How to Bench: The Definitive Guide

PhotobyAdamPalmer,9for9Media

TABLE OF CONTENTS
HowtoBench:TheDefinitiveGuide
1. Section1Background
2. SuperBasicPhysics
a. Force
b. Moment
3. Anatomy
a. Scapulae
b. Clavicle
c. Humerus
d. Radius
e. Shouldercomplex
f. Elbow
g. Radioulnarjoint
h. Wrist
i. Pecs
j. Triceps
k. Anteriordeltoids
l. Rotatorcuffmuscles
m. Lats
4. ForcesatPlayIntheBenchPress
5. Section2HowtoBench:Basics
6. Setup
a. Checkingequipment
b. Scapularposition
c. Gettingtightandgettinganarch

d. Footposition
e. Unracking
f. Descent
g. Pausing
h. Ascent
7. Biomechanics
8. Horizontalflexion
9. Shoulderflexion
10.ElbowExtension
11. DiagnosingWeaknesses
a. Muscleactivation
b. Muscleproperties
c. Weaknessattheverybottomofthelift
d. Missingthroughthemidrange
e. Missingatlockout
12. CommonQuestions/IssuesandOtherMiscellaneousTopics
a. Cuingthebenchpress
b. Whataboutthereversegripbenchpress?
c. ShouldImixthingsupwithinclineanddecline?
d. CanImaximizechestandtricepsdevelopmentwithJUSTthe
benchpress?
e. WhatshouldIdoaboutelbowandshoulderpainatthebottom
ofthebench?
f. HowdoIchooseagripwidth?Whataretheprosandconsto
each?
g. WhatshouldIdoaboutwristpain?
h. HowcanIimprovemyarch?

i. WhatshouldIdoaboutmyback/hipscramping?
j. HowcanIkeepmybuttfromcomingoffthebench?
k. HowcanIimprovemylegdrive?
l. HowmuchshouldItuckmyelbows?
m. WhatshouldIdoaboutunevenextension?
n. WhataresomeotherbenchpressvariationsIcantry?
o. Attheendoftheday
13. Sources

byGregNuckols
E
veryonewantsabigbench,whethertheyadmititornot.

Whensomeonefindsoutyouliftweightsunlesstheyreacompetitive
strengthathletetheyrenotgoingtoaskwhatyousquatordeadlift.No,
theyregoingtoaskwhatyoubench.
Lastyear,wesentoutasurveyaskingpeoplewhatlifttheystruggledwiththe
mostandmostwantedtoimprove.Myassumptionwasthatpeoplewould
havetheeasiesttimewithdeadliftsandbenchandstrugglemostwithsquats.
BoywasIwrong.Almost2/3ofrespondentssaidthebenchwastheirbiggest
sourceoffrustration.
Letsfixthat.
Beforewegetintothis,letmetellyoualittlebitabouttheflowofthisguide.
Itssplitintofourmajorsections.Section1coversallthenecessary
backgroundinanatomyandphysics(tolaythegroundworkforthe
biomechanicsthatcomelater).Ifyoualreadyhaveaprettygoodgraspofthat
stuff,feelfreetoskipthefirstsection.Section2givesanoverviewofthelift
setup,technique,andproperexecution.Section3willdigintothe
biomechanicsinmoredepth,specificallydealingwithgripwidth,legdrive,
andbarpath.Section4willtaketheformofanFAQ,addressingissuesthat
dontfitneatlyintothefirstthreesectionsandgoingabitmoreindepthon
topicsthatwillbeofinteresttosomereaders,butnotthemajority.

Section 1 Background
Super Basic Physics
Thereareafewsimpletermsweneedtounderstandthatdescribehowour
musclesinteractwithourbonestoproducethemovementsthat(hopefully)
resultinagoodlookingbenchpress.

Force
Thefirstisforce.Forceistheproductofmassandacceleration,typically
calculatedinNewtons(oneNewtonistheforceittakestoacceleratea1kg
massatarateof1m/sec2).Mostimportantforourpurposeshere,forceis
linear:
Itdescribesthingsthatarebeingpulledorpushedinastraightline.

So,letssayyouhavea150kgbarinyourhands.The150kgbarrepresentsthe
masscomponentofforce.Ifyouwerentsupportingthebar,it
would
acceleratedownwardat9.8m/sec2(duetogravity),sothebarisexerting
150kgx9.8m/sec2=1470Nofforceuponyourhandsandarms.Thedirection

oftheforceisthedirectionthatgravityispulling:straightdown.Similarly,
whenourmusclescontract,theyexertaforcepullingoneendofthemuscle
straighttowardtheotherend.

Moment
Thesecondismoment.Momentisforceappliedaboutanaxis,typically
calculatedinNewtonMeterstheforceapplied,multipliedbythedistance
fromtheaxisperpendiculartothedirectiontheforceisbeingapplied.While
forceislinear,momentisrotational.
So,letssayyourecurlinga20kgbarbell.Yourupperarmisstraightdownby
yourside,andyourforearmwhichis30cmlongisparalleltothefloor.
Youdcalculatetheforcethebarbellisexertinginthesamemannerasthe
exampleabove:20kgx9.8m/sec2=196Nofforce,directedstraight
downward.Then,tocalculatethemomentthebarbellisexertingattheelbow,
youdmultiply196Nbythedistancebetweenthebarbellandyourelbow
(calledthe
momentarm
)inmeters:196Nx0.30m=58.8Nm.Sincethis
momentisexerteddownward,whichwouldextendtheelbowwiththeforearm
inthisposition,wedtermthisan
extensormoment
.Ifyouwantedto
continuecurlingthebarupward,youdneedtoproducea
flexormoment
greaterthan58.8Nmwithyourbicepsandbrachialis.Sincethemomentarm
isthedistancebetweentheaxisofrotationandtheload,measured
perpendicularlytothedirectiontheforceisbeingapplied,themomentarm
wouldbeshorterandthemomentwouldbesmalleriftheelbowswereeithera

bitmoreflexedorabitmoreextended,eventhoughtheforearmwouldbethe
samelength.

Momentsimposedbyaloadonyourmusculoskeletalsystemarecalled
externalmoments
,andmomentsproducedbyyourmusclespullingagainst

yourbonesarecalled
internalmoments
.Internalmomentsarecalculatedthe
samewayexternalmomentsare.Theforcecomponentisthecontractileforce
ofthemuscle,andthemomentarmisthedistanceamuscleattachesfromthe
center(axisofrotation)ofthejointitsmoving.So,forexample,ifthepatellar
tendon(whichtransmitstheforceofthequadricepstothetibia)inserts5cm
fromthecenterofthekneejoint,andthequadscontracthardenoughtoexert
10,000Nofforceperpendiculartothetibia,theinternalextensormoment
wouldbe10,000Nx0.05m=500Nm.

Toproducemovement,yourmusclescontract.Bydoingso,theyproducea
linearforce,pullingonbonesthatactaslevers,producingflexororextensor
momentsatthejointstheycross,withjointsactingastheaxesofrotation.In
thecaseofthebenchpress,youreprimarilytryingtoproduceanextensor
momentattheelbow(i.e.straighteningthearmout)andaflexorand
horizontalflexormomentattheshoulder(i.e.raisingyourarm,andbringing
yourarmtowardthemidlineofyourbody)thatexceedtheopposingforces
exertedbythebar.Ifyoucandothat,youexertaforceonthebarthatexceeds
theforcethebarisexertingonyourbody,and
vola
!Asuccessfulbench
press.
Puttingallofthistogether,thereareafew
very
basicprinciplestotakeaway
fromthis:

1. Inthebenchpress,thebarappliesadownwardforcethatexertsan
external
flexormoment
atyourelbow,ande
xternalextensorandhorizontal
extensormoments
atyourshoulder.
2. Thesizeoftheexternalflexormomentyouhavetoovercometoliftaweight
dependsontwothings:theloaditselfandthelengthofthemomentarm.
Iftheloadincreasesandthemomentarmstaysthesamelength,iftheload
staysthesameandthemomentarmgetslonger,oriftheloadincreases
and
themomentarmgetslonger,theexternalflexormomentthatyourmuscles
mustovercomeincreases.Thisiswhyliftingheavierweightsisharderthan
liftinglighterweights(duh),andwhypeoplewithlongerlimbs(andthus
longermomentarmsattheelbow,shoulder,orboth)generallyhavea
toughertimebenchingagivenloadthanpeoplewithshorterlimbs.
3. Thetwofactorsthatdeterminewhetheryourmusclescanproducelarge
enough
internalextensormoments
toliftaloadaretheattachmentpoints
ofthemusclesandtheforcewithwhichtheycancontract.
4. Attachmentpointsplayahugerolebecausemusclesgenerallyattachvery
closetothejointtheymove,sosmallvariationscanmakeabigdifference.
Forexample,
thisstudy
foundthatthepatellartendonmomentarmvaried
from4cmto6cm.Thatsmalldifferencehashugeimplications.Aperson
witha6cminternalmomentarmwouldproducea50%largerjointmoment
thanapersonwith4cmmomentarmiftheirmusclescontractedwiththe
exactsameamountofforce.
5. Unfortunately,youcantchangemuscleattachmentpoints,sotheonly
factorwithinyourcontrolisincreasingcontractileforce.Thereareonlytwo
waystodothat:a)increaseyourskillasabenchersoyourcurrentmuscle
masscanproducemoreforceduringthemovementandb)addmore
muscle!

Thingsgetjustalittlemorecomplicatedthanthat,butthisshouldgiveyoua
goodenoughgraspontheterminologywellbeusingmovingforward.Ifthis
isstillhazyforyou,youcandownloadafree
physicstextbookhere
(legally)
thatsexceptionallygood.
Now,though,itstimetolookatthemuscles,joints,andbonesthatplaythe
biggestrolesinthebench.

Anatomy
Scapulae

Yourscapulae(whichIlloftenrefertobytheircommonname:shoulder
blades)aretriangularshaped,roughlyflatbonesthatrestagainstthebackof
yourribcage.Theyprovideattachmentpointsformanyofthemusclesofyour
shouldergirdle,includingyourtraps,rhomboids,delts,rotatorcuffmuscles,
serratusanterior,andevenyourbicepsandoneoftheheadsofyourtriceps.

Yourscapulaecanmovefourbasicways.Theycanelevate(likeyoure
shruggingyourshoulders),depress(theoppositeofshrugging),retract
(pullingyourshoulderbladestogether),andprotract(theoppositeof
retracting).Youcancombinethosemovementsforupwardrotation(elevation
andprotraction)anddownwardrotation(depressionandretraction).
Forourpurposeshere,themostimportantaspectsofthescapulaearethe
glenoidcavity,theacromionprocess,andthecoracoidprocess.These
features,alongwiththeheadofthehumerus,ajointcapsule,andabunchof
ligamentsmakeuptheshoulderjoint.

Clavicle

Yourclaviclesareyourcollarbones.Theyrunfromyoursternum(your
breastbone)tothetopofyourshoulder,attachingtoyouracromionand
coracoidprocessesvialigaments.Theycanmoveforward,backward,up,and
downasyourscapulaeprotract,retract,elevate,anddepress,respectively.For
ourpurposeshere,themostimportantaspectoftheclaviclesisthatthey
provideanattachmentpointforsomeofthefibersofyourpecs.Ifyouhear

aboutpeopletryingtobuildtheirupperchest,theyretalkingaboutthose
clavicularpecfibers.

