I need form help..

[Drunken_Weasel]

I need form help on my Bench please.. I don't think I am doing it right at all.. I hold it wide grip, but not too wide, grip it hard.. and go down to my lower pecs.. For some reason I have a feeling im doing it wrong and will mess with my rotator cuffs.. Arch the back a bit, .. and plant feet solid.. but I cant seem to get my upper back/shoulders right....

 

[jeremys]

if you're talking PL form, then you're forgetting to pinch your shoulder blades together and keeping your elbows in close to your sides

 

[Drunken_Weasel]

if you're talking PL form, then you're forgetting to pinch your shoulder blades together and keeping your elbows in close to your sides

See.. thats what I don't understand.. It's nearly impossible for me to keep my elbows at my side.. My body just wont do it.. I guess I should go out there and practice with the bar a bit...

 

[jeremys]

yeah, it takes a while to get used to

 

[Drunken_Weasel]

yeah, it takes a while to get used to

Pl for is the only safe way to do a large amount of weight right?

 

[jeremys]

yeah. all the powerlifters lift as much weight as humanly possible and plan on not having injuries. they use the best form.

 

[Drunken_Weasel]

And it still focus's on the Pec's this way?

 

[jeremys]

no

 

[Drunken_Weasel]

So a normal bench is what focus's on pecs?... It shouldnt be a goal for me to do alot of weight on these then?

 

[barbell265]

Bench pressing focuses on three primary muscle groups; chest, shoulders and tri's. Powerlifting form is very difficult to attain and takes alot of practice, I still don't arch my back as much as I would like.

What you need to be concernd with is keeping your elbows "tucked" and not flared out. Meaning when you lower the weight to your chest your elbows are pointing towards your feet and not away from your body. Keep them close to your side and touch the bar in the area around the bottom of your pectoral muscles.

For a grip, depending upon the length of your arms, I am 6' tall with long arms. I grip the bar with the knurl inline with my middle finger. The knurl being the smooth ring on the bar about 2/3's of the wat to the first plate from the center of the bar.

Clear as mud?? I'll check back in a bit...peace..

 

[jeremys]

if you flare your elbows out, its dangerous. for chest, i'd rather do incline bench

 

[spatts]

A PL bench puts up big weight as safely as possible. A BB bench isolates the chest. One isn't better than the other...depends on your goals. If you're prone to cuff problems, find a better way to isolate your chest.

If you are taking a wide grip, it's ok for elbows/arms to be about 45 degrees away from the body. Point is, the arms shouldn't be out wide/parrallel to the bar.

 

[Drunken_Weasel]

Yea, my goal is to hit my chest.. my chest lacks greatly. I am not sure if I am prone to cuff problems, but I would also not like to find out

 

[spatts]

My chest grows just fine training with a PL bench, but that doesn't mean yours would. You could do a PL bench after doing an isolated chest move to prefatigue it, I suppose.

 

[Drunken_Weasel]

Thanks Spatts

 

[JOKER47]

If a well developed chest is your goal, you could try DB benching instead. Until I switched to BB PL style, that was the only way I could bench at all without pain in my cuffs.


Joker

 

[Drunken_Weasel]

If a well developed chest is your goal, you could try DB benching instead. Until I switched to BB PL style, that was the only way I could bench at all without pain in my cuffs.


Joker

yeah, I do those too.. and my goal is a well developed chest.
Should those be done strait out? or should I try to tuck my elbows on those too?

 

[JOKER47]

yeah, I do those too.. and my goal is a well developed chest.
Should those be done strait out? or should I try to tuck my elbows on those too?

I'm not really sure. I had no pain when I did them, and I think it's because my body could adjust itself to what it found comfortable.

I just let my arms and shoulders go where they needed to, and I had no pain. Does that make any sense?

One thing I did notice is that my arms would twist ever so slightly while benching. They would turn so that the DB's were closer to, but not completely, sideways to my body. (Kinda like you would hold them for fly's, but not completely parallel.) They naturally moved that way.

Hope this helps.

Joker

 

[Drunken_Weasel]

I'm not really sure. I had no pain when I did them, and I think it's because my body could adjust itself to what it found comfortable.

I just let my arms and shoulders go where they needed to, and I had no pain. Does that make any sense?

One thing I did notice is that my arms would twist ever so slightly while benching. They would turn so that the DB's were closer to, but not completely, sideways to my body. (Kinda like you would hold them for fly's, but not completely parallel.) They naturally moved that way.

Hope this helps.

Joker

Thanks.

 

[Drunken_Weasel]

just FYI, so nobody tries telling me.. I did look at Citricides post, I'm good.

 

[JoBu]

One thing I did notice is that my arms would twist ever so slightly while benching. They would turn so that the DB's were closer to, but not completely, sideways to my body. (Kinda like you would hold them for fly's, but not completely parallel.) They naturally moved that way.

I make a point of rotating the dbs so they are parallel at the top of the lift...it's great for a squeeze.