Bench Press Help?

[NattyAmerica]

So you guys helped me fix my Sumo DL, so I figure I give it a shot with my BP as well.

So I've managed to add 100lbs to my Squat and DL in the past year. My bench has gone up maybe 25lbs in 3 years.

I've always had a weaker upper body, I don't think I could do bodyweight dips despite being 155lbs and 5'6" and my Freshman year of University I had 12 inch arms but my quads were 23-24 inches and my calves were 17.

My max bench is 225 while I can DL 500+ and Squat 455+.

I bench twice a week and I get at least 100 reps in a week I would say.

I bench with a fairly narrow grip, what I do is I place the tip of my thumb where the knurling meets the smooth part of the bar and I extend my finger as horizontal as possible and then I grip the bar here. I've tried bringing out my grip so that my pinky would be on the rings but I hurt my pec and I thought this could be why so I stopped doing that.

I feel like I have issues with my elbow and that I've always kinda had a problem with them. I remember overhead pressing and overhead triceps work would cause it to crack a lot. If I OHP with a closed grip my left elbow has a nerve pain I'd say but if I use a suicide grip it's fine. For the past 2 years I've had an issue with my left elbow where I constantly have to crack it. At first it was painful but I started taking fish oils and it was fine, but still the need to crack it.

So here's my issue, I think my form's fine. I bench with an arch, shoulder blades squeezed together, use leg drive, stay tight, use my lats etc. When I lower the bar to myself it feels fine until I get to 2-3 inches off my chest. When I get down to this point my body's telling me to press it up but I have to lower it more to touch my chest. When I do this, I lose tightness, everything gets heavy, and I can only manage to press it up about 2-3 inches up and I'll fail.

[ecchastang]

Video of bench?

[NattyAmerica]

Completely forgot to put one up lol

edit again, around the 1 minute mark onward

[Link815]

It looks like your form is pretty solid actually, nothing I can really pick apart on it. I might widen the grip a bit, but that's about it. Have you ever tried benching with a belt? That's the only recommendation I have. I wear my belt high when I bench. I take a huge breathe, then I descend with the bar and I push my upper abs out as hard as I can against the belt. That might help that loss of tightness you have near the bottom of the descent.

[ecchastang]

Form looks pretty good. What is your bench routine? Progression?

[NattyAmerica]

Cliffs at the Bottom of Post

Thanks for the form compliments, I haven't tried with a belt does it really make that big of a difference? I'm willing to give it a shot my next session.

I was doing 5/3/1 for about a year and my bench last year November was 195x7 with touch and go on my toes. Had to switch to benching on my heels for IPF rules.

Had a meet in February where I benched the 225 in that video and then switched to "Smolov Jr" but twice a week. Someone gave me **** for saying that lol but that's the only way I can describe it. Pretty much instead of 4x a Week for 3 Weeks I did 2x a Week for 6 Weeks. It was around this time I brought my grip out as well so I wasn't benching as narrow like in that video and had my pinkys on the rings. I did gradually every session I'd slowly bring it out one finger width wider.

After doing that version of Smolov Jr I was benching 205 for 10x3 with a pause on the last rep and this was probably the best my bench ever was in terms of Rep PRs and just how it felt. Then I hurt my right pec, I wasn't sure if it was from using the peck deck or something but I assumed it was from my bench width so I took 2 months off benching.

When I got back to benching in July 185x5 was hard. After that I went back to 5/3/1 w/ BBB for a month to get my work capacity back up and switched to Candito's program for my bench which I actually really liked but then I decided to switch to Juggernaut Training Method 2.0 to help me prep for my meet this February.

Cliffs
-Was benching 195x7 TNG on my toes with a narrow grip 11 months ago and doing 5/3/1 BBB
-Had to switch to benching on my heels for IPF rules
-Did 225 in the vid at my meet in February
-After the meet I switched to a wider grip and "Smolov Jr" 2x a week and made great progress
-Hurt my pec and blamed my grip width causing the issue and took 2 months off
-Currently doing JTM for my meet prep

[UFpwrLifter]

That's what I'm thinking too. Form looks fine. Hard to see your arch but I can tell you do have one. How long have you been lifting, just a few yrs? If the grip is a problem, may work on widening the grip with lighter weight.

[ecchastang]

Based on the angle of elbow tuck and the forearm perpendicular to the floor I would use the grip you used in the video.

[NattyAmerica]

I've been lifting for like 6 years but my first couple years were spent training for Rugby and trying to be athletic. In terms of Power Lifting, I've been doing it for a bout a year, year and half.

I use the grip I do in the video right now trying to keep my elbows 45 degrees away from my body and keeping my arms vertical and not angling outwards. Brandon Lilly had a seminar where he spoke about this and said it's like punching someone, eh.

I'm thinking if my issue is having to lower it the last 2-3 inches if widening my grip 2-3 inches would help fight this off?

Appreciate the replies and help guys! I will send my measlies in a bit

[UFpwrLifter]

I def think you should try widening your grip. Use a little lighter weight to get the technique down. Then incorporate half reps into your routine if not already doing them (all of my warm ups are half reps). I don't know the name, that's what I call them. They help with your explosiveness and keep the pressure on chest vs triceps.

[richie305]

I've been lifting for like 6 years but my first couple years were spent training for Rugby and trying to be athletic. In terms of Power Lifting, I've been doing it for a bout a year, year and half.

I use the grip I do in the video right now trying to keep my elbows 45 degrees away from my body and keeping my arms vertical and not angling outwards. Brandon Lilly had a seminar where he spoke about this and said it's like punching someone, eh.

I'm thinking if my issue is having to lower it the last 2-3 inches if widening my grip 2-3 inches would help fight this off?

Appreciate the replies and help guys! I will send my measlies in a bit

NOOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sucka dink

[richie305]

completely forgot to put one up lol

edit again, around the 1 minute mark onward

booked!!!!!!!!!! Paggot

[cirion0000]

The chest, for being such a big muscle, does seem to fatigue quickly, I don't know why. I like wider stance myself (there's a reason why bodybuilders consider bench press a chest workout, using the chest lets you put up bigger #'s), but I also recently strained my pec and haven't been training as crazy in order to let it heal up. I can't go heavy more than once a week or it will flare up for me.

[ecchastang]

The chest, for being such a big muscle, does seem to fatigue quickly, I don't know why. I like wider stance myself (there's a reason why bodybuilders consider bench press a chest workout, using the chest lets you put up bigger #'s), but I also recently strained my pec and haven't been training as crazy in order to let it heal up. I can't go heavy more than once a week or it will flare up for me.

In most people the chest has a majority of fast twitch fibers, hence its ability to grow easily and the reason it generally fatigues quicker.