching my chest, next time in the gym I will tell my friend to video me.

 

My daughter had to make a similar decision after a horseback riding accident. Your first post didn't mention risk, which is a totally different consideration than time or money.

 

Blair is asking the right questions, with the little bit of information you've given there is just no way to assess why you can bench and not do push ups. On the surface there is no logical reason for this.

 

edit: Thanks Rayne - that puts this in much better perspective.

 

I have a student with a similar issue, and I myself have osteoarthritis in one elbow which causes a similar straight arm flair.

 

The reason for the pain is partially due to the fact that the two arms track differently, but your mind hasn't processed this yet, so you are most likely moving the 'bad' arm as if it were not injured.

 

For pushups you would do well to de load them as much as possible and work on finding the correct groove that doesn't cause the popping or grinding you are currently experiencing.

 

Ways to de load would include wall pu / table or chair / knee etc...

 

Also cross compare with how you do bench press,how are your arms moving there and how do your elbows track?

Could you please go into more detail how I can deload them? I didn't understand what you were trying to say.

I know that when I started doing handstands for few days I didn't feel any pain in the elbow, but then, as always it came back...

[Ivan Pavlovic]

Can you film yourself bench pressing ?

[Ivan Pavlovic]

Also try to do pushup with palms facing back or to side.

[Groundshaker]

Also try to do pushup with palms facing back or to side.

I'll ask my friend to film me on monday.

I tried every variation with palms at different angles but it allways hurts...

[Cole Dano]

Regarding 'de-loading' pushups, put your hands on a wall, table, box etc. Anything that gets your hands higher so your elbows don't have to carry as much weight. Start very easy, perhaps just standing in front of a wall, and examine the movement.

[Blairbob]

 Hmm, we had  a gym member at MidtownStrength with an elbow very much like this. He generally attended the general S&C classes and I can remember him performing snatches and jerks but not really pushups (mainly because I just don't remember him doing pushups).

 I'll ask my boss if he could do pushups. I just need to remember his name but at least I remember his face. Give me a few days. I believe he benched as well and pretty much did everything in the classes.

 My guess is it's something that needs to be carefully progressed.

 I have an opposite problem. Pushups tend to irritate my left shoulder more than DumbBell Bench Press. I haven't bench pressed since mid November because I tweaked it then doing bench press with a bar up to #170x5 (Nothing very notable for me).

 OTOH, I have bench pressed with a bar with no irritation after working dumbbell bench press heavy of all things. I think the shoulder just needs to be warmed up and loosened. Perhaps the same is with your elbow as you said pushups were not an issue after you did a bunch of handstand/straight arm work.

 That being said, I tend to stick to overhead pressing instead of horizontal pressing. Dips aren't really an issue but they do tend to tighten up my shoulders so I do them sparingly as that interferes with Snatching, Cleans, and Jerks.

 

[Groundshaker]

 Hmm, we had  a gym member at MidtownStrength with an elbow very much like this. He generally attended the general S&C classes and I can remember him performing snatches and jerks but not really pushups (mainly because I just don't remember him doing pushups).

 I'll ask my boss if he could do pushups. I just need to remember his name but at least I remember his face. Give me a few days. I believe he benched as well and pretty much did everything in the classes.

 My guess is it's something that needs to be carefully progressed.

 I have an opposite problem. Pushups tend to irritate my left shoulder more than DumbBell Bench Press. I haven't bench pressed since mid November because I tweaked it then doing bench press with a bar up to #170x5 (Nothing very notable for me).

 OTOH, I have bench pressed with a bar with no irritation after working dumbbell bench press heavy of all things. I think the shoulder just needs to be warmed up and loosened. Perhaps the same is with your elbow as you said pushups were not an issue after you did a bunch of handstand/straight arm work.

 That being said, I tend to stick to overhead pressing instead of horizontal pressing. Dips aren't really an issue but they do tend to tighten up my shoulders so I do them sparingly as that interferes with Snatching, Cleans, and Jerks.

 

Please tell me when you find more information about that guy.

My friend didn't show up in the gym today , so I'll probably take the video on thursday or next monday.

[Connor Davies]

I can hold plank position for over 60 seconds. I can also do planche leans, handstands, tuck planche etc, anything with straight arms is perfectly fine for me.

I can even hold a bent arm push up position, but something pops in my elbow when I try to push and if I ignore it, it will eventually start to hurt like hell... like someone is stabbing me with a knife

This sounds risky to me. One of the fundamental ways to recover balance in a handstand is partial ROM handstand push-ups. Aren't you worried that during straight arm work you may need to perform a push for whatever reason?