Humerus

Yourhumerusistheboneofyourupperarm(andalsofodderforalotof
great/terriblepuns).
Theheadofthehumerusfitsintotheglenoidcavity.Justbelowtheheadare
twobonybumpscalledtubercles,whereyourrotatorcuffmusclesattach.
Theresagroovebetweenthosetuberclesthatyourbicepstendonsrun
through,withyourpecsandlatsattachingonthelipsofthatgroove(pecson
themediallip,andlatsonthelaterallip).Yourtricepsoriginateontheback
sideofyourhumerus(exceptforthelonghead,whichoriginatesonthe
scapulae).Thebottomofthehumerusattachestotheradiusandulnaatthe
elbow.

Radius


Yourradiusisoneoftwoforearmbones.Itstheoneonthelateralside
(thumbside)ofyourforearm.Itstheboneyourbicepsinserton.

Ulna

Yourulnaistheforearmbonethatsmoreimportantforthebench.Itsthe
boneonthemedialside(pinkyside)ofyourforearm.Theknobbypartonthe
backofyourelbow,calledtheolecranonprocess,iswhereyourtricepsattach
andpulltoextendyourelbow.

Shoulder complex
Yourshouldercomplexisverycomplex.Luckily,wedonthavetodelveinto
itin
too
muchdetailhere.Anyproblemsyoumayhavethatwouldrequire
morethanabasicoverviewoftheshouldercomplexareprobablyoutsidethe
purviewofthisguide(theyremostlikelyinjuriesorissuesyoushouldgotoa
physicaltherapistabout).
Narrowlydefined,theshoulderjointissimplytheballandsocketjointmade
upoftheheadofthehumerusandtheglenoidcavityofthescapula.Sincethe
acromionprocess,coracoidprocess,andlateralendoftheclavicleallsurround
thejointaswell,theyregenerallyaddressedalongwiththeshoulder.(For
example,ifyoufeelapinchingatthetopofyourshoulder,thatmaybe
acromioclavicularjointimpingementitstakingplaceatthejunctureofthe
acromionandtheclaviclenotstrictlytheshoulderbutmostpeopletreatit
asashoulderissue,anditcertainlyaffectsthefunctionoftheshoulderitself).
Yourshoulderisaveryshallowballandsocket
jointmuchshallowerthanthehip.Thatcan
causeabitmoreinstability(whichiswhy
dislocatedshouldersare
way
morecommonthan

dislocatedhips),butitalsoallowsforahugerangeofmotioninallplanes.
Thereareeightbasicmovementsattheshoulderjoint:flexion(likeafront
deltraise),extension(likeapullover),abduction(likeasidedeltraise),
adduction(likeyoureloweringasidedeltraise),horizontalflexion(likeapec
flyoftencalledhorizontaladduction),horizontalextension(likeareardelt
raiseoftencalledhorizontalabduction),internalrotation(turningyourbiceps
towardthemidlineofyourbody),andexternalrotation(turningyourbiceps
awayfromthemidlineofyourbody).
Whenbenching,thetwomajormovementsyoureperformingatyourshoulder
areflexionandhorizontalflexion.Theothertwomovementstokeepinmind
forthebenchareabduction(howtuckedorflaredyourelbowsare)and
makingsureyouhavesufficientinternalrotationrangeofmotion(thatyou
cancontrol).

Elbow
Theelbowisasimplejoint.Itflexes(likeabicepscurl)andextends(likea
tricepsextension).Inthebench,youreextendingyourelbow.

Radio-ulnar joint


Thisisthejoint(actuallytwojoints)thatallowsyourforearmtorotate.The
twomovementsallowedatthisjointarepronation(likeapullup)and
supination(likeachinup).
Youneedtobeabletopronateyourforearmsenoughtograbthebartobench.
Duh.Justmentioningthisforthesakeofthoroughness.

Wrist

Yourwrististhejuncturebetweenyourforearmbonesandyourcarpalbones.
Itallowsforflexion(likeawristcurl),extension(likeawristextension),
radialdeviation(bendingittowardyourthumb)andulnardeviation(bending
ittowardyourpinky).
Thewideryourgripwidth,themoreradialdeviationisrequiredatyourwrist.
Somepeoplegetapinchingsensation(likelyfromatendonbeingpinched
betweenyourradiusandoneofyourcarpalbones)orevenaboneonbone
grindingsensationonthemedialsideoftheirwristwhentheytrytobench
withareallywidegrip.Illaddressthisproblemlaterintheguide.
Additionally,benchingwiththewriststooextended(bentback)cancause
problemsforsomepeople.Thisissuewillalsobeaddressedlater.

Pecs
Yourpecsareyourbiggest,strongestprimemoverinthebench.Theirmain
roleisinhorizontalflexion,buttheycanalsoaidinshoulderflexion,
extension,andinternalrotation.

Yourpecsoriginateonyourclavicleandontheedgeofyoursternumandyour
ribcage.Thefibersoriginatingonyourclavicleareyourupperpecs,which
canhelpalotwithshoulderflexion.Thefibersoriginatingonyoursternum
andribcageareyourlower
pecsthemajorityofthemusclewhichare
primarilyhorizontalflexors
.Allofyourpecfibersinsertonthefrontofyour
humerus,onthemediallipoftheintertuberculargroove.

Triceps
Yourtricepsareyouronlyelbowextensors.Asthenameimplies,yourtriceps
havethreeheads.Twoofthemthelateralheadandthemiddlehead
originateonthebackofyourhumerus,whilethemedialhead(thelonghead)
originatesonthescapulae.Allthreeinsertontheolecranonprocessofthe
elbow.Thetwoheadsthatoriginateonthehumerusonlyperformelbow
flexion,whilethelongheadcanalsoaidinshoulderextension.

Drawingbyrylynnchelios

Anterior deltoids
Youranteriordeltoidsareyourprimaryshoulderflexor.Theyoriginateonthe
lateralthirdofyourclavicleandinsert,alongwithyourotherdeltoids,onthe
sideofyourhumerusonthedeltoidtuberosity.

Drawingbyrylynnchelios

Rotator cuff muscles

Fourmusclesmakeuptherotatorcuff:yoursupraspinatus,infraspinatus,
subscapularis,andteresminor.Ideally,noneofthemshouldlimitbench

pressperformance.Theirmainfunctionistoprovidedynamicstabilityforthe
shoulder.Sincetheshoulderjointismuchshallowerthanthehip,these
muscleshelpkeeptheheadofthehumerussnugagainsttheglenoidcavity
whilealsohelpingabduct(supraspinatus),externallyrotate(infraspinatusand
teresminor),andinternallyrotate(subscapularis)theshoulder.

Lats
Yourlatsareprimarilyshoulderextensors.Sinceyouneedtoproduce
shoulder
flexion
tobenchheavyweights,whyintheworldshouldyoucare
aboutthelatsinthebenchpress?
Thatsagoodquestion,anditsonethatrequiresasomewhatlengthyanswer.
Itwasaddressedin
thisarticle
becausecoveringitherewouldjustbogthings
downtoomuch.


Drawingbyrylynnchelios

Thatsenoughphysicsandanatomyfornow.Youshouldhaveagoodgraspof
thebasicforcesatplayinthebenchandthemajormuscles,bones,andjoints
thatareinteractingtocompletethemovement.

Forces at Play In the Bench Press

Thereareonlythreemajormovementsyouneedtoaccomplishtocompletea
benchpress:flexionattheshoulder,horizontalflexionattheshoulder,and
extensionattheelbow.
Thetwomovementstakingplaceattheshoulderareprettyselfexplanatory.

Shoulderflexiondemandsaredeterminedbythedistanceofthebarinfrontof
theshoulderjoint.Thefurtherinfrontofthejoint,thehardertheliftisfor
yourshoulderflexors(frontdeltsspecifically,andupperpecstoalesser
degree).

Thebarisinamorechallengingpositionforthefrontdeltsinthetoppicture.

Shoulderhorizontalflexiondemandsaredeterminedbygripwidth.Thewider
yourgrip,thegreaterlateraldistanceyoullhavebetweenyourhandandyour

shoulder,sothegreaterthehorizontalflexiondemandswillbe(challenging
yourpecsspecifically).

Thewidergripinthetoppicturewillbemorechallengingforthepecs.

Whatsgoingonatyourtriceps,ontheotherhandthatcanbealittle
trickier.

Fornow,sowedontgettooboggeddownbeforegettingintothereallymeaty
partofthisarticle,letsjuststickwiththesameanswer:Yourtricepsextend
yourelbows.However,becausetheyallowyoutoimpartlateralforcesonthe
bar,yourtricepsactuallyaidyourpecssubstantiallyaswell.Howtheydothat
requiresalengthierexplanation,sothatllbecoveredlater.Sincetheycanbe
usedtohelpdrivethebarbacktowardyourshouldersaftertouchinglowon
yourchest,theycanhelpyourfrontdeltsoutaswell.
Atthispoint,thegroundworkisoutoftheway.Wevecoveredthemajor
musclesinvolvedinthebenchpressandhoweachofthemcontributestothe
lift,andwevecoveredthebasicforcesactingateachjoint.Nowitstimeto
digintotheliftitself.

Section 2 How to Bench: Basics

Setup
Checking equipment
Beforeyoustartbenching,youneedtomakesuretheequipmentisready.
Therearetwomainconsiderationshere:
1. Ensurethatthebenchisgrippyenoughthatyourshoulderswontslide.If
youhaveaslickbench,itslikelyyoullloseyourarchviayourshoulders
slidingback,oryoullloseyourscapularpositionduringtheset(especially
ifyouredoingahighrepset).Ifthebenchisslick,simplyputtingayoga
matontopofthebenchcanhelpkeepyourshouldersfromsliding.

2. Setthehookstotheproperheight.Properheightdependsonthelengthof
yourarmsandyourgripwidth.Thekeypointhereisthatyoushouldnt
needtopressthebar45inchesbeforeclearingthehooks,butyoushould
beabletocomfortablygetthebaroverthehookswithoutneedingto
reachup,protractyourshoulderblades,andlosescapularposition.In
general,youshouldbeabletocomfortablyclearthehooksbyaboutaninch
ortwo(25cm).

Scapular position
Oncetheequipmentissquaredaway,itstimetogetyourscapulaelockedin.
Thekeypointistogetyourscapulaeretracted(pulledtogether,likeyoure
tryingtopinchapencilbetweenyourshoulderblades).Thatwillhelpreduce
rangeofmotionbypushingthechestup,anditllalsoputtheshouldersina
saferpositiontoreduceyourriskofrotatorcuffinjuriesoranteriorshoulder
pain.
Beyondthat,scapularpositionissimplyamatterofcomfortandpersonal
preference.Somepeoplejustliketheirshoulderbladespulledstraightback.
Alotofpeoplelikesomescapulardepressionalongwiththeretraction.Afew
peopleactuallypreferretractionandelevation.Playaroundwithscapular
depression/elevationandretractiontoseewhatfeelsthestrongestandmost
comfortableforyourshoulders.Themostimportantthingissimplythatyour
shoulderbladesarepulledtogether.

