unstraight bench set-up

[DoctorWho]

The only way I can bench without pain is to set up so the bar is not perpendicular to the long axis of my body. If, say, normal position is to grip the bar (arms fully extended, holding the bar in a ready position) at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock, I hold the at 9:15 and 3:15. Thoughts?

[asdf]

Obvious questions and suggestion, so perhaps not helpful...

Do you know why that is? Like, are you working around an injury? Or has an injury healed such that your joint mechanics are permanently altered? Has it always been that way?

If you want to try to correct it, find a weight where you can bench pain free at 9 and 3 (even if just the bar) and slowly increase the weight. Do that as warm-up or cool-down and bench with skewed setup for heavier sets as necessary?

[Hardartery]

The only way I can bench without pain is to set up so the bar is not perpendicular to the long axis of my body. If, say, normal position is to grip the bar (arms fully extended, holding the bar in a ready position) at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock, I hold the at 9:15 and 3:15. Thoughts?

Without a description of the pain it's a bit difficult to give you a lot. But, there aren't extra points for symmetry in the lift so do whatever it is that works for you.

[mgil]

My follow-up: have you confirmed that it's ~7 degrees off normal or is this how it "feels"? Both my bench and OHP have some asymmetry due to injuries and surgeries. I guess in the end, does it matter all that much regarding your goals?

[DoctorWho]

Thanks for the comments. Very old injury (best diagnosis was bursitis or tendinitis - pain is where the supraspinatus attaches to the head of the humerus -- 3/4 fixed by overhead pressing. A little pain there but now pain in the front of the humerus, I think from a skiing fall.

7 degrees is about right. It looks wrong but feels ok. Appreciate the guidance.

[ChrisMcCarthy1979]

Even without a long-term injury a lot of people aren't even because they aren't, er, physically even and so the stresses ARE actually distributed quite evenly in those cases.
As someone who used to be symmetrical and now isn't because of 35 years of dumbassedness I accept it whilst still trying to work back towards being square.