Critique my DB Bench

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  • darreneatschicken
    darreneatschicken Posts: 669 Member
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    I tuck in my shoulder blades back and down, causing chest to go up, but I still feel some stress in my bicep (shoulder joint?) area. Maybe going down a bit too low? I haven't really encompassed leg drive; prefer just to have feet firmly placed on the floor in a neutral position. One of my trainers once told me to have my feet way back, driving from the heels, but this feels like I'm arching through my lower back and not my thoracic extension. Maybe just need to foam roll thoracic extension more?
  • little_simon
    little_simon Posts: 37 Member
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    Dude, bring them lower.

    Apart from that nothing much else to say :)
  • darreneatschicken
    darreneatschicken Posts: 669 Member
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    little_simon wrote: »
    Dude, bring them lower.

    Apart from that nothing much else to say :)

    I feel like doing that will put more stress on my biceps area though.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,509 Member
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    Use a more neutral grip (no need to hold it like your holding a barbell). Turn your hands slightly so your pinkies are closer to your body. Also if it's bothering your shoulder, than you either move your elbows closer to your body or lower the amount of weight you're using.

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  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
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    Dern420 wrote: »
    I tuck in my shoulder blades back and down, causing chest to go up, but I still feel some stress in my bicep (shoulder joint?) area. Maybe going down a bit too low? I haven't really encompassed leg drive; prefer just to have feet firmly placed on the floor in a neutral position. One of my trainers once told me to have my feet way back, driving from the heels, but this feels like I'm arching through my lower back and not my thoracic extension. Maybe just need to foam roll thoracic extension more?

    First, yell at the guy at 26 seconds. When I perform this exercise I like to keep my hands at a slight angle with my pinkies a little closer to my body, it makes the motion feel a little more natural. I would also tuck in your elbows a little closer to your body and go down a little lower.

  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Touch the DBs to your chest, you're only doing half the exercise. You will probably need to lower the weight since this will be much harder.

    Try not flaring your elbows as much either. Put them closer to a 45 degree angle to your torso, not 90 degrees straight out.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    DopeItUp wrote: »
    Touch the DBs to your chest, you're only doing half the exercise. You will probably need to lower the weight since this will be much harder.

    Try not flaring your elbows as much either. Put them closer to a 45 degree angle to your torso, not 90 degrees straight out.

    This is one form incorrection that I think lend to my tear. Get those elbows closer to your body.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,662 Member
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    first thing you got to do is go lower. biggest advantage of the dumbbell press IMO is that you can do full range of motion for the shoulder/pec.

    If you can't bring them down as far as possible then press them back up, choose a lighter weight
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,662 Member
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    I wouldn't say 90 degrees is inherently wrong, but how close your elbows are to your body will effect how much stress different muscles take on.
    The closer the elbows to the body, the more the triceps will take over
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    DopeItUp wrote: »
    Touch the DBs to your chest, you're only doing half the exercise. You will probably need to lower the weight since this will be much harder.

    Try not flaring your elbows as much either. Put them closer to a 45 degree angle to your torso, not 90 degrees straight out.

    I was going to say the same.

    Work on the leg drive now also.

    http://youtu.be/JVBUgvsMNtk
  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
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    I agree with @little_simon bringing them lower won't increase stress on your biceps (which are a tertiary muscle group at best when benching, probably tied for third with your lats), but rather increase utilization of your chest muscles (Primary muscle group worked). Here's how it usually goes: when benching, the top half of the lift (arms straight to your elbows being bent at around 45 degrees), your primary muscle being worked is the tricep, chest is secondary. However, during the lower half of the lift, your primary muscle being worked is the pec, and tricep becomes secondary. Here's an article describing what I am talking about. http://bruteforcestrength.com/2013/12/overcoming-weaknesses-in-your-bench-press/
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    edited November 2014
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    - Stabilize yourself with your legs and your core, you're shifting around way to much
    - tuck your elbows a little bit more; I wouldn't say go full-on neutral grip but you're flared far too much
    - use a weight you can manage better so it comes down to chest level and your can press with some force to lockout
    I agree with @little_simon bringing them lower won't increase stress on your biceps (which are a tertiary muscle group at best when benching, probably tied for third with your lats), but rather increase utilization of your chest muscles (Primary muscle group worked).