Getting tight and getting an arch

Onceyouvepulledyourshoulderbladestogether,itstimetogettight.If
youreapowerlifter,thatmayinvolvearchingyourbackaswell.
Igenerallyrecommendmostpeopletoarchatleastalittlebitonthebench.A
littlearchwillhelpdecreaserangeofmotionabitmore.Thiswillgenerally
helpyouliftmoreweightand,moreimportantly,itwillmaketheliftalittlebit
saferforyourshoulderssincethebottompositioniswhereyourshouldersare
themostvulnerable.
Therearetwobasicwaystogoaboutgettinganarch.
Withthefirsttechnique,youfirstsetyourshouldersinthepositionyouwant
themtobe.Thebarshouldbeoveryourface,somewherebetweenyour
foreheadandmouth.Inthisposition,youwonthavetoreachtoofarbehind
yourheadtounrackthebar,andyoushouldntaccidentallyhitthebaragainst
theuprightswhenyourepressing.Onceyourshouldersareset,holdthemin
placebybracingyourhandsagainsttheuprightsofthebench,anduseyour
legstopushyourhipsbacktowardyourshoulders.Makesureyoureactively
pushingyourchestup,andnotjustarchingyourlowerbackwithoutdriving
yourchestupaswell,sincegettingyourchesthigheriswhyarchingworksin
thefirstplace.


TopPicture:layingflat
MiddlePicture:holdingtheshouldersinplace,andliftinghipsupoffthebench
BottomPicture:pushingthehipsbacktowardtheshouldersandwalkingthefeetback/totheside
untilthehipsarebackonthebench

Thesecondtechniquetakestheoppositeapproach.Yousetyourhipsfirst,
andthenpushyourshoulderstowardyourhips.Startwiththebarroughly
overyourthroatandyourshouldersfurtherbackonthebenchthantheyd
typicallybe.Inthatposition,lockyourhipsinplacebydrivingyourfeet
throughthefloor,andpushbackagainsttheuprightswithyourhandstopush
yourshoulderstowardyourhips.Again,makesureyouredrivingyourchest
highandnotjustarchingyourlowerback.Whenyourarchisset,thebar
shouldbeoveryourface.


TopPicture:layingflat
MiddlePicture:Hipsandfeetaresetalready.Pressingshouldersupoffthebenchandtowardthe
hipswhilearchingtheback.
BottomPicture:Placingtheshouldersbackonthebench.

Finally,beforeyouunrackthebar,takeadeepbreathintoyourstomach,just
asyouwouldforasquatordeadlift.Thiswillhelpkeepyourtorsorigidto
transferforcefromyourhipstothebarwhenyouuselegdrive.

Foot position
Akeyaspectofatightsetupisfindingproperfootposition.Yourlegsandhips
helpstabilizeyouonthebenchandhelpyougetlegdrive(whichwillbe
discussedlater).
Withthatinmind,yourfeetneedtobeinapositionthatwillletyoudrive
powerfullythroughthefloortogetlegdrivewhilenotlettingyourbuttcome
offthebenchintheprocess.
Therearethreebasicwaysyoucangoaboutsettingyourfeet.
Thefirst(andleastpopular)techniqueistosetyourfeetinfrontofyouand
slightlyouttotheside.Togetlegdrive,youdriveyourfeet
forward
through
thefloor.Yourfeetneedtobefarenoughinfrontofyouthatyourbuttwont
comeoffthebenchwhenyoudothis.Someshorterlifters(especiallythose
withoutabigarch)usethistechnique,butitsprettyuncommon.Mostpeople
haveissueswiththeirfeetslippingwhentheydrivethroughthefloorwhen
usingthisfootposition,andmostpeoplesimplyfeelmorestableandget
betterlegdrivewithoneoftheothertwotechniques.
Thesecondtechniqueistopullyourfeetasfarbackastheyllgo.Thisisthe
techniqueusedbymostbencherswhogetahugearch.Mostlifterswhouse
thistechniquehavetobenchontheirtoes,insteadofhavingtheirfullfooton

theground.(Thatsnotahugeissueformostpeople,butifyoucompeteinan
IPFaffiliatedpowerliftingorganization,youhavetokeepyourheelsdown
whenyoubenchkeepingyourheelsdownwiththistechniquetakesquiteabit
ofankleflexibility.)Thebenefittothistechniqueisthatitallowsforan
extremearch(ifyourspineisflexibleenoughtoallowforit),butthedrawback
isthatitsabithardertogetlegdrivesinceyoureonyourtoes.
Yougetleg
drivebydrivingyourself
back
towardtheheadofthebench,anditsharderto
drive
back
withyourfeetdirectlyunderyou.

Thelasttechniqueinvolvespullingyourfeetbackabitandplacingthemasfar
outtothesideasyourhipswillallow.Yourfeetshouldwindupsomewhere
betweenyourkneesandyourhips.Thisisthemostcommonfootposition
becauseitstillallowsforagoodarch,itseasiertokeepyourwholefootonthe
groundinthisposition,anditseasiertogetlegdrivewiththisfootposition
thanwithyourfeetpulledwaybackunderyourbody.


Top:Feetinfront(leastpopular)
Middle:Feetbackandout(probablythemostpopular)
Bottom:Feetstraightback(allowsforthebiggestarch,buthardtogetlegdriveorkeepyourfeeton
thefloor)

Unracking
Nowthatyouresetup,itstimetotakeyourgriponthebar.Gripwidthisa
topicwelladdressinmoredetaillater.Fornow,justmakesureyourgripis
outsideshoulderwidth,butnotabsurdlywide(pointerfingersonthegrip
ringsisthewidestyoureallowedtogoinapowerliftingmeet).Around1.52x
shoulderwidthisthestrongestandmostcomfortableformostpeople.
Onceyouvegotyourgripset,squeezetheeverlovingshitoutofthebar.It
works.Whydoesthiswork?Maybemuscleirradiation(whenonemuscle
contractshard,itseasierfornearbymusclestocontracthardinthiscase,
yourforearmmusclescontractingashardaspossiblemayhelpyourtriceps
contractharder).Maybeitjusthelpsyoufeelmoreincontrolofthebar.
Eitherway,squeezethebarashardasyoucan.
Next,itstimetoactuallyunrackthebar.
Ifyouhaveaspotter,instructthemtogiveyoualittlehelpwithliftingthe
weightoffthehooks,butspecificallytellthem
not
tojerkthebarup.After
youveputyourscapulaeinagoodposition,gottenanarch,andcreatedatight
setup,youdontwantsomestupidjackwagonofaspottertoruinitforyou.
Getyourspottertoassistyouinliftingthebar
out
aswell,releasingthebar
whenitsroughlyoveryourthroat.
Ifyoudonthaveaspotter,firstoff,youneedtosetupabitfurtherbackonthe
bench.Ifyousetupwiththebaroveryoureyes/foreheadwithaspotter,then
youdprobablywanttosetupwiththebaroveryournose/mouthwithoutone.
Thisway,youwonthavetoreachasfarbackbehindyouandtrytopressthe

baroutofthepinsinanawkwardposition.Simplypressthebaroffthepins
andpositionitroughlyoveryourthroat.Thepinsshouldbesetlowenough
thatyoudonthavetoreachuptounrackthebar,whichcanmakeyoulose
yourarchandscapularpositioning.
Beforeyoustartloweringthebar,makesureyourwristsarentcockedback
excessively,asthiscanputunnecessarystrainonthewrist.Simplygripping
thebarlowerinyourhandcanhelpwiththis.Squeezingthebarreallyhard
canhelpwithwristpositionaswellsinceyoullnaturallyactivateyourwrist
flexorsintheprocess.If,forsomereason,youcantkeepyourwristsfrom
cockingback,ortheyrestilluncomfortableinspiteofbeinginagood
position,wristwrapscanhelpdramaticallywithwriststabilityandcomfort.

Topiscorrect:barsittinglowinthehandssothewristsdontcockback.Bottomisincorrect:bar
sittinghighinthehandsothewristsdocockback.

Onefinalnoteaboutwristposition:Forsomepeoplewithirritationonthe
insideoftheirelbow(
golferselbow
),sittingthebardiagonallyacrossyour
hand(supinatingyourforearmsslightly,movingthemslightlytowarda
neutralgrip)canmaketheliftabitmorecomfortable.

Descent
Yournextorderofbusinessisloweringthebar.
Therearetwocuespeopleoftenusetomaintaintensionwhileloweringthe
bar:ripthebarinhalfandbendthebar.

Ripthebarinhalfontop,andBendthebaronthebottom.

Bothofthesecuesworktoactivateyourupperbackmusclestohelpwith
controllingthebarasyoulowerit.Personally,Ivetriedbothcuesandneither
cueseemstodomuchforme,butplentyofpeopleswearbythem.
Lowerthebarundercontrol.Acommonfeatureofstudiesthatcompare
elitelevelbenchers
toaveragejoesisthattheelitelifterslowerthebarslower
anddoabetterjobcontrollingtheweightonthewaydown.Youdontneedto
specificallytimeyourdescent,butitshouldtakearound23seconds.Thiswill
helpdecreasestressonyourshouldersandpectendons,andalsohelpmake
sureyoudontmisgrooveyoureccentric.
Touchthebarfairlylowonyourchest.Formostpeople,touchingsomewhere
betweenthenippleandthebottomofthesternumisthestrongestandmost
comfortable.Youmayfeelstrongertouchingabitloweryetonthetopofthe
stomachifyouhaveabigarchorbenchwithaclosergrip,butIwouldnt
recommendmostpeopletouchhigherthantheirnipples.Simplyexperiment
andseewhatfeelsthestrongestforyou.
Onceyoufindthepositiononyourchestthatfeelsthestrongest,makesure
youreconsistentlyloweringthebartothatsamepositiontoingrainthat
groove.Youcandothisby
coatingthecenterknurlingofthebarwithchalk
,
andseeingifyoureleavingasolidchalklineacrossyourchestwitheachset.
Iftheresabroaderbandofchalk,youneedtokeeppracticing.
Onefinalnote:Ifyourlatsandtricepsarebigenough,youcancushionthe
descentbytuckingyourelbowshard,compressingyourtricepsagainstyour
latstohelpcontroltheweightonthewaydownwhilemakingthedescenta

littleeasieronyourpecsandshoulders.Ofcourse,oddsare,ifyourejacked
enoughtousethistechnique,youreprobablyjustskimmingthissection
anyways.Unlessyou
are
thatjacked,elbowpositionwhenloweringthebar
willprobablyjusttakecareofitselfsimplybetouchingthebarfairlylowon
yourchest.

Pausing
Ifyoureapowerlifter,youneedtogetexperiencepausingthebaronyour
chestforeachrep,sincethatsrequiredforcompetition.Otherwise,
lightly
touchingthebartoyourchestwithoutapausebeforepressingitbackupis
fine.
Therearetwomajorstylesofpauses:thesoftpauseandthesinking
technique.
The
softpause
isexactlywhatitsoundslike.Asyoulowerthebar,actively
driveyourchestuptomeetittoslightlyreducerangeofmotion.Letthebar
restonyourchestverylightlyforasecondortwo,maintainingmuscletension
inyourchest,shoulders,andtriceps,andthendriveitbackup.Thisisthe
mostcommontypeofpause.
The
sinkingtechnique
isabitlesscommon,butitsusedbyseveralworldclass
benchersincludingJeremyHoornstra,thecurrentalltimeworldrecord
holderat242and275.Withthistechnique,youstillmaintainmuscular
tension,butyouletthebarsinkintoyourchest,collapsingyourarchabit.
Afterabriefpause,youaggressivelyreextendyourthoracicspinewhile
drivingthebaroffthechest.Bydrivingyourchestbackupintothebar,you

canusethatmomentumtobuildmorespeedthroughthebottomportionof
thelift.Ido
not
recommendthistechniquetonewlifterssinceitsmuchmore
difficulttomaster(andtheadvantageitgrantsyouisprettysmallevenat
thetoplevelsitsnotverypopular).Ifyourecompetinginapowerlifting
meet,makesurethebarissunkentoitslowestpointprettyquickly,anddont
letitsinkanymoreafteryougetthepresscommand.Thiswillgetyourlift
turneddownforheaving(lettingthebarsinkafterthepresscommand),
whichisagainsttherules.

