Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest?

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (Tommy Gun)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:00:12 GMT

I see a lot of guys on here saying to close your blades (and I assume arch the back!?)

I always used to flat bench this way as its how I naturally lay when benching. I found although I could lift more I was engaging the lower pecs too much and just seemed to be developing the lower and lateral parts.

When I changed my posture to open the shoulder blades, I naturally lost the arch and started engaging right fibre's- and my chest visibly improved.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (Varg)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:20:35 GMT

iaink

Varg- you realise that what your are doing will not prevent and injury? It is in fact false logic. In that if you miss a lift you will still be in the same trouble if you touched the chest as not. Not touching the chest infact will lead to a bigger risk of injury as you'll be using a load too heavy for full ROM when you finally do miss.

Same as not going into the hole when squating.

NB If you bench in your own do not use collars.

I see now.
Next time I'll just work on full ROM, even if it means lowering the weight.

Thanks.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (iaink)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:06:02 GMT

Varg- you realise that what your are doing will not prevent and injury? It is in fact false logic. In that if you miss a lift you will still be in the same trouble if you touched the chest as not. Not touching the chest infact will lead to a bigger risk of injury as you'll be using a load too heavy for full ROM when you finally do miss.

Same as not going into the hole when squating.

NB If you bench in your own do not use collars.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (yungdest81)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:46:26 GMT

Cannot see the point in not touching the chest and locking the arms, its cheating.

Unless it hurts of course.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (Varg)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:41:35 GMT

Have to admit I don't touch chest when I'm lifting my maximum.

Think this is because I train alone and am paranoid about not being able to get the weight back up if I go too low.

You could say I should use a lighter weight but I train bench twice a week - once with lower weight, concentrating on full ROM for higher reps, and once using a heavier weight for about 5 reps where I don't go to chest, for safety.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (Dav)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:41:52 GMT

As a beginner intermediate trainer then do the exercise with a full ROM and don't bounce obviously. As an advanced trainer or PLer then you can break the movement up to achieve specific goals i.e. lockouts for triceps, board presses etc.. when trying to test my maximum bench I would do a full ROM touch and go (I was a BBer not a PLer) but would often do the exercise, coming to an inch or so off chest and not locking out in a continuous fashion which was for me an effective chest builder. Now both my shoulders have had it lol, I can't lock out for the pain other than light sets and the last inch or so at the bottom is excruciating so I don't do it.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (bruce.e)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:41:49 GMT

Definitely don't bench to your chest if it hurts, but I personally touch my chest because that is the correct way to bench press. The best thing to do is find out why it's hurting you when you bench to your chest. If it's something that you can't fix or cure, then bench to where it's comfortable and try and do other chest exercies as well. But please don't be someone who benches like 3 inches from their chest. Had some guy tell me he could rep 90kgs easily, so i said show me and he benched like that. I told him that's not a bench press.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (Lambo FirstBlood)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:28:34 GMT

100% agree Uncle Peter.

Much better to touch the chest than lockout (if you can't do both).

It makes me laugh when you see blokes with miles too much weight on the bar only going half way!

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (uncle_peter)

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:14:50 GMT

I see too many guys in my gym only going as far as 3-4" from chest and then extending their arms fully. I tried to explain that they were hitting their triceps more than fully working the chest, but it went in one ear and out of the other!!
I would rather touch chest and not lock out fully as this is what has worked for me.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (loudmouth)

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:00:48 GMT

Hawar

i always change my technique everynow and then. I used to hold the bar about shoulder width... but i changed that to wider than shoulder width and the results have been brilliant for me. I got a wide looking chest now.

i've never been comfortable letting my the bar come down to my chest.... but i think i will try that for few sets next time. just for variety's sake.

Try and read a good piece on bench press technique and also read up on competition bench press rules. A lot of the guys posting in this thread do not know what a legal bench press is - legal by depth and also width. The competition bench press has rules to prevent abuse.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (Hawar)

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:08:09 GMT

i always change my technique everynow and then. I used to hold the bar about shoulder width... but i changed that to wider than shoulder width and the results have been brilliant for me. I got a wide looking chest now.

i've never been comfortable letting my the bar come down to my chest.... but i think i will try that for few sets next time. just for variety's sake.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (El Gringo)

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:52:54 GMT

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.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (schenz33)

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:49:41 GMT

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.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (Magnitude)

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:20:32 GMT

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?

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (stephen77)

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:02:14 GMT

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.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (Jazz)

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:32:27 GMT

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 ?

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (hamiltonsfitness)

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:31:28 GMT

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

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

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (cricket_fire)

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:10:07 GMT

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.

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (iaink)

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:22:49 GMT

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

Re:Bench Pressing: Bar all the way to your chest? (loudmouth)

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:00:54 GMT

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.