Incline DB press Help

[BigRugbyMan]

At the gym today, this guy asked me to spot him on incline DB press. I noticed he touched the weights to his chest then went back up.

That made me think about my form. I went and got a set of my own. I noticed that the bottom of the DB usually goes down about as far as the middle or top of my ear. After all these years i never really realized if i was going down far enough. Then i tried to go down past 90 degrees, and it really made my shoulder hurt, so it made me feel that what i am doing is right.

So my question is: On inclince Db press, am i in proper form taking the DB so that the top of my ear touches the bottom of the DB... Thats the way that feels best for me. PLease give me your input

thanks

 

[coolcolj]

as long as the elbows are inline with the shoulders then your ok.

moving the elbows forward shifts the stress to the anterior deltoid and triceps

 

[gymtime]

At the gym today, this guy asked me to spot him on incline DB press. I noticed he touched the weights to his chest then went back up.

That made me think about my form. I went and got a set of my own. I noticed that the bottom of the DB usually goes down about as far as the middle or top of my ear. After all these years i never really realized if i was going down far enough. Then i tried to go down past 90 degrees, and it really made my shoulder hurt, so it made me feel that what i am doing is right.

So my question is: On inclince Db press, am i in proper form taking the DB so that the top of my ear touches the bottom of the DB... Thats the way that feels best for me. PLease give me your input

thanks

To be blunt, that feels best because you're not going low enough, IMO. You want to get your palms to about ear height. However, if that puts a real strain on your shoulders, go with a lighter weight until you get used to it.

 

[BigRugbyMan]

What i did was to use the weight i use for DB Flyes and look to see over and over again where i go down. Even tht light of a weight made my shoulder feel strained.

Maybe I have a light injury on my shoulder. I'm going to try to get my palms to my ear as you said.

 

[b fold the truth]

I have always touched the dbells to my shoulders/chest. If you aren't going all the way down...you aren't doing the exercise. Go lighter and strengthen that bottom portion of the lift.

B True

 

[gymtime]

What i did was to use the weight i use for DB Flyes and look to see over and over again where i go down. Even tht light of a weight made my shoulder feel strained.

Maybe I have a light injury on my shoulder. I'm going to try to get my palms to my ear as you said.

Cool...just remember, if you feel like your shoulder/rotator cuff is strainging too much, go real easy. Lighten the weight if you have to. From what you've said, you'll only be going down a couple more inches than you usually do. That's all that is necessary IMO. Good luck.

 

[GUNS/Navarone]

What GYMTIME said,

Plus I always look at DB work as to get more range of motion than a bar,
Therefore when your shoulders can take it, look at the DB's as if they had a bar passing through them. Is the bar touching your chest or going through it?
Go through/past the chest with the imaginary bar, and you will develope new growth.
All the best and take it easy on the shoulders till they can handle it.
This is how I train my friends and they have developed better from it.

 

[needsize]

If you're touching the bar to your ears then it sounds like you've got the bench on a pretty steep incline, which will involve more shoulders. Anything over a 30-40 degree incline starts to involve more front delt then pecs