Ascent
Drivethebaroffyourchestaggressively,initiatingthepresswithlegdrive
(discussedmorelater)andpushingthebarupand
backtowardyourface
.
Atthestartofthepress,yourelbowswillnaturallybetuckedabitsinceyoure
touchinglowonyourchest.Asyoudrivethebaroffyourchest,startflaring
yourelbowstobringthebarbackoveryourupperchest/throataslongas
doingsoiscomfortableforyourshoulders,asthiswillgiveyouthe
most
efficientbarpath
.Ifthatdoesntfeelgreat,dontworryaboutittoomuch,and
justkeepbenchingwiththebarpaththatsthemostcomfortableforyou.
Beyondthatconsideration,youjustneedtokeepdrivingthebaruntilyoulock
outtherep!
Holdyourbreaththroughoutthedurationoftherep.Takeadeep,
diaphragmaticbreathbeforeyoustartthedescent,andreleaseitoncethebar
islockedout,oratleastnearinglockout.Thiswillhelpyoumaintaintension
andstability.

Presseveryrepashardasyoupossiblycan.
Inonestudy
,pressingeachrepas
fastaspossibleresultedinliterallytwicethebenchpressgainsaspressingthe
barintentionallyslowerwiththeexactsametrainingprogram.Whenyou
pressharder,forceoutputishigher(sotrainingconditionsaremoresimilarto
conditionswhenattempting1rmloads),andyourecruitmoremotorunits,
amplifyingthetrainingeffect.

Section 3 Biomechanics
Nowitstimetoreallydissectthepressitself,focusingontheeffectsofgrip
widthandbarpath,andusingthosefacetstodiagnoseweaknessesand
understandtheroleoflegdrive.
Remember,therearethreeprimarymovementsyouneedtoproduceinorder
tobenchthebar:Youneedtoflexyourshoulders,horizontallyflexyour
shoulders,andextendyourelbows.
Letsaddressthebiomechanicsoftheliftbyseeinghowdifferenttechniques
affectthedemandsforeachjointmovement.

Horizontal flexion
Thisisthesimplestjointactiontoaddressbecausehorizontalflexiondemands
dontchangethroughoutthelift.
Insimpleterms,gripwidthdetermineshorizontalflexiondemandsthe
furtherthelateraldistancebetweenyourhandandyourshoulder,thelonger

thehorizontalflexionmomentarm.Thelateraldistancebetweenyourhand
andyourshoulderdoesntchangethroughoutthepress,sohorizontalflexion
demandsareunchangedthroughoutthelift.
Barpathdoesntaffecthorizontalflexiondemands,butgripwidthdoes.The
wideryourgrip,thehigherthehorizontalflexiondemands.Simplyput,the
wideryourgripis,thehardertheliftisonyourpecs.Thisshouldntbea
surprisetoanyone.

Shoulder flexion
Hereswherethingsstartgettingalittlemoreinteresting.
Shoulderflexiondemandsdependonhowfarthebarisinfrontofyour
shoulders(whenlookingatitfromtheside).
Whenthebarisonyourchest(asfarinfrontofyourshouldersasitllbeat
anypointinthelift),shoulderflexiondemandspeak,decreasingthroughout
theliftasthebardriftsbackoveryourshoulders,untilthebarisdirectlyover
yourshoulderjointatlockoutandshoulderflexiondemandsarenegligible.
Ifyouappliedthisinformationuncritically,youdassumethatitwouldbethe
mostefficienttobenchstraightupanddown,touchingthebarsuperhighon
yourchest.ItIStruethatthistechniqueeffectivelynegatesthevastmajority
ofshoulderflexiondemands,butitalsoincreasesrangeofmotionand
increasesyourriskofshoulderinjury(
that
muchhorizontalflexionwhilein
internalrotationisagoodrecipeforACjointimpingement).

You
can
usethisinformation,though,tooptimizeyourbarpath.
Asyoudrivethebaroffyourchest,youshouldinitiallydriveitupand
back
towardyourupperchest/throat.Thisdoesntaffectshoulderhorizontal
flexionorelbowextensiondemands,butit
does
decreaseshoulderflexion
demands,makingthelifteasieronyourfrontdelts.
Mosteliteliftersutilizethisbarpath(upandback,thenstraightup),whereas
mostnoviceliftersdrivethebarstraightupinitially,thenupandbacktolock
out.

Averagebarpathsfornovicelifters(dashedline)vs.elitelifters(solidline).McLaughlinet.Al.

Thisarticle
addressesbarpathinmuchgreaterdetail.
Puttingthisbarpathintopracticeisprettystraightforward:Asyoustart
drivingthebaroffyourchest,flareyourelbowsasyoupress.Thisis
not
tobe
confusedwithflaringyourelbowsthroughthewholemovementandtouching
thebarhighonyourchest.Itsriskyforyourshoulders(nottomention
weaker)toflarethroughthewholeliftandtouchthebarhighonyourchest,

butthroughthemidrangeofthelift,itssafeformostpeopletoflaretheir
elbowstothepointthatthebarisovertheirupperchest.
Thisisalsowherelegdrivecomesintoplay.Asyoustartthepress,squeeze
yourgluteshardandtrytodriveyourheelsthroughthefloor.Thispushes
yourchestslightlyhigher,andbackintothebar.Theforceofyourchest
pushingbackintothebarhelpsyou
drivethebar
back
offyourchest
toward
yourthroat,puttingitintheproperpositiontofinishthepress.
Gripwidthdoesntnecessarilyhavetoaffectshoulderflexiondemandsin
theory,butitgenerallydoesinpractice.Mostpeopletouchthebarabitlower
ontheirchestwhentheybenchwithaclosegrip,increasingshoulderflexion
demands.Now,sincepeoplealsotendtobenchabitlesswithaclosergrip,
theeffectisoffsetabit,butitslikelynotnegatedentirely.

Elbow Extension
Hereswherethingsstartgettingsortofweird.
Forstarters,theeasypart:Thefurtheryourelbowsareinfrontofthebar,the
highertheelbowextensiondemands.Thisshouldmakeintuitivesensethat
basicallyturnsthebenchpressintoabench/tricepsextensionhybrid.


Top:Elbowsroughlyunderthebar
Bottom:Elbowsovertuckedandinfrontofthebar,makingtheliftharderonthetriceps.

Thetrickierpart:Whetherthebarimposesaflexororextensormomentatthe
elbowdependsonyourgripwidth.


Withawidegrip,thehandsareslightlyoutsidetheelbows,sothebarisactuallyimposinganelbow
extensor
moment.Withaclosegrip,theelbowsareoutsidethehands,sothebarisimposingan
elbowflexormoment(asyoudexpect).

Withanarrowgrip,sureenough,yourelbowsareoutsideyourhands,so
theresanelbowflexormoment.However,withawidegrip,yourhandsare
outsideyourelbows,sotheresanelbow
extensor
moment.Thatdoesntseem
tomakeabitofsense!Whenyoubenchwithawidegrip,thebardoesntjust
magicallyextendyourelbowsforyou.

Sowhatsgoingonhere?
Toexplain,letsillustratewithdumbbells.Theyllhelpwithunderstandingthe
verticalforcesinplay.Furthermore,sincetheydontallow(oratleast
encourage)thesamedegreeofhorizontalforces,thiswillhelpusseehowthe
liftcanstillbechallengingforyourtricepswhilethebarisimposinganelbow
extensormoment,anditllalsohelpusunderstandwhyyoucanbenchmore
thanyoucandumbbellbench(itsnotjustamatterofstability).
Tostartwith,tryDBbenchingwithyourarmsmovingexactlyliketheywould
withabarbell.Thismeansinsteadoftheweightsmovingawayfromeach
otheronthewaydownandtowardeachotheronthewayup,theystaythe
samedistanceapartthewholetime.Trythiswithaformthatmimicswide
gripbench.


ItfeelssuperweirdtoDBpresslikethis,pushingtheweightsbasicallystraightup(Irealizethey
actuallygotslightlyfurtheraparthere).

Hereswhatyoullnotice:Atthebottomoftherep,itmayfeellikeanormal
DBpress.However,bythetop,itdoesntfeellikeyourtricepsare
contributinganythingatalltothemovement.Ifanything,youmayfeelyour
bicepsstartstrainingagainsttheloadabit.Furthermore,itllbereally,really
hardtoholdanyappreciableloadatlockout,becauseholdingthatposition

willreallychallengeyourpecs(asopposedtobenchpress,whereholdingthe
baratlockoutisveryeasy,regardlessofgripwidth).Itfeels
much
stronger
andmorenaturaltolettheweightsmoveouttothesidesonthewaydown,
andbacktowardeachotheronthewayup.
ThatreallyweirdfeelingoftryingtoDBpresstheexactsamewayyoubench
presstellsyouhowyourtricepsarecontributingduringthebenchevenwhen
thebaritselfistheoreticallyimposinganelbowextensormoment,andittells
youwhyyoucantDBpressasmuchasyoucanbench.
Hereswhatsgoingon:
WhenyouDBpress,theonlyappreciableforceyouredealingwithistheforce
ofgravityactinguponthedumbbell.GravitypullstheDBstraighttothefloor,
andyoupressagainstthatforce.Becauseofthat,theweightneedstostay
mostorlessoveryourelbowthewholetime.Otherwise,theliftgets
way
harderonyourtricepsiftheweightsareclosertogetherthanyourelbowsare
(itbasicallybecomesa
TatePress
),anditgetswayharderonyourpecs(and
maybebiceps)iftheweightsarefurtherfromeachotherthanyourelbowsare
(itbecomesa
fly
).Weallrealizethat,eitherconsciouslyorsubconsciously.
Thatswhytheweightsmoveinanarcingpathawayfromeachotheronthe
waydown,andtowardeachotheronthewayup.Asyourelbowsmovefurther
apartasyoulowertheweights,younaturallykeepyourhandsoveryour
elbowssotheweightsmovefurtherapartaswell,andthenyoureversethe
motiononthewayup.Movingtheweightsstraightupanddowninsteadofin

anarcingmovementfeelsweirdbecausethatdoesntallowtheweightstostay
overyourelbows.

ThispressingarcshouldfeelmuchstrongerforDBpress,insteadofpressinginastraightline.

Thereasonyourelbowshavetostaymoreorlessdirectlyundertheweight
whenyoureDBpressingisthatyoucantimposeameaningfulamountof
outwardlateralforcesonthedumbbell.Ifyoudid,youdjustthrowtheDBsto

theflooroneithersideofyou.Youhavetoapplyforcebasicallystraightup
throughtheDB.
Becauseofthat,youcantgetyourtricepsinvolvedintheliftnearlyasmuch.
Ifyourelbowsarepointedout,thenwhenyourtricepscontract,theyremainly
imposinglateralforcesontheweight.

