When benching and going for the right form, where should the bar come down? I've read a bunch of articles, and have found everything from coming down over the eyes all the way down to the bottom of the rib cage. I know it matters as in which muscles it works, but when just trying to go for a normal bench, where should the bar come down?
correct benching form
- Thread starter agries
- Start date
you got two types .. bodybuilder and powerlifter
the bodybuilder type is where you flare your elbows out, which puts alot of stress on the shoulders and can cause injury.
On the other method you should lie down, with the bar just above your forehead (this is not the position you will begin the lift) then you need to retract your shoulderblades so you lie on top of them (these are to stay that way during the entire exersice, do NOT protract them at the top) then you grabb the bar and pull yourself up on the bench, this will help to depress (right word there?) your shoulderblades downward. then you can lift the bar off the racks, which can be hard without protracting the shoulderblades, so if you have a spotter, have him give you the bar. when you decend your shoulders should be tucked inn, not so that they touch your torso when you have decended the bar but there should be maybe a 45 degree angle between your upper arm and your torso, also importaint is to have a slight arch in the back dont overdo it unless you have a competition, and place the legs at the floor and help use some leg drive for it.
I cant remember any links to articles about this
but what i mentioned should just about sum it up.
the bodybuilder type is where you flare your elbows out, which puts alot of stress on the shoulders and can cause injury.
On the other method you should lie down, with the bar just above your forehead (this is not the position you will begin the lift) then you need to retract your shoulderblades so you lie on top of them (these are to stay that way during the entire exersice, do NOT protract them at the top) then you grabb the bar and pull yourself up on the bench, this will help to depress (right word there?) your shoulderblades downward. then you can lift the bar off the racks, which can be hard without protracting the shoulderblades, so if you have a spotter, have him give you the bar. when you decend your shoulders should be tucked inn, not so that they touch your torso when you have decended the bar but there should be maybe a 45 degree angle between your upper arm and your torso, also importaint is to have a slight arch in the back dont overdo it unless you have a competition, and place the legs at the floor and help use some leg drive for it.
I cant remember any links to articles about this
but what i mentioned should just about sum it up.I am not sure I understand what Karky is saying, but please NOTE: when the elbow goes below the shoulder when bench pressing, the shoulder joint is severly compromised and the rotator cuff can be easily torn. I learned that lesson the hard way . Bench Press is one movement where maximum range of motion is not necessarily a good thing!
. Bench Press is one movement where maximum range of motion is not necessarily a good thing!dswithers said:I am not sure I understand what Karky is saying, but please NOTE: when the elbow goes below the shoulder when bench pressing, the shoulder joint is severly compromised and the rotator cuff can be easily torn. I learned that lesson the hard way
if i touch my chest with the bar my elbows are lower than my shoulder
That's why you should NOT do the full range of motion on Flat Bench Press, unless you have a really big chest which restricts your range of motion to keep your elbows no farther down than your shoulders. You can either use a power rack, just stop at the appropriate level, do floor presses (bench presses lying on the floor so your elbows are stopped by the floor), place a piece of foam on your chest the right thickness to restrict the range of motion, etc.
malkore said:
That one always gets me. Seeing these big meatheads bouncing weight off their chest and throwing it into the air, arching the hell out of their backs, twisting all around, doing all sorts of things, all b/c they want to lift more weight, instead of lifting a bit less weight properly.
That's relative to arm angle, arm length, shoulder width, chest width, style (BB vs. PL), laxity of the connective tissues, etc. If your elbows are properly adjusted inwards, and all other things are equal, there is no issue in using a full ROM. People with shoulder pathologies must be extremely careful.dswithers said: