ive been doing the bench press for a month and a half now with no training. just reading up on it and watching videos. Ive been trying to get my upper arms and forearms 90degree angle and flare them out like how my arms are in my avatar.
once i hit the heavier weights (more than 100) ive been experiencing pain INSIDE my shoulders most likely rotator cuffs.
should I try to tuck them in like a powerlifter?
and yes i do plenty of shoulder warmups
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05-12-2008, 10:03 PM #1
bench press: flared or tucked elbows?
current/ goals by christmas break
bench - 155/185
squat - 205/225
deadlift - 305/385
military press - 110/135
bb row - 140/155
shoulder press - 50/70
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05-12-2008, 10:05 PM #2
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05-12-2008, 10:10 PM #3
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05-12-2008, 10:11 PM #4
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05-12-2008, 10:12 PM #5
having them flared will work your pecs more but also hit your delts/rc a lot harder, as i am sure you have noticed. tucking them will hit the tris more. i personally like to go somewhere inbetween.
btw, if your RC hurts, i recommend cutting out bench press and all direct shoulder work for a couple weeks. losing a couple weeks is a lot better than losing several months, and thats exactly what will happen if you get injured.
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05-12-2008, 10:13 PM #6
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05-12-2008, 10:17 PM #7
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05-12-2008, 10:19 PM #8
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05-12-2008, 10:29 PM #9
- Join Date: Oct 2007
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Chest=elbows out
do you do flys with your elbows tucked in?
And this is bodybuilding.com, there is a powerlifting subforum.
I guess he is wrong on so many levels
http://thefitshow.com/week3/milos_chest_med.htmLast edited by heidt410; 05-12-2008 at 10:33 PM.
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05-12-2008, 10:33 PM #10
you guys arent even arguing the same point. heidt410 is stating that to focus on your pecs, keep the elbows flared. this is a generally accepted technique for bb purposes.
thisforumsuks says that to put up more weight, keep the elbows tucked. this is true primarily because of the shorter ROM.
2 different points, making the debate... well... pointless.
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05-12-2008, 10:35 PM #11
- Join Date: Apr 2008
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From Eric Cressey's incredible Shoulder Saver Series
Shoulder Saver #3: Learn to Bench Press Correctly.
This might very well be the most important one of all. I must admit that when I see a lifter benching with his elbows flared and his back flat, it makes me cringe ? not only because he's ruining his shoulders, but also because he's really limiting his strength potential.
There's an old saying that a lot of great bench pressers have repeated when discussing the importance of the upper back in benching: "You can't shoot a cannon out of a canoe." If you don't have the underlying stability to press big weights, the soft tissues of the shoulder joint are going to suffer the consequences.
Stability is affected by both neuromuscular factors and positional factors; simply repositioning yourself on the bench can markedly increase your strength without any chronic changes to your neuromuscular system's ability to move the weight. Here's what you need to do:
1. Line up on the bench so that your eyes are about 3-4 inches toward your feet from the bar (in other words, the bar is almost directly above the top of your head). From there, retract your shoulder blades hard. Next, push yourself back up until your eyes are directly under the bar; at this position, your scapulae should still be retracted, but also depressed down toward your feet as well. If you do it right, your rib cage should pop right up.
2. Set your feet, and lock them into place. The position of the feet is going to be dependent on a number of factors, but what doesn't change is the fact that they need to be fixed in place.
3. Decide on what degree of arch you want to use. For general health purposes, it doesn't need to be much. Obviously, powerlifters are going to need to push the envelope on this front. The more arch, the more it'll feel like a decline bench press. Declines will always be easier on the shoulder girdle than flat bench pressing.
4. Grasp the bar and USE A HANDOFF from your training partner. Lifting off to yourself is a sure-fire way to lose the tightness you've just established in your upper back. Keep the shoulder blades back and down!
5. As you lower the bar, keep the upper arms at a 45-degree angle to the torso; tuck the elbows instead of letting them flare out. It's well documented that the elbows-flared ("bodybuilder-style") bench markedly increases stress on the glenohumeral joint. Also, keep your wrists under your elbows instead of letting them roll back.
