Sudden Bicep Activation from Bench?

[EliKoehn]

Improving my bench has been my primary goal in the gym this year. I've been doing it anywhere from one to three times a week, consistently this whole year, with only one week-long break. The rest of my routine has been relatively balanced, but it has been bench-heavy.

During my workout yesterday I noticed a serious bicep pump only from benching. This was my first time doing multiple sets of 10 at 225 (got 50 reps in 5 sets after focusing on training for strength the last couple of months, while I previously often did 4 x 8 at that weight), and in the final rep of some of those sets, it felt like new territory and caused me some legitimate struggle. (I got it though, and I don't count a rep if it doesn't both touch my chest and make it high enough to be racked.)

Anyway, I know the biceps have some minimal involvement in the lift, with stabilization and gripping, but to get a full bicep pump from just the bench press? Also, I woke up with quite a bit of DOMS in the biceps. More often than not, I train chest and back together and so would expect some bicep activation from things like rows and pullups, but I have never once experienced something like this on any of the several days where I only did pushing exercises.

Can any of you relate? Is it possible that the biceps could get enough activation for a pump and DOMS just from pushing or gripping hard enough?

[dazitmayn]

a "pump" and how you feel it is subjective but yes if you are doing high rep bench press you can expect to feel something in your biceps

never got doms from it so i can't speak on that, let's see your form

[armies]

Improving my bench has been my primary goal in the gym this year. I've been doing it anywhere from one to three times a week, consistently this whole year, with only one week-long break. The rest of my routine has been relatively balanced, but it has been bench-heavy.

During my workout yesterday I noticed a serious bicep pump only from benching. This was my first time doing multiple sets of 10 at 225 (got 50 reps in 5 sets after focusing on training for strength the last couple of months, while I previously often did 4 x 8 at that weight), and in the final rep of some of those sets, it felt like new territory and caused me some legitimate struggle. (I got it though, and I don't count a rep if it doesn't both touch my chest and make it high enough to be racked.)

Anyway, I know the biceps have some minimal involvement in the lift, with stabilization and gripping, but to get a full bicep pump from just the bench press? Also, I woke up with quite a bit of DOMS in the biceps. More often than not, I train chest and back together and so would expect some bicep activation from things like rows and pullups, but I have never once experienced something like this on any of the several days where I only did pushing exercises.

Can any of you relate? Is it possible that the biceps could get enough activation for a pump and DOMS just from pushing or gripping hard enough?

Yes, biceps get a huge pump from benching, when you are going crazy, screaming, shouting, sweating profusely as you lift hundreds and hundreds of pounds on the bench press, you bet you are going to get a huge biceps pump!

[Garage Rat]

It vary from person to person.
If you have big biceps then probably more so.
They get activated quite a lot on the negative part and if you go controlled movement then even more.
Also if your biceps meet your forearms at the and then you have a lot of tension.

[EliKoehn]

Interesting that it's only happened once... Anyway, I appreciate your answers.

[WolfRose7]

Might have been overtucking elbows. Can put extra strain on bicep

[EliKoehn]

Might have been overtucking elbows. Can put extra strain on bicep

Believe it or not, I tend to have the opposite problem. I've been improving my form lately, but I'm one of those guys who tends to T-Grip it. Can't imagine I've already gone too far the other way.