Asthetricepscontract,thattriestopushtheforearmlaterally.ItDOESNTdirectlypressthebarup.

Thisisborneoutwhen
comparingmuscleactivation
inthebenchpressand
DBpress.Muscleactivationinthepecsisthesame,butmuscleactivationin
thetricepsiswaylowerintheDBpress.

Atthispoint,youmaybesaying,Alrightbro.Imsurelateralforcesarecool,
butImconcernedwithpressingthebar
u p
,sowhydoesanyofthismatterto
me?
Becausephysics.
Remember,gravityisalwayspullingthebarstraightdown.Butwhenyouadd
lateralforcesintothemix,theresultantforcevector(theproductoftwoforces
indifferentdirections)wontbepointingstraightdown.Itlllooksomething
likethis:

Hereswhythatmatters:Theexternalmomentarmistheperpendicular
distancebetweenthejointbeingacteduponandthevectorofforce
application.Theresultantforcevectorwhenaccountingforlateralforces
passesmuchclosertotheshoulderthantheforcevectorforgravity
alone
actingonthebar
,pullingstraightdown.Thismeanstheresultantmoment
armforhorizontalflexionisshorter,makingthelifteasieronyourpecs.
Whenyoubench,
lateralforces
areabout2530%aslargeasverticalforceson
thebar.Thatonlyincreasesthetotalforceyouhavetoovercomebyroughly
34%(youcancalculatethatforyourselfviathePythagoreanTheorem),butit
shortensthemomentarmforhorizontalabductionbyroughly20%theexact
numbersarentoverlyimportantandwillvarybasedongripwidth.

Ontheleft,youcanseetheshoulderhorizontalflexionmomentarm(solidblack)whenonly
accountingforverticalforces.Ontheright,youcanseehowmuchshorterthehorizontalflexion
momentarmbecomeswhenaccountingforhorizontal/lateralforcesonthebar.(GraphicbyLyndsey
Nuckols)


Heresanotherwaytothinkaboutit:Unlesssomethinggoeshorriblyawry,
yourhandsarentgoingtobemovingonthebarasyoubench.Becauseof
that,thepecsandthetricepscanworksynergisticallyatboththeelbowand
shoulderthepecshelpthetricepsextendtheelbow,andthetricepshelpthe
pecshorizontallyflextheshoulder.Sincetheforearmitselfcantmovemuch
becausethehandisplantedinplace,theshoulderhastohorizontallyflexas
yourtricepsworktoextendtheelbow.Theoppositeistruewiththepecs:
Sincethehandsarelockedinplaceonthebar,asyourpecsworkto
horizontallyflextheshoulder,theelbowshavetoextendaswell.

So,inaway,itsdifficulttoaddressthepecsandthetricepsindependently.
Strongerpecsmakeiteasiertoextendyourelbows,andstrongertricepsmake
iteasiertohorizontallyflexyourshoulder.

Movingontotheeffectsofgripwidthandphaseoftheliftnow,theelbow
extensiondemandsarehigherwithaclosergripifyourebenchingwitha
shoulderwidthgrip,yourelbowswillbeoutsideyourhandsthroughmostof
thelift,meaningtheresanexternalelbowflexionmomentthroughoutmostof
thepress.Conversely,withasuperwidegrip,yourelbowswillneverbe
outsideyourhands,sotherewillactuallybeanexternalelbowextension
momentthroughmostofthelift.Inotherwords,closegripbenchisharder
onyourtricepsthanwidegripbenchnosurprisethere.
Thedegreetowhichyoutuckyourelbowswillimpactelbowextension
demandsaswell.Aslongasyourelbowsstayunderthebar,tuckingmore
decreaseselbowextensiondemands(asyourelbowsmoveintowardyour
shouldersandawayfromtheplates).

Moretuckedwhileelbowsarestillunderthebar(bottom)=lowerdemandsonthetriceps

Ifyou
overtuck
,though,sothatyourelbowswindupinfrontofthebar,this

willincreaseelbowextensiondemands.However,thisisnt
necessarily
abad
thing.Italkedaboutthisissueinmoredepthin
thisarticle
,butIve
moderatedmypositionabitovertime.Whiletuckingenoughthatyour
elbowswindupinfrontofthebar
does
maketheliftharderonyourtriceps,
thistechniquecanalsohelpyoudrivethebarbackupoffyourchest(as
discussedintheprevioussection)atthestartofthepress,allowingyour
tricepstohelpoutyourshoulders.Thiscanbereallyhelpfultopeoplefor
whomlegdrivedoesntreallyclick.Oncethebarstartsmovingbackoffyour
chest,though,youllstillwanttoflareyourelbowstogetthembackunderthe
barbythemidrangeofthepress.

Thetopisacceptable:elbowsslightlyinfrontofthebaratthebottom,gettingbackunderthebar
throughthemidrange.ThebottomiswhatyouDONTwanttohappen:elbowsstartinfrontofthe
barandstayinfrontofthebar.

Similartoshoulderflexiondemands,elbowextensiondemandschange
throughouttherangeofmotion.Theelbowsgenerallymove
out
(awayfrom
theshoulders,towardtheplates)laterallyasyourupperarmsapproach
paralleltothefloorwhenbothloweringthebarandpressingthebar,and
in
(towardtheshoulders,andawayfromtheplates)laterallyasyourarmsget
furtherfromparalleltothefloor.Becauseofthat,elbowextensiondemands
arethehighestwhenyourupperarmsareroughlyparalleltothefloor.Thats
likely
thereasonwhymostpeoplesstickingpointoccurswhentheirupper
armsareroughlyparalleltothefloor.


Thisisthepaththeelbowsfollowinthebenchpress.Inthesecondpic(whentheelbowsarethe
furthestout,andtheupperarmsareroughlyparalleltothefloor),tricepsdemandspeak.

Diagnosing Weaknesses
Bythispoint,youshouldhaveaprettygoodunderstandingofthenutsand
boltsofthebenchpress,sonowitstimetogetintostuffyouprobablycare
aboutthemost:howtoaddressweaknessesinyourbenchforshinynewPRs.

Muscle activation
Beforewegetintothis,Iwanttomakeaquicknoteaboutstudiesthathave
lookedatmuscleactivation(usingEMG)inthebenchpress.
Therearealot(around20bymycount.Allofthemarelinkedattheend).
Unfortunately,theresa
lot
ofdisagreementbetweenthestudies.Feelfreeto
readthroughthemforyourselfifyouwantafunafternoonfullofconfusion
andfrustration,andifyoucanfindsomeconsistentpatternsImissed,Idlove
tohearaboutthem,becauseIreallydontseemany.
Now,thisisntahugeproblem,becauseananalysisbasedsolelyonEMG
wouldbeshakyatbest(
itsnotaseasytointerpretasmostpeoplethink
).
However,itisgenerallynicetohaveconsistentEMGevidencetocorroborate
ananalysisbasedprimarilyonjointkinetics(asisthecaseforthe
squat
).
Oneoftheonlyfindingsthatseemsconsistentacrossthemajorityofthe
studiesistheactivationofthetriceps
tends
toincreaseabitmorethanpec
activationasyouaddweighttothebar.HereshowIliketothinkofit:pecs

providethestrengthbaseforthemovement,whilethetricepsgiveyouthe
extrakickyouneedforheavierweights.

Muscle properties
Basedsolelyonthelastsectiononjointmoments(shoulderflexionand
horizontalflexion,andelbowextensiondemands),youdexpectpeopleto
always
beweakestwhenthebarwasontheirchest.
Remember,horizontalflexiondemandsarethesamethroughoutthelift,
shoulderflexiondemandsdecreaseasyoupressthebar(asitmovesbackover
yourupperchest/shoulders),andelbowextensiondemandsareator
near
peaklevelswhenthebarsonyourchestaswell(theyincreasealittlebit
duringthefirstpartofthepressifyoubenchwithyourelbowsunderunder
thebarthewholetimeifyoubenchwithyourelbowsinfrontofthebarto
helpyourshoulderswiththeinitialdriveoffyourchest,however,demandson
thetricepswillalsolikelybeatpeaklevelsatthebottomofthepress).
Thesummedjointmomentsarethehighestwhenthebarsonyourchest,and
progressivelydecreasethroughoutthelift.Ifthiswastheonlythingyouknew,
youdexpectpeopletosimplygetstapledbythebarwhentheymissedalift,
andnotbeabletobudgeitofftheirchest.
However,thats
not
whathappensformostpeople.Onamaxattempt,thebar
acceleratesrapidlyoffthechest,deceleratesthroughthemiddleofthelift,and
thenacceleratesagainasyouapproachlockout.When
most
peoplemiss,its

afterthatinitialacceleration,withthebargettingstuck46inchesofftheir
chest.
Thisiswhatthevelocitycurvetypicallylookslikeforamaxattempt(from
van
denTillaar,2012
).Peopleareweakestthroughthestickingregionwhere
velocityisdecreasingbutactuallyproducethemostforceduringthatinitial
driveoffthechestwhenthesummedjointmomentsareattheirhighestpoint.

Heresthepositionofthebarinspacewhenitreachesthepointofmaximum
deceleration/minimumforceapplication:


So,whatsgoingonhere?
Theresasimpleexplanation:Musclesdontproducethesameamountof
forceovertheirentirerangeofmotion.Musclefibersthemselvesproducethe
mostforcewhentheyrearoundrestinglength,andtheircapacitytoproduce
forceincreasesordecreasesastheylengthenorshorten(redcurvebelow).
Furthermore,passiveelementsinthemusclestructuralproteinsand
connectivetissueproduceincreasingamountsofforceasamusclelengthens

aswell(bluecurve).Theresultisthatthetotalforceamusclecanproduce
variesconsiderablywithmusclelength.

Toaddanothervariableintothemix,theinternalmomentarm(theleveragea
musclehastopullagainsttheboneitmoves)ofthemusclesinvolvedchanges
withjointanglesaswell,sonotonlydoescontractileforcevary,buttheability
totranslatethatcontractileforcetointernaljointmomentsvariesaswell.
Additionally,youhavetoaccountforthe
stretchreflex
theelasticenergy
storedinamuscleasitlengthens,andthestrongerthannormalcontraction
thatspossiblewhenthemuscleisstretchedunderload(duetoactivationof
musclespindles
).Evenwithapause,thestretchreflexislikelyatplayinthe

benchpress,asevidencedbytheinitialspikeinforceproductionasyoudrive
thebaroffyourchest.
Combinethosethreefactors,anditbecomesclearthatjointmomentsonlytell
usalimitedamountwhenweretryingtofigureoutthemuscle/sresponsible
forafailedbenchpress.However,thatdoesntmeanweretotallyinthedark
Ijustwantedtoexplainthesefactorssothatyoudunderstandwhymy
recommendationsforaddressingweakpointsinthebencharentquiteas
cutanddryasmyrecommendationsfor
addressingweakpointsinthesquat
.
Therearemultiplereasonswhyyoumaymissabenchpressatacertainpoint
inthelift,butwecanteaseapartthosereasonsbasedoncontext.

