Quick Question on Bench Form

[BBR100]

Watch and learn my young friend..........

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Ok, when I watch this video it makes perfect sense.
I've tried (what i think is) this technique 3 times this past month and I get more shoulder pain than ever and can't do any chest work for the week.
I retract shoulder blades, arch my lower back, chest out and keep elbows from flaring.
Should I just give up bb and stick to dumbbells?
I'm at a loss to figure this out.

 

[ExtraMile]

Well this helped me, Iv been doing it for the last week or two...
When you lie on the bench, hold onto the bar like he does and pull yourself up and re settle your glutes so that the only part touching the bench is your shoulder blades and glutes, a real arc in your lower back, then take the grip and make sure your feet are flat on the floor, when you grab the bar do what he says imagine your trying to pull the bar apart and then lower it slowly to your chest, as you get there push yourlower back and hips up with your feet as you explode off your chest.

Only trouble I have with this is I get a cramp sort of feelin in the sides of my hips...

Oh and also, press the bar back a little, not just straight up and down so it should lower to your nipple line and when your at the top of the rep be around chins to nose level. Also make sure your grip is comfortable, I used to take a grip way too wide and hurt my wrists and strangley use my delts alot more...

Thats my understanding of it anyway.

 

[BBR100]

only thing I'm not aware of is the "pulling the bar apart". Maybe my shoulders aren't warmed up enough as well.
Off to the gym now. I'll give it another try.

 

[b fold the truth]

????? wtf

foot placement is extremely important for one, i can change my placement to get a bigger arch and get more leg drive and bench 20lbs more. why are you in a thread about correct benchpress form if you are dishing out advice like this, you "dont even touch your chest" cmon man wtf

Man...what's wrong with you?

This is exactly why WE don't give advice on the "how to properly do the pec deck" threads....OR the ones about "how can I add pounds to my cable cross overs?".

 

[Jocques Straap]

That video is spot on.

 

[BBR100]

That video is spot on.

I think you're right. It's me. I won't be doing presses of any kind for a while.

 

[ExtraMile]

About pulling the bar apart. I think its just as if your doing a band pull apart, grip it tightly and pull your hands apart...

 

[MetalDead]

Yea I remember I found this video five months ago and I upped my bench immediately. Definitely helps you lift more, and lift better.

 

[Butch31]

I tried this form yesterday and loved it! No shoulder pain and it isolated my chest.

 

[ExtraMile]

I am now doing one set of bench with an arch to push more weight then dropping the weight and doing it flat to target the chest completely, this is because strength is number one but I have 4 weeks left of bulking and just want to add as much mass as possibly in this time