6. Get a belly full of air and make the abdomen and chest rise up to meet the bar as it descends. Think of it as creating a springboard for moving big weights and, just as importantly, keeping those shoulder blades back to save your taters from undue stress.
7. Do not excessively protract the shoulder blades at the top of the rep; you shouldn't lose your tightness prior to descending into the subsequent rep.
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1053531i am taking it upon myself to learn to teach
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i'll get to pigs and chickens with time
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05-12-2008, 10:38 PM #12
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05-12-2008, 10:59 PM #13
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05-12-2008, 11:05 PM #14
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05-12-2008, 11:23 PM #15
Flaring your elbows out to 90* is terrible on your shoulders.
Keep your shoulder blades tucked back too.
fixed
he is asking about shoulder problems when benching... making your advice terrible.
As long as you're using full ROM and you keep your shoulder blades tucked back, your chest will be getting plenty of work.Last edited by Davtown; 05-12-2008 at 11:30 PM.
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05-13-2008, 12:00 AM #16
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05-13-2008, 04:24 AM #17
thank you, apparently reading between the lines is a concept lost on some.
the OP asked about stress on the shoulder and putting up more numbers, meaning that the adive about elbows out is not what hes looking for.
OP, elbos in, scapulae retracted, ass down, feet down, low back arched. bring the bar to mid-low chest and push it up and back over your head.
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05-13-2008, 08:12 AM #18
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Tucked with a narrower grip than most "bodybuilding" standards. There was a great article by Bill Starr on how to bench and save your shoulders, I will see if I can find it. Some bbers say to use flared elbows but they say you have to use light weight. For most people elbows tucked is the best way. even with elbows tucked you can still target the chest with alot of focus by pulling shoulderblades back, inflating ribcage, and having a slight arch in your back with your butt still on the bench.
“You never won’t know what you can’t achieve until you don’t achieve it.”
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05-13-2008, 09:07 AM #19
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05-13-2008, 10:16 AM #20
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05-13-2008, 10:23 AM #21
Both are right.
Proper form is with your elbows out coming down to 90* not passing the plane between your elbows and shoulders.
Biggest problems people come into with benching with arms out, is that they drop below the plane causing excessive strain and weight on their anterior delts.
For people who bench with elbows out I would suggest stopping at 90 whether it hits your chest or not.old broken soldier
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Stasher1 - Reps owed
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05-13-2008, 10:55 AM #22
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05-13-2008, 11:35 AM #23
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05-13-2008, 11:40 AM #24
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05-13-2008, 12:01 PM #25
arite two questions:
1 - when you squeeze your shoulder blades and your supposed to keep them squeezed?..i don't see how you'd be able to push up the bar hardly at all..anyone have a link to a video demonstration?
2 - it says to have a partner lift off for you..well what about people that don't have a workout partner..don't bench unless you have a partner?
nvm i just seen the video on tnationLast edited by m0neymike; 05-13-2008 at 12:09 PM.
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05-13-2008, 12:02 PM #26
i disagree man. i feel it in my chest the deeper i go. touch your hands together behind your back, dont you feel it in your chest? some people also like dbs because it allows them to have a greater ROM.
i do agree though that for some people, touch chest can be bad for your shoulders. shoulder problems should be avoided.
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05-13-2008, 12:05 PM #27
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05-13-2008, 03:44 PM #28
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05-13-2008, 04:03 PM #29
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05-13-2008, 04:31 PM #30
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Aright, the proper way to do the bench press is to keep your arms 45 degrees from your torso, or in other words half way between flared out and touching your sides. when your elbows are flared out, the ball joint inside your shoulder can rub against the acromion(top part of shoulder joint) which can lead to painful inflammation. so just keep your arms tucked in a little bit, and you should be good. bench is a good workout for your chest, but is a compound movement. Dumbell presses work the chest and shoulders more than in the bench press and the triceps less. They're also great for developing shoulder stability by strengthening the stabilizer muscles.
"Bite off more than you can chew, then chew like hell."
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