HOW NOT TO HURT YOURSELF IN THE BENCH PRESS
The bench press is by far the most popular weight training exercise in the world. The reason is simple, and it's not because it's the greatest exercise ever created. It's simply because you can use more weight on the bench press than on any other upper-body exercise. So the bench press does more than any other exercise to stroke the egos of weight trainers who want to think of themselves as strong.
The bench press has also destroyed more shoulder joints than any other exercise in existence. The reasons for that are pretty simple too, and easily avoided .
Why do so many people hurt their shoulders doing benches?
1. They never learned the proper form.
How to fix it: Focus on doing all of these things on every single rep:
2. They use too much weight.
How to fix it: Ignore your ego and use the right amount of weight for you. The proper weight is the one that allows you to do the planned number of reps with perfect form (see #1 above) on every single rep. When you can do that, increase the weight a little and do it again. Rinse and repeat.
3. They have a spotter standing over them.
Yes, I know, spotters are a good idea and make the exercise safer. Absolutely -- IF you use them correctly. But because bench pressers usually have a spotter standing there ready to help, they consistently push sets of bench press way past the point of failure in a way they wouldn't (or couldn't) with any other exercise. Pushing past failure like that is extremely stressful on the joints and the nervous and endocrine systems. Not to mention the fact that your form is very likely to break down in that situation.
The spotter is there to keep you from getting stuck or dropping the bar on your throat if you crap out in the middle of a rep. He or she is NOT there to help you through 3 or 4 extra "reps" (I use the term very loosely) once you've already reached failure. There is a time and place for certain people to do assisted or negative reps, but 99.9% of the people out there doing bench presses won't ever need them.
How to fix it: make it your goal to never need your spotter. If you don't think you can complete another rep by yourself, the set is done. If you start a rep and can't finish it by yourself, the set is done. Period. If you don't trust yourself, tell your spotter those rules before you start, and tell them to hold you to it.
4. They don't balance strength across the shoulder joint.
How many times have you heard this in a gym: "Hey, how much do you bench?" Now, how many times have you heard this: "Hey, how much do you bent-over row?" Not nearly as many, I bet. And how many lifters can bent-over row anywhere near the amount they can bench? Not many, I bet. But if you want to keep your shoulders healthy, you need to strengthen your pulling muscles as much as your pushing ones.
How to fix it: Whatever volume you do on the bench press, do AT LEAST the same amount in pulling exercises. Even better, do double that amount. Either do two back exercises along with your benches, all for the same sets and reps, or do two sets of some kind of row for every set of bench you do. Your shoulders will thank you. And guess what: I'll bet your bench will go up as well.
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The bench press has also destroyed more shoulder joints than any other exercise in existence. The reasons for that are pretty simple too, and easily avoided .
Why do so many people hurt their shoulders doing benches?
1. They never learned the proper form.
How to fix it: Focus on doing all of these things on every single rep:
- keep your shoulder blades squeezed together
- keep your shoulders pulled down toward your feet
- keep your sternum arched up
- keep your head down on the bench
- keep your feet solidly planted on the floor
- keep your elbows at about a 45 degree angle to your sides
- actively pull the bar down to your chest like a row on the lowering part of the rep
2. They use too much weight.
How to fix it: Ignore your ego and use the right amount of weight for you. The proper weight is the one that allows you to do the planned number of reps with perfect form (see #1 above) on every single rep. When you can do that, increase the weight a little and do it again. Rinse and repeat.
3. They have a spotter standing over them.
Yes, I know, spotters are a good idea and make the exercise safer. Absolutely -- IF you use them correctly. But because bench pressers usually have a spotter standing there ready to help, they consistently push sets of bench press way past the point of failure in a way they wouldn't (or couldn't) with any other exercise. Pushing past failure like that is extremely stressful on the joints and the nervous and endocrine systems. Not to mention the fact that your form is very likely to break down in that situation.
The spotter is there to keep you from getting stuck or dropping the bar on your throat if you crap out in the middle of a rep. He or she is NOT there to help you through 3 or 4 extra "reps" (I use the term very loosely) once you've already reached failure. There is a time and place for certain people to do assisted or negative reps, but 99.9% of the people out there doing bench presses won't ever need them.
How to fix it: make it your goal to never need your spotter. If you don't think you can complete another rep by yourself, the set is done. If you start a rep and can't finish it by yourself, the set is done. Period. If you don't trust yourself, tell your spotter those rules before you start, and tell them to hold you to it.
4. They don't balance strength across the shoulder joint.
How many times have you heard this in a gym: "Hey, how much do you bench?" Now, how many times have you heard this: "Hey, how much do you bent-over row?" Not nearly as many, I bet. And how many lifters can bent-over row anywhere near the amount they can bench? Not many, I bet. But if you want to keep your shoulders healthy, you need to strengthen your pulling muscles as much as your pushing ones.
How to fix it: Whatever volume you do on the bench press, do AT LEAST the same amount in pulling exercises. Even better, do double that amount. Either do two back exercises along with your benches, all for the same sets and reps, or do two sets of some kind of row for every set of bench you do. Your shoulders will thank you. And guess what: I'll bet your bench will go up as well.
Go back to Course Outline