    Bench pressing is more like, Triceps, Chest, Delts, Lats, etc. Triceps are the prime movers of the bench press.

    Edit: Actually some EMG studies display the deltoids as having the most activation. A lot is dependent upon grip-width.
  • darreneatschicken
    darreneatschicken Posts: 669 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Ok guys sounds good. I'll tilt my hands a bit so that my palms are facing each other more. Doing this will assist me in tucking in my elbows, relieving the stress on my biceps, while at the same time, bringing more of my triceps into play. Also, I'll deload and practice with a lighter weight, so that I can go down further. I'll get up a new video ASAP.

    So just to make sure. You guys want me to bench more like this, right?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9nf-QZeYWI
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    Dern420 wrote: »
    Ok guys sounds good. I'll tilt my hands a bit so that my palms are facing each other more. Doing this will assist me in tucking in my elbows, relieving the stress on my biceps, while at the same time, bringing more of my triceps into play. Also, I'll deload and practice with a lighter weight, so that I can go down further. I'll get up a new video ASAP.

    So just to make sure. You guys want me to bench more like this, right?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9nf-QZeYWI

    Yeah, Mark Bell is a smart and very strong individual to take advice from.
  • darreneatschicken
    darreneatschicken Posts: 669 Member
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    Ok so I tried bench pressing like Mark Bell (with tucked in elbows, and thus, more tricep activation):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyxlQmNCb5o&index=1&list=UUfp6G6JnSdF0XYP6MCVgOQA
  • darreneatschicken
    darreneatschicken Posts: 669 Member
    edited November 2014
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    and then I made another video of me bench pressing like how I did at the top of this post (flared out elbows, more pec activation but less tricep activation), however this time, I went down lower with the dumbbells:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnYG7xAAvmo&index=2&list=UUfp6G6JnSdF0XYP6MCVgOQA
  • Lennox497
    Lennox497 Posts: 242 Member
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    Yeah, Mark Bell is a smart and very strong individual to take advice from. [/quote]

    yup, this ^

  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    Dern420 wrote: »
    and then I made another video of me bench pressing like how I did at the top of this post (flared out elbows, more pec activation but less tricep activation), however this time, I went down lower with the dumbbells:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnYG7xAAvmo&index=2&list=UUfp6G6JnSdF0XYP6MCVgOQA


    Those look much better. The path is out a little farther on your left arm. Not uncommon just something to keep an eye on.
  • darreneatschicken
    darreneatschicken Posts: 669 Member
    edited November 2014
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    so which form should I perform in the gym? should I bench like Mark Bell, with elbows tucked? or allow them to flare out? or should I do both? like if I want to focus on tris, I'll tuck my elbows in, and when I want to focus on pecs, I'll allow my elbows to flare? or is it only correct to bench like Mark Bell? people who don't, risk the chance of tearing their rotator cuffs?
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    Dern420 wrote: »
    so which form should I perform in the gym? should I bench like Mark Bell, with elbows tucked? or allow them to flare out? or should I do both? like if I want to focus on tris, I'll tuck my elbows in, and when I want to focus on pecs, I'll allow my elbows to flare? or is it only correct to bench like Mark Bell? people who don't, risk the chance of tearing their rotator cuffs?

    I dont change my form to target a particular muscle. I find the position where I am the strongest to do that lift. For the bench press it is usually somewhere in the middle where pecs and tris are being engaged and neither is overpowering the other.

    If I want to add extra pec work I would do something like chest flies. If I want to focus on tris I would do skull crushers or cable push downs. My tris get worked when I do overhead press, incline press and bench press so I rarely add additional work.

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