Why Does My Middle Back Hurt After Bench Pressing?

Why You Might Experience Middle Back Pain After Bench Pressing

If you've recently taken up bench pressing and noticed middle back soreness afterward, you're not alone. Let's discuss some reasons why the bench press may strain muscles in your middle back region and how to prevent injury.

Overarching the Back During Press

Pressing with an overarched back places excessive strain on the thoracic spine. This region isn't designed to handle heavy loads. Excessive arching also reduces control and stability throughout the press.

Locking Out Too Forcefully

Aggressively straightening and locking elbows at the top sacrifices tension and proprioception. Sudden jolts through the straightening joints translate downstream into the mid back muscles.

Weak Mid Back Musculature

The mid traps, rhomboids, and lats play a crucial yet sometimes overlooked role in stabilizing bench press mechanics. Weakness here imparts improper loading, resulting in compensation and pain.

Anatomy of the Middle Back

Let's review basic middle back anatomy to understand this region's core muscle layers and benchmark proper bench press form.

Thoracic Spine

The 12 thoracic vertebrae connect the ribcage to the lumbar spine below. Thoracic joints enable ample mid-back mobility for rotation and flexion-extension during pressing.

Muscles Surrounding the Thoracic Spine

Layers of muscular "wrapping" support thoracic movements. Key movers here are the trapezius, lats, rhomboids, rear delts, mid traps, and erector spinae. Cumulative weakness manifests as pain or strain.

The Scapulae

The shoulder blades anchor upper limb movement. Muscles like the mid traps and rhomboids connect the scapulae to the thoracic spine, working to stabilize them during pressing.

Bench Pressing Best Practices

Let's outline proper bench form that keeps the mid back happy and injury-free while still lifting heavier weights.

Shoulder Blade Retraction

"Packing" the shoulders pulls the scapulae rearward via mid traps and rhomboids before unracking the bar. This improves shoulder stability and spinal alignment.

Creating Tension Throughout

Brace your core, grip the bar tightly, and maintain tension from shoulders through the mid back both in descent and ascent. No fully relaxing joints.

Limiting Overarch

Set up with a small, natural arch - not an extreme exaggeration. This better distributes compressive and shear forces alongside the spine for pain-free pressing.

Controlled Bar Path

Keep elbows tucked a few inches from your sides as you lower the bar to mid-chest level. Press back up in balance without locking out forcefully.

Common Chest Press Alternatives for Bad Backs

Certain press variants make it easier to keep the mid back happy. Here are some solid alternatives if traditional bench flares up back pain.

Incline Dumbbell Press

Pressing single dumbbells allows each shoulder to move independently - great for those with asymmetry or poor left-to-right coordination.

Seated Chest Press Machines

Machine seated chest presses offer supported back positioning and a set bilateral movement pathway to follow for solid reps.

Floor Press

Lying flat keeps the spine neutral as you press the bar. Just be sure to avoid overarching off the floor or forcefully locking out elbows.

Push Ups Plus Shoulder Taps

This challenging bodyweight flourish adds mid back activation. Do push ups, rotating to tap alternating shoulders after each rep.

How to Strengthen the Mid Back for Healthy Bench Pressing

Band Pull Aparts

Pulling against resistance bands engages the mid traps and rhomboids using proper mechanics to reinforce muscle memory.

Bent Over Dumbbell Rows

Rowing from various hip and knee angles trains the lats, rhomboids, rear delts and supporting spinal muscles alike.

Face Pulls

Face pulls target the oft-neglected mid traps. Be sure to pull to face level - not behind the head.

Prone Back Extensions

Raise your head, chest, and shoulders in a controlled manner off the ground. This cleanly trains the mid-thoracic erectors devoid of low back strain.

Managing Middle Back Pain From Bench Pressing

If you tweaked your back from benching, here are some tips to promote healing:

Rest From Aggravating Movements

Avoid barbell presses or supporting exercises until pain markedly improves. Stick to walks, light bands or machines instead.

Apply Cold Therapy

Ice packs constrict local blood vessels, reducing inflammation-fueling fluid influx to let tissues begin recovering.

Try OTC Medications as Needed

Anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen or naproxen sodium can ease swelling and discomfort short-term. But avoid long-term NSAID use.

Book Massage Therapy

Massage techniques like neuromuscular therapy, trigger point release, or instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) help muscles truly heal.

Improving Bench Press Form for Injury Prevention

Once back to pressing, implementing these form tweaks trains proper muscle activation patterns to avoid repeats issues.

Actively Depress the Shoulders

Pull shoulders down forcefully from ears before each set. Making this action deliberate retrains mid back engagement.

Eliminate Leg Drive

Removing leg drive from your press reduces risk of overarching. This also better isolates the effort to your upper body.

refrain rom fully locking out reps

Stop each rep a few degrees short of fully straightening elbows. This keeps constant tension on the working muscles.

Intentionally Pull Shoulders Back at The Top

Actively trying to draw the shoulder blades together at the top keeps the mid traps and rhomboids firing for injury resilience.

The Takeaway: Listen To Your Body

Persistent mid back pain doing any exercise warrants evaluation. While pressing through discomfort may seem hardcore, it often spirals into more severe tissue injury requiring longer recovery.

Implement the form and mobility tips covered here to bench smarter. But if pains don't markedly improve in a few weeks despite modifications, seek professional help before things get worse.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.