Weakness at the very bottom of the lift

While
most
peoplecangetthebarmovingoffoftheirchestbeforetheymiss
thelift,somepeoplegetpinnedandareunabletobudgetheweightatall,or
mayonlybeabletomoveitaninchortwo(mostpeoplecanatleastgetthe
bar34inchesoffoftheirchestbeforeitstalls).Notethatthisonlyappliesto
peoplewhofailhardatthechestwhentheyretakingsmallweightjumps.
Sure,ifyoubarelygrindoutarepwith275andthenyoujumpstraightto500,
youreprobablynotgoingtogetthebarmovingoffyourchest(thoughyou
will
beabletomakeanamusinggymfailvideooutofit).Thiswouldapplyto
peoplewhobarelygrindoutarepwith275,andthencantget280or285
movingofftheirchestatall.
Thisissuecouldbeattributabletoafewfactors

1. Anteriordeltweakness.Thisshouldbeyourdefaultassumption,sincethe
shoulderflexiondemandspeakatthebottomoftheliftandthendropoff
dramatically.Whenindoubt,you
probably
haveweakshouldersifyoure
havingissuesdrivingthebaroffyourchestattheverystartofthelift.
2. Barpath.Somepeoplesimplytrytotouchthebartotheirchest
way
too
lowinanattempttodrasticallyshortenrangeofmotion.Sure,iftheyhad
monstrouslystrongshoulders(ora
benchshirt
),theycouldbenefitfrom
thistechnique,buttryingtotouchmorethanacoupleofinchesbelowthe
bottomofthesternumsimplydoesntworkoutwellformostrawlifters.
This
may
beatechnicalissuethatcanbefixedimmediatelysimplybynot
tuckingtheelbowsquiteasmuchandjusttouchingthebarslightlyhigher
onthechest.However,somepeoplegravitatetothistechniquebecauseof
a
3. Pecweakness.Ifyoufeeltheneedtotouchthebar
super
low(morethana
coupleofinchespastthebottomofyoursternum),andyoufeelnoticeably
weakertouchingthebarabithigheronyourchest,theresagoodchance
yourpecssimplyarentstrongenoughtodealwiththeextra~12inchROM
thatcomesalongwithtouchingabithigher.
4. Setup/control/supportmusclestrength.Thisisforpeoplewhofeelpainor
instabilitywhenloweringthebar.Itrequiresalengthierexplanation,soIll
explainthatlater.
5. Tricepsweakness.Remember,oneoftheonlyfairlyconsistentfindingsin
EMGresearchwasthatactivationofthetriceps(anddelts)increasedquite
abitfasterthanactivationofthepecsasweightwasaddedtothebar.Also,
yourtricepscanhelpoutbothyourpecsanddeltswhichareinamore
stretchedandvulnerableposition.Idontthinkyoucouldeverpinpointthe
tricepsasadefiniteweaklinkatthebottomofthepress,butstronger

tricepscangiveaidtotheothermusclesthataremorelikelytoacutelylimit
you.

Missing through the midrange

Themidrangedoesnthaveacrystalcleardefinition.ItssortofliketheUS
SupremeCourtsdefinitionofporn:
youknowitwhenyouseeit
.Itsthe
periodbetweenthestickingpoint(34inchesoffthechest)tothepointwhere
youreclearlyprettydamnclosetolockingoutthelift.
Thisisthemostcommonrangetomissabenchpress.Sincethebarshouldbe
roughlyoveryourupperchestorshouldersatthispoint,yourshoulders
shouldntbethelimitingfactor.Additionally,yourpecsandshouldersareina
muchsaferrangeofmotionbythispoint,sotheissuesthatcancause
instabilityinthebottomoftheliftaremuchlesslikelytoplayamajorrole.As
such,therearereallyonlytwomajorfactorsthatcauseamissthroughthe
midrange:
1. Improperbarpath
.Ifthebarshootsstraightupoffyourchestinsteadofup
andslightlyback,yourejustmakingtheliftunnecessarilydifficult
especiallyforyourshoulders.Correctingyourbarpathwillprobablyhelp
youbenchmorerightaway.
2. Youjustneedtogetstronger:pecsandtricepsspecifically.Thisis
most
likely
yourissue.Thisisjusttheweakestpointinthelift.Thesummed
jointmomentsforhorizontalflexionandelbowextensionareatpeaklevels
ornearpeaklevels,thestretchreflexhasdissipated,andsinceyourmuscles
arentstretchedquiteasmuchanymore,youllbegettinglesshelpfrom
yourmusclespassivecontractileproperties(youreinthedipofthegreen
totaltensionlineonthelength/tensiongraphabove).Ifyouhaveasolid

barpathandyoumissthroughthemidrange,thatsagoodthingitlets
youknowyouprobablydonthaveanyspecificglaringweaknesses,andthat
youjustneedtokeeptrainingyourbenchhardandgettingstrongeroverall.

Missing at lockout
Lockoutshouldbethestrongestpartofthelift.However,itsnota
super
uncommonstickingpoint.Similartomidrange,itsalotsimplerthanthe
bottomofthepress.Therearealsotwomajorfactorsthatcancauseamissat
lockout.
1. Improperelbowposition.Asyoupress,youshouldflareyourelbowsand
internallyrotateyourshoulders.Mosttakecareoftheinternalrotation
naturallyastheyflaretheirelbowswhiledrivingthebarupandbackoff
theirchest.However,somepeoplesimplyrepositionthebarwithout
internallyrotatingtheirshouldersenough(thisisespeciallycommonfor
peoplewhousethebendthebarcuediscussedabovekeepinmind,that
cueisforstayingtightwhileloweringthebar,
not
forthepressitself).That
givestheirpecsaslightlylessefficientlineofpullagainsttheirhumerus,
and
itdoesntallowthemtoputasmuchlateralforceintothebarviatheir
triceps.Ifyoumissatlockout,checkyourelbowpositionthey
should
be
facingawayfromeachother,towardoppositewalls.Iftheyrefacingmore
forward,thensimplyscrewingyourelbowsoutwardasyouapproach
lockoutshouldmaketheendofthepressabreeze.
2. Youjustneedtogetstronger.Somepeople
are
justplainweakestatlockout
insteadofthroughthemidrange.Iffixingyourelbowpositiondoesntfix
yourlockoutwoes,youprobablyjustneedtogetyourpecsandtriceps
stronger.


Topisincorrectshouldersstillexternallyrotatedwithelbowspointingmoreforward.Bottomis
correctshouldersinternallyrotatedwithelbowspointedouttotheside.Thiswillmakelockout
mucheasier.

Section 4 Common Questions/Issues and

Other Miscellaneous Topics
Cuing the bench press
Roughlyinorder:
1. Squeezetheshitoutofthebar.
2. Bendthebar/ripthebarinhalf(whileloweringit).
3. Chestup/Inflateyourstomach(ifyoubenchtouchandgo,orwithasoft
pause).
4. Heelsthroughthefloor/squeezeglutes(forlegdrive).
5. Flare(togetthebarbackoveryourshoulders).
6. Screwyourshouldersout(tomakesureelbowsarefacingoutforlockout).

Theseareyourcuesforspecificpartsofthelift.
Apartfromthosecontextualcues,thegeneralcuesyouuseforthebenchpress
shoulddependonyourgoals.Externalcues(whatyouwantyoubodytodo.
Inthiscase,throwthebarthroughtheceiling!Explode!orsomething
similar)aregenerallymorebeneficialforperformance.Internalcues(what
youwanttofeel.Inthiscase,somethinglikesqueezeyourpecs),onthe
otherhand,maybealittlemorebeneficialforhypertrophy.Researchhas
shownthatexternalcuesleadtofasterbarspeedandgreaterforceapplication,
whileinternalcuesleadtohigherpecmuscleactivation(withweightsbelow
80%ofyourmax).

What about the reverse-grip bench press?

Thereversegripbenchisaforgottenartform.ItshowImstrongest,
personally(Ivebenched455and4055witharegulargrip,and475and
4058withareversegrip
),anditsprobablyabetterupperpecdeveloperthan
benchwithapronatedgrip.
Theclavicularfibersofyourpecs(upperchest)areorientedinawaythat
allowsthemtoaidquiteabitinshoulderflexion.Withthereversegripbench,
youllgenerallytouchthebarquiteabitloweronyourchest/stomach,getting
yourupperpecsabitmoreinvolvedinthelift.
Researchhasshown
that
reversegripbenchwithawidegripproducesroughly2530%moreupperpec
muscleactivationthanbenchwithapronatedgrip.
Forthesamereason,reversegripbenchis
generally
morechallengingfor
yourfrontdeltsaswell.Additionally,its
way
harderforyourbicepsthe

samestudy
foundthatbicepsmuscleactivationwasroughlytwiceashighfor
reversegripbenchthanbenchingwithapronatedgrip.Now,thebiceps
probablystillwontbealimitingfactorformostpeople,thoughthey
may
be
forsomepowerlifterswhotendtogrosslyneglectbicepstraining.
Ifyouhaveshoulderorelbowissueswhenbenching,itsworthgivingthe
reversegripbenchashot.Foralotofpeople,itsmuchmorecomfortable
thanbenchingwithapronatedgripbecauseitallowsyourshoulderstobe
externallyrotated(sotheresalowerriskofimpingement,andyouhavea
lowerriskofmedialelbowpain).However,forotherpeople,itsmuch
less
comfortablethanbenchingwithapronatedgripmanypeoplecant

comfortablysupinatetheirforearmswellenough,itputsaprettyfairamount
ofstressonyourwristssinceyou
have
toreversegripbenchwithyourwrists
cockedback,anditputsafairamountofstressonyourbicepstendonsandthe
othermuscles/tendons/ligamentsonthefrontofyourshoulder.Ifyouget
shoulderorelbowpainwhenbenchingwithapronatedgrip,itscertainly
worthashot,though.
Onemorethingworthmentioningaboutthereversegripbench:Makesure
youhaveacompetentspotterwhenbenchingwiththistechnique.Ifoneisnt
available,thenbenchinapowerrackwithsafetypinsthatwillcatchthebarif
youaccidentallydropit.Withheavyloads,yourgripwillbemuchlesssecure,
anditsmuchhardertoselfunrackthebar.Freakbenchpressaccidentscan
happenwithbothgrips,butIdassumetheyremorelikelywithareversegrip,
andtheydcertainlybemoredisastrous:Ifyoudropthebarwithapronated
grip,itsfallingonyourribcage.Ifyoudropthebarwithareversegrip,its
fallingonyourthroat.
Thefinalthingtomentionaboutthereversegripbenchisthatitsnotallowed
inpowerliftingcompetitionsinmostfederations.Thisdoesntmatterifyou
dontplanoncompeting,butitmaybeadealbreakerforsomecompetitors.
Takeaway:Thereversegripbenchisdefinitelyworthashotasanupperpec
builder,andforpeoplewhohaveshoulderorelbowpainwhenbenchingwith
apronatedgrip.However,youshouldDEFINITELYhaveagoodspotterifyou
wanttotryitout,oryoushoulddoitinapowerrackwiththesafetypinssetat

aheightthatwouldcatchthebarbeforeitcouldhityourthroatifyouneedto
reversegripbenchsolo.

Thepressingstrongforreversegripbenchpress.Noticethattheelbowsarepointedmoreforward
thantheywouldbeforregularbenchpress(moreshoulderexternalrotation).Thismakesthereverse
gripbenchalotmorecomfortableforsomepeoplewithshoulderissues.

Should I mix things up with incline and decline?

