Tricep Tendon(?) Pain at Heavier Bench Loads (PL 2, Week 6)

Pain & Rehab Forum [Moderated]
1

Hey everyone,

I’m running Powerlifting 2 and currently in Week 6 (second run of the program). I’ve been dealing with what seems like right-side triceps tendon irritation that consistently shows up once my bench loads reach ~90–95 kg +.

On the first rep of a set, the pain at the bottom is quite sharp - it feels like I lose control and can’t stay tight, almost like a forced tempo rep. Subsequent reps are easier but still painful, and I usually feel a lingering ache for a bit after racking the bar.

Here’s where I’m at right now:

  • Paused Bench: 96 kg × 4 @ 8 — sharp pain on first rep (basically causes tempo, and losing tightness at the bottom), easier after but still significant.

  • Close Grip Bench: 85 kg × 8 @ 8 — quite a bit less pain. First rep still slower.

  • Touch-and-Go Bench: ~98 kg × 5 @ 8 — similar pain pattern to paused.

  • Larsen Press: 77.5 kg × 10 @ 8 — essentially pain-free.

Everything else (squat, deadlift, accessories) is going fine.

I have a few questions:

  1. Does this sound consistent with triceps tendinopathy, and if so, should I continue benching around this load and manage pain, or deload slightly until symptoms settle? When I deloaded in the past, it seems to get fine until I reached those weights again and flared up again. Frustrating because it feels like I could bench much more had I not had this pain.

  2. Are there any specific rehab accessories or adjustments you’d recommend (e.g., banded pushdowns, light extensions, slow eccentrics, etc.)?

  3. My current program concentrates roughly eight sets of bench work into only two sessions per week - could this concentrated volume be contributing? Would it make sense to spread the same weekly volume across three bench days instead? If so, how would I do that with the current PL2 template?

Appreciate any help - I’d love to stay on track with Powerlifting 2 while addressing this before it becomes a bigger issue.

Thanks!

2

Hey Dan,

Sorry to hear about the elbow pain. I’m sure that’s frustrating. Based on your description, it could certainly be triceps tendinopathy.

As far as management goes, our general approach to that is described here and here.

While I do think that reducing weight is going to be part of the plan, I do not think a simple deload is likely to fix the issue. Rather, I suspect a more encompassing change in programming would be beneficial to change virtually all of the upper body work, add some direct forearm and triceps work, with perhaps some modification in lower body training (e.g. exposure to the low bar squat, altering the grip, etc.)

For specific planning, I think this is more consult territory than something we can address via a forum reply. I would want to get more background information, as well as have some feedback about how you’re doing with the initial plan, progression, and so on.

I do not think frequency (higher or lower) is a risk factor here at all.

-Jordan

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