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Do I really need to squeeze my shoulder blades together and pull my shoulders down during bench? It feels SO unnatural..but otherwise my shoulders hurt.

scott_s 7y ago
You don't need to. But it will allow you to press more weight with less risk of injury. It only feels unnatural because you're used to just lying flat on the bench with a relaxed back - doing that now feels "unnatural" to me. Try this: walk over to a nearby wall and "try" to push it over. That is, put yourself into the position that feels like you have the best brace and power to transfer force into the wall, and actually do it. Notice where your hands, elbows and shoulder blades end up. That's basically the same position as a good powerlifting bench.
- 0xfeba 7y ago
  What about back arch? I just cannot arch as much as some people seem to without it really feeling painful. Perhaps coincidentally, my bench is considerably weaker than my other 2 lifts.
  - scott_s 7y ago
    Do my push-wall exercise in front of a mirror, and look at your back. I bet you it's arched. Obviously, don't do something that's painful. But it's important to recognize the difference between "painful" and "uncomfortable." One is a sign you are doing something detrimental to your body; the other is a sign you are doing something you are unfamiliar with. If a low to moderate arch is what works for you, that's fine. I bench with a low to moderate arch, and yes, my bench is also considerably weaker than my other lifts.
  - rvn1045 7y ago
    Improving your squat and deadlift will make your back more flexible.
    - 0xfeba 7y ago
      335 squat, 440 deadlift, 215 bench... I feel my deadlift and squat are good. Squat a bit weak but it's progressing. I've been at 215-235 bench for years.
- skellera 7y ago
  Wow. As someone who has been lifting for almost 2 years now, that was the best visual I’ve ever read for bench form. Thank you. Why have I not seen it before? It’s such a straight forward explanation.
cycrutchfield 7y ago
Yes. But like all things, it takes time and practice doing something different before it feels natural. Doing it this way is better for your shoulders.
Obi_Juan_Kenobi 7y ago
Scapula should be firmly on the bench. They're responsible for transferring the load to the bench. If they're out of position, you'll get hurt. With decent form and a reasonable balance of pushing and pulling movements (don't neglect your back!) you'll have healthy shoulders.
PascLeRasc 7y ago
It took me over a year of benching before I realized that my shoulders shouldn't feel anything from benching correctly. There are a ton of good youtube videos on scapular retraction, if you learn to do that and make it part of your routine you'll never have shoulder pain again. I'm not sure if it makes benching more or less efficient, but I'm able to recover significantly quicker and so I've made better progress since learning to retract.
- ohaideredevs 7y ago
  So you feel it in your pecs? I feel nothing in my pecs.
  - flying_kangaroo 7y ago
    As you take your grip wider, the pecs will take over more of the load from your triceps. Don't go too wide though, aim for a 90-degree angle in your elbows as the bar comes down.
  - jdashg 7y ago
    If you feel nothing in your pecs you might have your hands too close together. Hand separation generally selects from a gradient of tricep vs chest for me.
  - PascLeRasc 7y ago
    Yep, pecs triceps and lats are where I feel it when I bench. "Proper" hand positioning should be double the length of your clavicle, if you can measure it.
m0zg 7y ago
Good idea to do this during squats as well, but for a different reason: engaging the lats (the "pulling my shoulders down" part) helps to make your back more rigid.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

scott_s 7y ago

You don't need to. But it will allow you to press more weight with less risk of injury. It only feels unnatural because you're used to just lying flat on the bench with a relaxed back - doing that now feels "unnatural" to me. Try this: walk over to a nearby wall and "try" to push it over. That is, put yourself into the position that feels like you have the best brace and power to transfer force into the wall, and actually do it. Notice where your hands, elbows and shoulder blades end up. That's basically the same position as a good powerlifting bench.

0xfeba 7y ago
What about back arch? I just cannot arch as much as some people seem to without it really feeling painful. Perhaps coincidentally, my bench is considerably weaker than my other 2 lifts.
- scott_s 7y ago
  Do my push-wall exercise in front of a mirror, and look at your back. I bet you it's arched. Obviously, don't do something that's painful. But it's important to recognize the difference between "painful" and "uncomfortable." One is a sign you are doing something detrimental to your body; the other is a sign you are doing something you are unfamiliar with. If a low to moderate arch is what works for you, that's fine. I bench with a low to moderate arch, and yes, my bench is also considerably weaker than my other lifts.
- rvn1045 7y ago
  Improving your squat and deadlift will make your back more flexible.
  - 0xfeba 7y ago
    335 squat, 440 deadlift, 215 bench... I feel my deadlift and squat are good. Squat a bit weak but it's progressing. I've been at 215-235 bench for years.
skellera 7y ago
Wow. As someone who has been lifting for almost 2 years now, that was the best visual I’ve ever read for bench form. Thank you. Why have I not seen it before? It’s such a straight forward explanation.

cycrutchfield 7y ago

Yes. But like all things, it takes time and practice doing something different before it feels natural. Doing it this way is better for your shoulders.

Obi_Juan_Kenobi 7y ago

Scapula should be firmly on the bench. They're responsible for transferring the load to the bench. If they're out of position, you'll get hurt. With decent form and a reasonable balance of pushing and pulling movements (don't neglect your back!) you'll have healthy shoulders.

PascLeRasc 7y ago

It took me over a year of benching before I realized that my shoulders shouldn't feel anything from benching correctly. There are a ton of good youtube videos on scapular retraction, if you learn to do that and make it part of your routine you'll never have shoulder pain again. I'm not sure if it makes benching more or less efficient, but I'm able to recover significantly quicker and so I've made better progress since learning to retract.

ohaideredevs 7y ago
So you feel it in your pecs? I feel nothing in my pecs.
- flying_kangaroo 7y ago
  As you take your grip wider, the pecs will take over more of the load from your triceps. Don't go too wide though, aim for a 90-degree angle in your elbows as the bar comes down.
- jdashg 7y ago
  If you feel nothing in your pecs you might have your hands too close together. Hand separation generally selects from a gradient of tricep vs chest for me.
- PascLeRasc 7y ago
  Yep, pecs triceps and lats are where I feel it when I bench. "Proper" hand positioning should be double the length of your clavicle, if you can measure it.

m0zg 7y ago

Good idea to do this during squats as well, but for a different reason: engaging the lats (the "pulling my shoulders down" part) helps to make your back more rigid.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]