Bench Press Form Faux Pas

[djeclipse]

that is correct.... just around the nips.

Thanks. I also used to bounce the bar off my chest for the heavier reps until I started reading this board.

 

[Cynical Simian]

I have a power rack and bench and never plan to go anywhere near a commercial gym if I can help it, so I don't really "see" any of these. But I'd say not touching the chest is tops because, unlike most of the others, people are actually proud that they do it and claim that it's superior because "stopping the bar makes it harder".

 

[Guinness5.0]

I voted for "having a spotter who does all the work" b/c of something I saw about a year ago. Some average sized dude (like 160-ish) struggles mightily w/ 225 for a few reps, spotted heavily on all of 'em. So what does he do next? He throws on another plate for 315. I couldn't believe it. I actually made sure to be ready to run over and help pull the bar off if the spotter couldn't help enough, but they managed the rep and racked it up. Of course dude gets up all proud of himself. I'm sure he goes around braggin' that he can put up 3 plates

Good times.

 

[RipStone]

I'm def. not reffering to the legal and well practiced arch of a competitive PLer. More the raising the hips and butt up from the bench in a fuk-thrusting motion as the bar reaches the chest. Appart from seriously affecting the satbilty of the disks in the lower back, this drains all of the stress from the chest and shorteds the ROM considerably. Fair enough if you're doing a new 5RM and your but comes up an inch on the last rep, but bucking and fliping around like a fish just to lift a heavier weight is ridiculous and dangerous.

A few years ago I saw these 3 Sweedish guys (new at my University gym) doing B.P. and their hips were explosively leaving the bench by about 12-14 inches. They were only benching about 245 for a single, but were confidentlty looking over at me with 225 (5x5) like they were the new hot shit. After my 5x5, without a spotter, I casually loaded up 315 and did one of their butt thrusting reps - it was easy because I only had to lower the bar about 5 inches!

Gotchya.

 

[musketeer]

I see plenty of "personal trainers" teaching their clients (victims) to stop the bar 2-3 inches from their chest because:

1 - its safer for the shoulders
2 - focuses the movement more on the chest
3 - allows them to use more weight more effectively given the above

MY problem with this is: for a start, number 2 is bullshit! If stopping the bar 2-3 inches from the chest allows mor eweight to be used, why not stop the bar 10 inches from the chest and use even more weight? - surely that would be even safer and more effective! Most crazy to me is number 1 though, if the shoulders are healthy, bringing the bar to the chest will not by any means overstretch the joint capsule. WHY on earth would it be safer to build up the top 3/4 of the bench ROM and not practice the fully stretched portion of the lift. Surely what this would do is cause the lifter to become grossly imbalanced, ie very strong up to 3 inches from the chest and then proportionately weak if the bar comes within that range. Therefore, the first time the lifter misses a rep and the bar falls to the chest, the lifter has a much higher risk of injury. In fact, how can the lifter reliably lower the bar to exactly the same height on each rep - especially as they fatigue? They can't, therefore, every rep is now a potential risk!

Perhaps a post from someone who can argue FOR stopping the bar before it reaches the chest could explain why it's better...

 

[Protobuilder]

I'm w/ musketeer on this. The bench and the squat seem similiar in regards to doing a full ROM. I see the shoulders during the bench kind of like the hips during the squat. You can get a full, natural ROM by going all the way down to the ground in squats and it's less harmful on your joints than trying to stop the full load right in the middle of the movement. So it seems to me that it's more stressful on your elbows and shoulders to stop the movement before your natural ROM ends.

BTW I voted for "spotter doing the work."

 

[Jim Ouini]

I once had to spot a guy who did just about all of those things - butt in the air, feet on the bench, stopping about 4 inches from the chest. Started with 225 and I had to help him get his 3rd or 4th rep IIRC. Then he bumped it up to 275 and I was like OMG and I had to help him a lot on all 3. I then went off to dead or something, and I saw him scouring the gym for me. I guess he liked my spotting. So anyway he's got 315 on it and I was pretty scared since it's kind of an awkward angle to be pulling up on the bar that much.

3 of the hardest reps of my life.

There used to be another guy with this huge lifting belt who did the butt in the air thing - his flat looked like a decline and his incline looked like a flat, it was that pronounced.

And then there's the guys who squirm around a lot on the bench, we call it 'the hooked marlin'.

 

[blut wump]

I rarely get asked to spot people in the gym since I only help when they are failing and then only enough to get them though the sticking points and don't offer any encouragement for them to do negatives unless they've specifically asked me for help with negatives which rarely happens. Once or twice I've been asked to spot and they've said in advance that they'd probably need help with the last couple and I can accept that provided I really am only helping.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Oh they know you as 'the big guy who doesn't help enough on bench'

 

[kethnaab]

FWIW, I voted for the "having spotter" because I can't stand it when schmucks see me and think "oh, he can spot me".

I avoid them. You can see them, scanning the area, looking for a "fellow strongman" that can relate to them and their struggles.

then they need assistance starting from rep 2, and I end up doing upright rows with far more weight than my elbow tendonitis can tolerate.

and then the stupid motherfuckers get up and put more weight on. That's when I go into dickhead mode and state simply "you are at least a year away from using that weight. If you ask me for a spot, I'll let you swim underneath the bar for at least 60 seconds before I even consider helping you."

Bastards. Fuck you. I am not going to power clean the weight off your chicken chest. I'm not doing power cleans today.

*scowls and stomps off*