ROM+Bench Press question. . .

W

Whiplash

0
What exactly qualifies as full range of motion?

-I've read an article that suggests that you should stop a few inches off of the chest.

-Then I read another article that suggests that you should bring the barbell all the way down to the chest

Which is right?

I personally find it easier to stay in good form if I stop a few inches short of my chest. So, when I bring the barbell down, my left & right biceps are parallel or near parallel to each other. Am I doing this right?
 
Range of motion is the normal distance and direction through which a joint can move.
So, when I bring the barbell down, my left & right biceps are parallel or near parallel to each other.
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I don't know what you mean by this.
 
Whiplash said:
What exactly qualifies as full range of motion?

-I've read an article that suggests that you should stop a few inches off of the chest.

-Then I read another article that suggests that you should bring the barbell all the way down to the chest

Which is right?

I personally find it easier to stay in good form if I stop a few inches short of my chest. So, when I bring the barbell down, my left & right biceps are parallel or near parallel to each other. Am I doing this right?
Click to expand...


I think the 2nd article implies what article one has specified.
 
Bring the Bar right down and touch it lightly across your nipple line and push up in a fluid motion. your forearms should stay vertical most of the time.
 
Some machines I have been told do not have a full range of motion.

This is why some machines can be bad because they force you to do restricted movements which can be bad for your joints.

Whereas free weights have a more natural movement.

I am probably wrong with this but oh well :confused:
 
Does it not depend on what a full range of motion is to your own body? I know I would struggle to bring a bar down to touch my chest regardless of the weight used, I just don't have arms that can go back that far
 
then you have some serious inflexibility or imbalances that needs to be corrected. Or just crappy form. If you flare your elbows out to the sides, it can be harder to get it all the way down.
 
+rep

Karky is right. There is no reason everyone can't touch their chest. If they say they "can't" it is just excuses for being weak, bad form, and too much pride.
 
Karky said:
then you have some serious inflexibility or imbalances that needs to be corrected. Or just crappy form. If you flare your elbows out to the sides, it can be harder to get it all the way down.
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couldn't have said it better myself!

You have a serious problem either bone or muscle but either way it needs to be check and corrected if possible.
 
(Silent) said:
couldn't have said it better myself!

You have a serious problem either bone or muscle but either way it needs to be check and corrected if possible.
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It can vary a little depending on height. People with looooong arms are usually advised to leave a small amount of space between the bar and their chest. But for 95% of the population you should bring it to your chest.
 
mreik said:
It can vary a little depending on height. People with looooong arms are usually advised to leave a small amount of space between the bar and their chest. But for 95% of the population you should bring it to your chest.
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Could it be because I have extremely long arms? I'm 6'3" tall and I have an 80 inch arm span (around 6'8"). I'm guessing that that's considered "long".

Here's the article that recommends stopping short a few inches:
 
SKMMAN said:
Range of motion is the normal distance and direction through which a joint can move.

I don't know what you mean by this.
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I worded it wrong.

I meant: When I bring the bar (or dumbbells) down, my arms (from shouder to elbow part) are both even. In other words, I get the effect that one would get if they did a bench press on the floor. My elbows don't go below my shoulders.
 
This image is what my

Bench press and dumbbell press looks like when bringing the weights down:




If I go any lower than that with my elbows, I lose stability in my shoulders and can't push back up at all.
 
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i consider stoppin around an inch or two before your chest. kind of like there a small brick on top of your chest. me and my friends call it "the brick". thats what we always refer to it as when benching.
 
Whiplash, there is no need for the bar to touch your chest entirely. It can be almost touching your nipples which is an extrusion from your chest. Going beyond that, your elbow might go way below the sholders and you'll be hyperextending. It can cause injury like an impringement if the weight you are benching is too heavy with no apparant benefit.
 
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I am 6'4 and pretty long in the arms, usually I leave a few inches when I go down. In the past month or so I have switched it up or so, instead of the powerful grip I usually use (around shoulder width) and leaving a few inches doin 3x8 of 185, I widened my grip a lot and going all the way down to my chest (which I formerly thought wasn't really possible), but I cannot do nearly as much weight; I have been doing 3x10 145 instead. I remember reading about pinching your shoulder blades together when benching and I guess I am doing this, seems to be the only feasible way to make it so I can take the bar down to my chest.
 
I'm sure it depends on your grip of the bar.

e.g. it would be more difficult to touch your nips with the bar when doing close grip bench.

But if you are doing wide grip it could be easier?

not sure
 
If you are lowering the bar to your nipples you are lowering it too high on your chest.

Touching your chest when the bar is too high up will cause shoulder problems.

If you lower the bar to the base of your sternum, keeping your elbows in, there will be no problem touching, and less stress on the shoulder due to less rotation at the joint.

This is the "proper" form for saving shoulders.

Also, a few of those articles talk about floor, towel, and other types of bench press. Doing these exercises are a good idea.

Shoulder problems will occur if bench press is done too often as well. Regardless of how good technique is. That is a big reason for the 100's of variations that are out there.

Once a week bench press is enough. Any exercise done too often will cause problems.
 
I bench 3 times a week, i do 3 x full body workouts a week.

I vary my bench press though.

Flat Dumbell / Barbell presses - Alternate between close grip and normal grip.

Incline Dumbell / Barbell presses

Don't really do decline

So you're saying it is bad to bench press more than once a week?
 
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