Working on increasing my bench, as it seems to be really lagging. Thought I'd do some double checks

1) How exactly is the form supposed to be? Feet firmly planted, back arched, squeeze chest, exhale on the push, breathe in on the negative.

Anything else? missing something?

2) any tips you've found work for you? i might try with some lock outs. doing max-ot right now

The way i do mine is just feet planted on the ground... Inhale 3 times.
push weight out, Inhale while it goes down slowly leting it touch the chest. Exhale while pushing it out..

I try not to arch my back but when im doing heavy, i cant help it on the last rep.

My feet don't touch the floor flat. Ha!
One thing to add, is don't bring the bar further down than a 90 degree angle between your upper arm and forearm. Some people bring it down to about 80 degrees, but the problem is that it can affect your rotator cuff negatively. I see some people bring the bar to their chest, but their arms are almost 45 degrees down. You're not targeting the proper muscles there, and an incorrect ROM can damage your joints and ligaments permanently.

Also, pull your shoulder blades together while benching.

Two things that I've incorporated recently that have really upped my bench are 1) strengthening the triceps with heavy compound lifts (notably close-grip decline bench with as much weight as I can handle for 4-6 reps, and weighted dips -- with enough weight so that I can only get 6-8 reps), 2) pushing the bar up as quickly as possible to blow right through the sticking point. Bring down slowly, then push up as quickly as you can. Make sure your form is spot on however.

My bench press was stagnated for a good 5 months - I tried the above two things, and within two weeks my bench jumped 30-40 pounds.

My feet don't touch the floor flat. Ha!
One thing to add, is don't bring the bar further down than a 90 degree angle between your upper arm and forearm. Some people bring it down to about 80 degrees, but the problem is that it can affect your rotator cuff negatively. I see some people bring the bar to their chest, but their arms are almost 45 degrees down. You're not targeting the proper muscles there, and an incorrect ROM can damage your joints and ligaments permanently.

could you please expound on that, iam not following what you mean...

(_____) <- barbell
|_o_| <- Me and my arms at 90 degrees

This is the view you would get if you were spotting me (and were about 4 feet high). Notice my arms are now at 90 degrees. If you drop your elbows further, you would be at a degree less than 90 at your elbow. It is measured on the inside of the arm. If you were to keep dropping the bar to your chest, your elbows will drop too, and your arms will bend too. The triceps will drop down, until it looks like:

(____)
|/O\| <- This is the man with the barbell on the chest. Note that his elbows are way below the bench line.

When you take the barbell this low (lower than 90 degrees), you are no longer effectively exercising your chest muscles. I would say to rememdy this, take a wider grip, or only lower the bar until you reach 90 degrees. I hope this isn't too complex of a description, but the essence is: You don't have to go all the way to the chest. Just go until your arms are about 90 degrees.

|_o_| <- Me and my arms at 90 degrees

Basically, that the elbow forms a right angle, or the upper arms become parallel to the floor? I love the stick/ascii art also :cool:


Two things that I've incorporated recently that have really upped my bench are 1) strengthening the triceps with heavy compound lifts (notably close-grip decline bench with as much weight as I can handle for 4-6 reps, and weighted dips -- with enough weight so that I can only get 6-8 reps)

I'm going to have to try this, my bench has hit a plateau, although I am cutting so hmm...

I love weighted Dips. I don't have a belt though, so I have to hold a 65 lb dumbell between my legs. Sometimes it can be pretty tricky, but then you get the true compund effect - legs as well. I would recommend a belt (which I will probably have to do) if you get into heavier weights.

Thanks for the art compliment. It's the extent of my artistic skills at the moment. :tu:

hey, just today i was maxing out and i got overconfident and thought i could go higher, and couldnt. I went all the way down to my chest, and my arms were probably less than 90 degrees. My right shoulder started hurting right after and it is still hurting me. What should I do now, have I permanently ruined my shoulder?

hey, just today i was maxing out and i got overconfident and thought i could go higher, and couldnt. I went all the way down to my chest, and my arms were probably less than 90 degrees. My right shoulder started hurting right after and it is still hurting me. What should I do now, have I permanently ruined my shoulder?

How bad is the pain? If is really bad, go see a doctor. If not, do exercises that do not cause you pain, and don't do any upperbody pressing movements until the pain subsides. I suspect that you probably just strained your rotator cuff muscles....rotator injuries are pretty common for bench press....but if it still hurts after 7-10 days....I'd go see a doctor.

You might check out this link to help you figure out what you might have injured: www.sportsinjuryclinic.net (http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net)

Also ... remember to incorporate general rotator work into your routine, and also be sure to balance out your push/pull exercises. This is important for injury prevention and overall shoulder health.

P.S. Just a tip ... It is better to start a new thread if you've got a new question rather than revive an old one.