Inclinepresswilltrainyourfrontdeltsslightlyharderthanflatbenchwill,and
maybeyourupperpecsaswell.However,
basedontheavailableresearch
,it
seemslikeinclinestilldoesntchallengeyourupperpecsquiteasmuchreverse
gripbenchingwithawidegripdoes.Thismatchesmyownexperienceaswell.
Inclinepressneverseemstomakemyupperchestsupersore,butifIreverse
gripbenchafteracoupleofmonthsawayfromthemovement,myupperpecs
alwaysgetoutrageouslysore.
Ifatallpossible,inclinepresswithalowincline(1530degrees)ifyoure
primarilyinclinepressingtotrainyourpecs.Mostinclinebenchesat
commercialgymsareata45degreeangle,whichseemstoshiftwaytoomuch
oftheemphasistoyourdelts.IfyourgymhasadjustableDBbenchesanda
powerrack,youcandolowinclinepressoutoftherack,though.Inmy
brocertifiedopinion,thismakesthemovementabetterpecdeveloperand
doesntstraintheshoulderjointquiteasmuch.
Inmypersonalopinion,declinepressisprimarilyanegolift.It
can
beasolid
benchsubstituteforsomepeoplewithshoulderproblemssinceitseasierto
naturallylimitrangeofmotion,butformostpeopleitdoesnthavemuchofa
payoff.Therangeofmotionisshorterandmuscleactivationintheprime
moversiseither
thesameorloweracrosstheboard
whencomparedtoflat
bench.Dipsareamuchbettermovementtotrainyourpecsandtricepsatthat
pressinganglesinceyourscapulaecanstillmovefreely,andsinceyoucan
achievegreaterrangeofmotion.

Can I maximize chest and triceps development with JUST the

bench press?
Canyougrowyourchestandtricepsifyouprimarilyjustfocusonthebench
press?Sure.
Willthebenchpress,alone,maximizechestandtricepsdevelopment?
Probablynot.
Forstarters,
researchhasshown
thatdifferentregionsofamuscleare
activatedandgrowtodifferentdegreesbasedontheexerciseperformed.So,
tofullydeveloptheentiretyofamuscle,youllneedsomeexercisevariety.
Youdontneedtotakethefullonmuscleconfusionroute,butyoushould
probablyhaveatleast23movementsinyourtrainingroutinetargetingeach
muscleifoverallhypertrophyisyourgoal.
Thisisdoublytrueforthelongheadofthetriceps.Thelongheadofyour
tricepsisatwojointmuscle.
Theothertwoheadsonlycrosstheelbow
,while
thelongheadalsocrossestheshouldertoaidinshoulderextension.
Research
hasshown
thatthelongheadofthetricepsisntactivatedtothesamedegree
astheothertwoheadsinpureelbowextensiontasksuntilthemusclesare
nearmaximallychallenged,oruntiltheygetveryfatigued.Becauseofthat,
thebenchprobablydoesnttrainthelongheadofyourtricepsnearlyasmuch
astheothertwoheads.Toroundouttricepsdevelopment,movementswith
highershoulderextensiondemands(likeoverheadtricepsextensionsor
hybridskullcrusher/pullovers)willhelpgrowthelongheadofthetriceps.

What should I do about elbow and shoulder pain at the bottom

of the bench?
Ifthepainissevere,ifithasstuckaroundformorethanacoupleofweeks,or
ifitpersistsoutsidethegym,seeaphysicaltherapistandcompletelydisregard
therestofthissection.Thissectionisnotforyou.Youneedtoseek
professionalhelp.
Ifitsjustaminorirritation,anditreallyonlybothersyouabitwhenyoure
training,thenreadon.
Shoulderpaincouldcomefromalotofdifferentsources,frommild
impingement(potentiallyfromnotretractingyourshoulderbladeswhenyou
setup),toabitofcapsularinflammation(justfromtherepetitivestressof
benchinghard),totendonitisattheoriginofyourbiceps(whichoriginatejust
aboveyourshoulder).
Formostpeople,thesefivethingswillhelp,whencoupledwitha3050%
reductioninbenchvolumeuntilthediscomfortsubsides:
1. Makesureyourshoulderbladesareretracted.Ifyoualreadyretractyour
shoulderblades,thentryplayingaroundwithhowmuchyoudepressor
elevateyourscapulaewhensettingup.Ipersonallyfeelabitofshoulder
discomfortwhenretractinganddepressingmyscapulae,butmyshoulders
feelgreatwithretractionandveryslightelevation.
2. Makesureyouredoingpullingmovements(likerowsandpullups)to
providestabilityforthejoint.Ifyourshouldersarebuggingyou,makesure
youredoingatleastonesetofupperbodypullingforeachsetofpressing.

3. Trainyourexternalrotatorsthroughafairamountofinternalrotation.
Thismovement
ismygoto.Notonlydoyourexternalrotatorsneedtobe
strong,buttheyalsoneedtobeextensibleenoughtoallowyourshoulders
togetintoenough
internal
rotation.Thismovementwillhelpyou
strengthenandmobilizeyourexternalrotatorsintheplaneyoullbe
benching.
4. Addinsomepushupswithscapularprotractionatthetop(oftencalled

pushupsplus
).Thiswillhelptrainyourserratusanterior,whichaidsin
stabilizingyourscapulae.Mostpeopleneglecttheirserratusanteriorto
theirowndetriment(althoughifyourealreadydoingotherpressing
movementsthatallowyourscapulaetomovefreelylikeoverheadpressor
dipsyoureprobablyfine).
5. Addinsomeinclinecurlsandlightflyes.Alotofliftersgettightpecsand
biceps,andlooseningthemupwhilebuildingalittlemorestrengththrough
alongerthannecessaryrangeofmotioncanworkwonders.Withthe
inclinecurls,pullyourshoulderbladestogether,pushyourchesthigh,and
turnyourpalmsoutalittlebit(insteadoflettingthemfacestraightahead).
Youshouldfeelagoodstretchinyourbicepsasyoulowereachrep.Dont
cheatrangeofmotiononthese,andmakesureyouregettingasolidstretch
for23secondsoneachrep.Fortheflyes,beconservativewithloading.I
generallydontgoover2025lbs,evenwithabenchinthemid400syou
wanttobeabletostretchyourpecstomakesuretheyhavemorethan
enoughrangeofmotionforthebenchpress,withoutputtingatonofextra
stressonyourshoulders.Playaroundwithhowmuchyouabductyour
shoulderstoseewhereyougetthebeststretch,andlowereachreptothe
pointthatyoufeelaslightstretch,holdingthestretchedpositionfor23
seconds.Trytogetabitloweroneachrepifpossible.Forbothofthese
movements,setsof1520tendtoworkbesttoallowenoughloadingthat

youcanactuallystretchthemuscleandhaveameaningfultrainingeffect
withoutaddingtoomuchstresstothejoints.

Inclinecurls:mygotobicepsexerciseforhappyelbowswithheavybenchtraining.

Manyelbowissuesstartasshoulderissues,evenwithoutshoulderpain.Ifthe
shoulderswontinternallyrotateenough,thatcanstressthemedialsideofthe
elbow.Ifyourelbowsbugyouabitwhenyoubenchpressregularly,butyou
canreversegripbench(withyourshoulders
externally
rotated)painfree,
thenyourelbowissueislikelystartingatyourshoulder.Ifthatsthecase
medialelbowpainthatgoesawayorissignificantlydiminishedwithpressing
withaneutralorunderhandgripthengivetherecommendedexercises
aboveashot.
Ifitssometendernessmoreonthebacksideofyourelbow,rightonyour
olecranonorjustaboveit,thenitsprobablytricepstendonitis.Fortendonitis,
restisyourallyavoidheavypressingforafewweeks,andtheneasebackinto
itslowly.Whileyoureawayfromheavypressing,someeccentrictrainingcan
bebeneficial(
this
articletalksabitaboutmechanismsthisisntarehab
article,butifyoureinterestedinpursuingthistopicfurther,justpubmed
searchtendonitiseccentricexerciseortendinopathyeccentricexerciseand
lotsofgreatinfowillcomeup).Thisiseasiesttodowithatrainingpartner
andexercisemachines.Getyourpartnertohelpyouraisetheweight,and
thenloweritundercontrol(23secondeccentric)byyourself.Startwitha
weightwhereyoullbebelowyourpainthreshold(halftheweightyoud
generallyuseforthatexerciseisagoodstartingpoint)whenloweringtheload,
andgetyourpartnertohelpyouenoughontheconcentricthatyoustaybelow
yourpainthresholdwhileliftingtheloadaswell.
Timeawayfromheavypressingcoupledwitheccentricexercisecanhelppec
tendonitisaswell.

Thefinalcommonissuepeoplehavewhenbenchingisdiscomfortatthe
bicepsinsertion(neartheelbowonthefrontside).Thesamebasicstrategy
(restandeccentricexercise)canhelpthisissueaswell.Onceyourbiceps
insertionstartsfeelingmorecomfortable,addintheinclinecurlstomakesure
themusclestayslooseandstrongthroughafullrangeofmotion.Onceits
feeling100%again,addinregulartrainingforyourbiceps,justasyoudtrain
yourtriceps.Anecdotally,bicepspainwhenbenchingtendstobemost
commonwithpowerlifterswhohavereallystrongtriceps,butwhotendto
neglecttheirbiceps.
Finaldisclaimer:Imnotaphysicaltherapist,andeverythinginthissection
shouldsimplybetakenasmyobservationsfrombiomechanicalreasoning,my
owntraining,andfromtheclientsIveworkedwith.Donttakeanyofittobe
ahardandfastprescription.Ifyoureinquiteabitofdiscomfortwhen
benching,seeaphysicaltherapist.

How do I choose a grip width? What are the pros and cons to
each?
Forstrength,thenameofthegameistroubleshooting.
Oddsare,yourstrongestgrip
rightnow
willsimplybetheoneyouveusedthe
mostuptothispoint,sincestrengthisquitespecific.Youresimplythemost
skilledwiththegripyouusethemostoften.However,thatdoesnt
necessarily
meanthatyourcurrentgripgivesyouthemostpotentialtobethestrongest.

