Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest?

adam_5kids


i disagree with the bar touching your chest, i have always done an inch from it. i always see guys down the gym who bounce it off there chest with out realising, aiding the bar on the concentric phase

That is a reason not to bounce the bar of the chest, not a reason not to do full ROM.

adam_5kids


i disagree with the bar touching your chest, i have always done an inch from it. i always see guys down the gym who bounce it off there chest with out realising, aiding the bar on the concentric phase

Why do you disagree with touching? A touch is not the same thing as a bounce.

Its all about the touch n go :)

A touch is not the same thing as a bounce.

I'm not sure if I touch or bounce.  I've started to lower the weight much faster than before, pulling and arching to bring my chest to the bar.  Maybe I should pause on the chest though ?

Does everyone else lower the bar fast  ?

LMC

I can see benefits in lowering as far as your available ROM (i.e. as far as is possible as opposed to all the way to the chest) assuming the lack of ROM is due to injury rather than too heavy weight lifted.

Simply put, if it's uncomfortable or painful - don't do it!!

^^^2nd that. The best range of movement is the one that allows you to do the most work over a long period of time. (work=adaption=muscle)

LMC

A reduced ROM will result in reduced pectoral activity. Sure, your triceps will get a great workout by stopping short of the chest, but it's predominantly a chest exercise so full ROM at the bottom of the movement should be employed to make the most of the pectoral involvement.

If it's too painful, try widening the grip or doing Bench Press later in the routine when your upper body is fully warmed up and less weight can be used for a similar result.

The problem is this; it's actually the shoulder blades that control a lot of what happens on your shoulder, unfortunately when bench pressing you're lying on them so their movement is minimised unless you fix it down and away. Most benches don't make it that easy.

just that i have been taught to do an inch from my chest,suppose its due to the injury factor.all that weight bearing on your chest. but its personal preference i suppose. an like i said sum people do tend to bounce it off their chest without realising,or even take a slight rest. didnt say everyone does.

touching the bar on your chest in a controlled manner is not weight bearing in on it.
even pausing in powerlifting. Its still not bearing in on your chest.
Push press will have a bigger bearing affect.

Technically you shouldnt touch your chest with the bar. First of all you can damage your sternum/thorax.  Ive actually seen guys slamming the bar off their chest giving them a slight advantage on the way back up. The only instance in which you should be touching your chest is will a spotter to make sure you arent hitting your ribs hard

red_devil_2007


Technically you shouldnt touch your chest with the bar. First of all you can damage your sternum/thorax.  Ive actually seen guys slamming the bar off their chest giving them a slight advantage on the way back up. The only instance in which you should be touching your chest is will a spotter to make sure you arent hitting your ribs hard

Totally wrong. Dont smash the bar off your chest (obviously), touch/pause in a controlled manner, but still TOUCH IT! Otherwise its not a bench press!

red_devil_2007


Technically you shouldnt touch your chest with the bar. First of all you can damage your sternum/thorax.  Ive actually seen guys slamming the bar off their chest giving them a slight advantage on the way back up. The only instance in which you should be touching your chest is will a spotter to make sure you arent hitting your ribs hard

As long as its controlled and not resting on your neck you will be fine. Even resting a barbell on your ribs and there be fine.
slamming is totaly different.

Absolutely!
 
Injuries are obviously more important so if you cant, dont.
 
But if you can, shoulder blades back, chest up, legs and glutes tensed, lower slowly to chest, TOUCH IT, and press back up.
 
I can put a mug down on a glass table without damaging it. Its the same with the bench.
 
If you cant control it its too heavy.

Look at the generic raw bench press, if your technique is 100% spot on and you have problem with depth then try the dumbbell game. If your technique is off i.e lifting your ass off the bench, shoulders not in contact with the bench, bouncing the bar off the chest then deload and get your technique right.

red_devil_2007


Technically you shouldnt touch your chest with the bar. First of all you can damage your sternum/thorax.  Ive actually seen guys slamming the bar off their chest giving them a slight advantage on the way back up. The only instance in which you should be touching your chest is will a spotter to make sure you arent hitting your ribs hard

lol
 
 

red_devil_2007


Technically you shouldnt touch your chest with the bar. First of all you can damage your sternum/thorax.  Ive actually seen guys slamming the bar off their chest giving them a slight advantage on the way back up. The only instance in which you should be touching your chest is will a spotter to make sure you arent hitting your ribs hard

And technically, you just gave completely wrong advice. Good job.

Technically you shouldnt touch your chest with the bar. First of all you can damage your sternum/thorax.

Ha ha ha ha .... what rubbish..

How slowly do you guys lower the weight ?  I find that I can probably lift more if the negative is not too prolonged.

The problem I can see is the faster you lower the weight the faster you have to change direction which could lead to a bounce or percieved as one.

I had this discussion at the gym.  It was suggested that I lower the weight faster since too much of a prolonged eccentric muscle can tire the muscle out.

Then a couple of weeks ago I had the old you're bouncing the weight of your chest.

The other thing is it's very hard to set yourself up correctly without a 'hand off' ?

Does anyone successfully bench 'heavy' without a spotter or hand-off ?

my negative phase on the movements is controlled.

Controlling the wieght is more important than worrying about tempo.
If I actively slow the negative down I end up doing less reps and less work.

red_devil_2007


Technically you shouldnt touch your chest with the bar. First of all you can damage your sternum/thorax.  Ive actually seen guys slamming the bar off their chest giving them a slight advantage on the way back up. The only instance in which you should be touching your chest is will a spotter to make sure you arent hitting your ribs hard

To make sure you aren't smashing your ribs hard??... i've never seen anyone bench press with the bar that much forward that it would come down onto their ribs. Sounds like a very weird thing to say. When i bring the bar down (and im sure its the same for most people) it comes down onto my chest, not ribs. Unless i've misunderstood you?

I gotta agree with Adam, i go to an inch from the chest. I have had injuries especially in and around the shoulder (Rotator Cuff) by going all the way to the chest.

Jazz


How slowly do you guys lower the weight ?  I find that I can probably lift more if the negative is not too prolonged.
I do a controlled negative but I don't deliberately slow it down because I, like you, am affected if I prolong the negative.

The problem I can see is the faster you lower the weight the faster you have to change direction which could lead to a bounce or percieved as one.

I had this discussion at the gym.  It was suggested that I lower the weight faster since too much of a prolonged eccentric muscle can tire the muscle out.

Then a couple of weeks ago I had the old you're bouncing the weight of your chest.

The other thing is it's very hard to set yourself up correctly without a 'hand off' ?
Yes, I hate not having a "hand off" for the heavier sets because I lose my set-up and my back arch.

Does anyone successfully bench 'heavy' without a spotter or hand-off ? 
I don't bench "heavy" with a spotter or hand-off but I still do sets using 100 for reps without both.