Most(thoughnotall)worldclassbenchersbenchwithawidegrip.Infact,
mostofthembenchwiththemaximumlegalgripwidthwiththeirpointer
fingersonthegriprings81cmapart.
Itmakessensethatawidegripshouldbethestrongestgrip.Rangeofmotion
willbeshorter,thoughthatisnta
huge
issuesincefatiguelikelywontplaya
roleina1rmattempt.However,horizontalabductionandshoulderextension
rangeofmotionwillalsobeshortenedatthebottomofthelift,andthat
is
likelymeaningfulandbeneficial.Additionally,withawidegrip,younaturally
wonttouchthebarquiteaslowonyourchest,whichmakestheliftabiteasier
onyourfrontdelts.Furthermore,withawidegrip,themidrangeandlockout
willgenerallybeeasieraswell,sincethepecswontbequiteasshortened
(closertorestinglength=capableofproducingmoreforce)sinceawidegrip
inherentlymeanstheshoulderswillbemorehorizontallyextendedatany
givenpointinthemovement.
However,awidegripmaynotbestrongest
foryou
.Totroubleshoot,simply
workuptoaround80%ofyourmaxwithyourstrongestgrip.Thendo23
singleswithagripthats12incheswider.Thendo23singleswithagrip
thats12inchesnarrower.Dideitherofthosegripsfeelalmostasstrongas
yourtypicalgrip,inspiteofhavingnotpracticedwithit?Ifso,stickwiththat
forabouthalfofyourpressingforamonthortwo(youcanjustalternateit
withyournormalgrip,tradingoffeachset).Ifyourstrengthwithyournew
gripsurpassesyourstrengthwithcurrentgripwidth,stickwithit,and
experimentevenfurtherinthatdirection(i.e.if1inchwiderthanyourprior

gripwasstronger,try23incheswidernext).Ifnot,stickwithyourcurrent
gripwidthandexperimentintheotherdirection.
Forbuildingmuscle,amoremoderategripisprobablybetterasadefaultgrip
widthmaybe1.5xshoulderwidth,whichworksouttoaroundpinkyfingers
onthegripringsformostpeople.Thiswillallowaslightlylongerrangeof
motionthanbenchingwithawidegrip,whichisprobablygoingtobebetter
forhypertrophy.Forthesamereason,Ithinkalotofpowerliftersshouldgeta
decentamountoftheirbenchvolumewithagripslightlynarrowerthanthe
onetheycompetewithaswell.
Ingeneral,benchingwithawidegripallowsmostpeopletoliftmoreweight,
itsgenerallyeasierontheelbows,butitmaynotbequiteasgoodforbuilding
muscle(duetolimitedROM)andmayincreaseriskofshoulderimpingement
(sinceyourshoulderswillbeslightlymoreabducted).
Ontheotherhand,benchingwithanarrowergripprobablywontletyouliftas
muchweight,butitmaybeabetteroverallmassbuilderduetotheincreased
rangeofmotion.Yourshoulderimpingementriskisprobablylowerwitha
closergrip,butthemovementmayberougheronyourelbows,andanterior
shoulderstressisquiteabithighersinceshoulderflexiondemandswill
typicallybehigher.

What should I do about wrist pain?

Firstthingsfirst,checkyourwristposition.Iftheyrecockedback,thenjust
sitthebarabitlowerinyourpalmanddontcockyourwristsbackquiteas
much.
Ifissuespersist,getsome
wristwraps
.Thatshouldfixtheissue.
Ifthepainisonthethumbsideofyourwrist,considerbringingyourgripina
littlebit.Thewiderthegrip,thegreatertheoddsareofatendongetting
pinchedonthemedialsideofyourwrist,orthemedialsideofthejointjust
gettingcompresseduncomfortably.

How can I improve my arch?

Gettingabiggerarchcanbereallyusefulforacompetitor,anditallcomes
downtoonething:beingabletogetmorespinalextension.Therearent
reallyanytrickstohelpyougetabiggerarch.Itreallyjustallcomesdown
tostretching.Thecobraposecanbeagoodintroductorystretch.Simplylying
withyourlowerthoracicspineacrossafoamrollerandrelaxingacrossthe
rollercanhelploosenupyourthoracicspinesothatitwillextendabitmore
(thoracicextensionwillmakeabiggerdifferencethanlumbarextensionfor
gettingyourchesthigher).


Cobrapose

Oneotherthingyoucandoissimplybenchwithafoamrollerbelowyourback
forlightersubmaximalsetsbeforeyourregularbenchwork.Thatwillhelpget
youusedtobenchingwithabiggerarch(whichwillpayoffonceyourarchhas

improved)andhelploosenyourbackupforwhenyouremovethefoamroller
foryourheaviersets.

Ifyouwanttotakethingsevenfurtherthanthat,
thisstretch
isusedbyalotof
gymnastssotheycanworktowardbeingabletodobackbendsthesame
stretchwillhelpyouimproveyourbencharch.

What should I do about my back/hips cramping?

Shortanswer:Suckitupfornow.
Ifyoubenchwithatightarch,crampshappensometimes.Stretchingyour
backandhipsbeforeyoubenchcanhelp,butsometimesyourejustgoingto

cramp.Ifyourenewtoarchingandgettingatightbenchsetup,restassured
thatthefrequencyofcrampstendstodecreaseovertime.
Ofcourse,ifyourenotprimarilybenchingforthesolepurposeofliftingas
muchasyoupossiblycan,youcanjustgetinaslightlyloosersetupandnot
uselegdriveasaggressively,andthatllprobablyfixtheissuerightaway.

How can I keep my butt from coming off the bench?

Theeasiestthingtodoistoplayaroundwithfootposition.Oddsare,ifyour
buttcancomeoffthebench,youeitherneedtopushyourfeetfarthertothe
sides,oryouneedtopullthemfartherback.
Also,whenyougetlegdrive,trytopushforwardintothefloor(likeyoure
tryingtopushyourbutttowardyourshoulders),notstraightup.

How can I improve my leg drive?

Practicepracticepractice.Usinglegdriveeffectivelytakesgreattiming,which
maynotbeeasywhenyouretryingtobenchreallyheavyloads.Justkeeping
inmindthatthepurposeistopushyourchestbackandupintothebar(versus
justdrivingyourfeetthroughthefloorwithnocleardirection)willhelpguide
thatpractice.

How much should I tuck my elbows?

Idiscussedthisissueinmoredetail
inthisarticle
.Inshort,though,youwant
yourelbowstucked
enough
thatyoucantouchthebarinthecorrectspot

lowerchesttoupperstomach,generallynearthebottomofthesternumjust
belowthepecsbutnot
somuch
thatyourelbowswindupveryfarinfrontof
thebar.Ingeneral,theanglebetweenyourupperarmandtorsoshouldbe
around4560degrees.
It
is
okayforyourelbowstobe
slightly
infrontofthebarwhenthebarson
yourchestinordertohelpdriveitbackoveryourupperchestatthestartof
thepress.Havingyourelbowsaninch(ormaybetwo)infrontofthebaris
sufficientforthatpurpose.Morethanthatandyoureovertuckingyour
elbows.

What should I do about uneven extension?

Therearetwobasictypesofunevenextension.
Forsomepeople,theylockoutonearmfirst,andneverhaveanyissues
lockingouttheotherarm.Forthesepeople,thearmtheylockoutfirstis
generallytheweakerarmthestrongerarmsupportstheloadwhilethe
weakerarmgetstopresstheweightoutatanangle,insteadofstraightup.
Thinkaboutitlikeonlytryingtoliftonesideofthebarwhendeadlifting
thatsaloteasierthanliftingtheentirebar.
Forotherpeople,thelaggingarmsimplywontlockout.Forthosepeople,the
laggingsideisgenerallytheweakside.

Simplydomoreworkdedicatedtobringinguptheweakshoulder/pec/triceps
singlearmfrontdeltraises,singlearmDBpress,singlearmflyes,etc.That
shouldgraduallyaddresstheproblem.

What are some other bench press variations I can try?

Benchwithavarietyofdifferentgrips(bothwidth,andpronated/supinated)
Floorpress
Benchwithfeetup
Spotopress
Pinpress
fromvaryingheights
Boardpress
withvariousboards
Benchagainstbands
Benchwithaddedchainweight
Benchwithaslingshot
DBbenchpress
Benchwithacambered(MacDonald)bar

Benchwithafootballbar
Benchwithpausesofvaryinglengths

At the end of the day

Ultimately,technicalimprovements
can
helpyourbenchpressdramatically
(forbothstrengthandlongevity).However,technicalimprovementsarent
goingtogiveyouahugebenchpresstheysimplyallowyoutogetallthe
strengthpossibleoutofyourcurrentmusclemass.
Innationalandworldclasspowerlifters
,theresa
very
strongcorrelation
betweenbenchpressstrengthtotalupperbodymusclethickness.Jackedness
aloneexplainsabout7075%ofthevariationbetweendifferentliftersbench
pressstrength,whichmeansfactorsliketechniqueandbodyproportions(like
thelongarmspeopleliketoblamefortheirsubparbenchpresses)only
accountfortheother2530%whencomparingpeoplewhoareproficient
benchers.


Improvingyourskillasabenchercanmakeabigdifferenceforanoviceor
intermediatelifter,butultimatelyifyouwanttoreachyourfullpotentialinthe
benchpress,youneedto
putonasmuchupperbodymusclemass
aspossible.
Ifyoualreadyhavegoodtechniquebutyourbenchpressisstalled,the
prescriptionissimple:increaseyourtrainingvolume,makesureyoureeating
enoughprotein
,andincreaseyourcalorieintake.

Sources
Artur.
ChangesofBioelectricalMuscleActivityDuringAscendingPhaseFlat
BenchPressing
.

Barnett.
EffectsofVariationsoftheBenchPressExerciseontheEMGActivity
ofFiveShoulderMuscles
.
Clemons.
EffectofGripWidthontheMyoelectricActivityofthePrimeMovers
intheBenchPress
.
Corrao.
WeightTrainingModificationsfortheIndividualWithAnterior
ShoulderInstability
.
Duffey.
ABiomechanicalAnalysisoftheBenchPress.
Elliott.
Abiomechanicalanalysisofthestickingregioninthebenchpress
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Glass.
ElectromyographicalActivityofthePectoralisMuscleDuringIncline
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.
Gomo.
Theeffectsofgripwidthonstickingregioninbenchpress
.
GonzlezBadillo.
Maximalintendedvelocitytraininginducesgreatergainsin
benchpressperformancethandeliberatelyslowerhalfvelocitytraining
.
Green.
TheAffectofGripWidthonBenchPressPerformanceandRiskof
Injury
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Jagessar.
Optimizingpositionofthehorizontalbenchpressusingsurface
electromyography
.

Jenkins.
Muscleactivationduringthreesetstofailureat80vs.30%1RM
resistanceexercise
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Lauver.
Influenceofbenchangleonupperextremitymuscularactivation
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Lehman.
TheInfluenceofGripWidthandForearmPronation/Supinationon
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Madsen.
KinematicFactorsinfluencingperformanceininjuryriskinthe
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McLaughlin.
BenchPressMoreNow:BreakthroughsinBiomechanicsand
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Naimo.
Contextualinterferenceeffectsontheacquisitionofskillandstrength
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Padulo.
Effectofdifferentpushingspeedsonbenchpress
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Pearson.
Kinematicsandkineticsofthebenchpressandbenchpullexercises
inastrengthtrainedsportingpopulation
.
Pinto.
RelationshipBetweenWorkloadandNeuromuscularActivityinthe
BenchPressExercise
.

Reynolds.
Predictionofonerepetitionmaximumstrengthfrommultiple
repetitionmaximumtestingandanthropometry
.
Saeterbakken.
Electromyographicactivityand6RMstrengthinbenchpress
onstableandunstablesurfaces
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Saeterbakken.
Acomparisonofmuscleactivityand1RMstrengthofthree
chestpressexerciseswithdifferentstabilityrequirements
.
Schick.
AcomparisonofmuscleactivationbetweenaSmithmachineandfree
weightbenchpress
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McCaw.
AComparisonofMuscleActivityBetweenAFreeWeightand
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vandenTillaar.
Istheoccurrenceofthestickingregiontheresultof
diminishingpotentiationinbenchpress?
vandenTillaar.
Acomparisonofsuccessfulandunsuccessfulattemptsin
maximalbenchpressing
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vandenTillaar.
Thestickingperiodinamaximumbenchpress
.
vandenTillaar.
Acomparisonofmuscleactivityinconcentricandcounter
movementmaximumbenchpress
.

vandenTillaar.
Fatigueeffectsuponstickingregionandelectromyographyin
asixrepetitionmaximumbenchpress
.