Any ability to move must include making horizontal pushing patterns, like a chest press. Bench press is one of the most commonly used strategies for doing this activity in the gym.
But before you worry about the different ways to program, load, and approach a resistance program to include a bench press, you need to ensure the individual attempting the exercise can do the bench press correctly.
ISSUES WITH COMMON BENCH PRESS FORM
One of the most common factors impeding proper bench press form is:
(1) A lack of understanding of the workout technique
(2) Improper or incorrect acute variable selection
(3) Muscle disproportion
Only some individuals with poor bench press form can be blamed for these concerns. Still, the criteria outlined in this article are an excellent place to start troubleshooting.
#1 LACK OF TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE
Even though there are many reasons for poor bench press form, the most common one is that the person that doesn’t know the best position and movement technique for the exercise. People who haven’t worked out much or been taught how to exercise often worry that they don’t know how to do it right.
Even though it may seem obvious, the most crucial step in figuring out how much a person knows about form is to have them talk and show you. When a participant is given information regarding the quality of their movement, their knowledge of performance can improve. “Tell” is a recommended approach for teaching bench press form. In other words, describe the proper setup and execution of the bench press (tell), then show an example (show), and then have the person complete a few reps while offering cues and comments to improve their movement execution (do).
The bench press exercise can be broken down into two phases: preparation and movement. The client should lie flat with their back on the bench, feet flat on the floor, and toes pointed straight ahead throughout the preparation phase. The forearms should be perpendicular to the resistance, with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, in line with the chest, and employing a neutral grip, which means the wrist should not be flexed or stretched. If the persons legs are too short of reaching the floor, a step or tiny platform can be placed under their feet to allow them to maintain a neutral spine and pelvic tilt.
During the push (concentric) part of the movement phase, the individual should extend the arms and pull the chest until the elbows are fully developed. During the lowering phase (eccentric phase), the participant should decrease the weight towards the chest by bending the elbows while keeping the forearms perpendicular to the resistance. The exerciser’s ability to regulate their form and alignment without compensation will dictate the exact distance the weight will move during the eccentric section of the exercise. Typical settlements to look out for during the bench press include a lower back arch, head rising off the bench, excessive elbow sway, and shoulder rounding.
The form for any chest press performed on a bench will be the same; however, there will be changes based on whether the client performs a bench press with a barbell or dumbbell. Due to the closed-chain aspect of the exercise (hands fixed on the bar), the barbell bench press is slightly more stable than the dumbbell bench press. On the other hand, the dumbbells give you more freedom of movement, which makes it harder to keep the load steady.
Another distinction between the barbell and dumbbell bench presses is that the dumbbells allow for a more neutral forearm. When using a barbell, the set distance between the hands makes it hard for the client to keep their forearms straight while their elbows are fully extended. Still, the barbell demands more forearm pronation to match the exerciser’s grip with the direction of the bar.
The best moment to address a client’s knowledge of the bench press form would be during phase 2 of the OPT model, when the exercise is first introduced. Also, during phase 1 of resistance training, the fitness/stability ball dumbbell press should help the participant learn how to do a proper bench press. Also, the bench press form can be changed to use fitness/stability balls for a less stable variant of the dumbbell bench press, which is perfect for training to improve stability and endurance.
#2 MISSING ACUTE VARIABLES
Miscalculating training variables like intensity (how much weight is used) and volume (how many sets and reps are done) is another common problem that can make using the proper bench press form difficult. The optimal effort for a bench press is easily overestimated. The amount a person can push and a customer can press well without losing shape, is frequently misconstrued.
Although one may feel remarkable about lifting something that is likely too heavy and may be blissfully unaware of their compensatory movements and lack of form, lifting with lousy movement patterns should be avoided as they can cause damage over time.
Another typical issue that would hamper appropriate bench press form is fatigue. When a person’s muscles tire and their ability to produce force goes down, it will be harder for them to do bench presses, for better or worse. The individual can drain if the training exceeds their ability to recover and change. The rest time between sets of bench presses or other exercises needs to be increased, or some combination of the two. If the participant has poor recuperation practices, fatigue can become an issue.
It is best to undertake proper strength evaluations, such as the upper extremity one-rep max (1RM) strength test, which uses the barbell bench press, to avoid using too much weight for a bench press. The results of the 1RM estimation will help make more accurate plans for how hard each person needs to work.
MUSCLE IMBALANCE #3
Muscular imbalance is a common problem today. You need to do more than know the proper technique or change acute exercise variables to get better. Muscular imbalance means that the muscles’ lengths and relative levels of activity around a joint have changed. Movement compensation occurs when some muscles are short and overactive. At the same time, others are long and underactive, resulting in decreased neuromuscular control.
When a muscle imbalance is severe enough to limit the range of motion for a joint, the client may no longer be able to do a bench press with good form due to the lack of mobility required to perform the activity without compensation. The easiest way to tell if a muscle imbalance affects a client’s bench press form is to look at how they move, starting with the overhead squat.
Assume the individual has a severe anterior pelvic tilt or arms that slip forward (lower back arch). In that instance, the “hands-on-hips” variant of the overhead squat examination should be performed to establish whether the observed compensations are due to the shoulder complex or the hips, pelvis, or core. If the anterior pelvic tilt improves with hands on hips, the shoulder complex, particularly the latissimus dorsi, must be addressed.
The standing push exam is a loaded assessment that demands the client complete a horizontal push with both arms if it is considered safe and acceptable for the participant. The vertical push test is critical if a client has trouble doing a good bench press and the trainer thinks it’s because of a muscle imbalance. Shoulder impairment may manifest as scapular elevation or winging during the standing push evaluation. Other compensations, such as an exaggerated low back arch or forward head movement, may arise.
Do mobility tests on the client’s thoracic spine, cervical spine, shoulder, elbow, and wrist to determine which kinetic chain checkpoints may inhibit and affect their bench press form; this will help you find the leading cause of the exerciser’s movement compensations.
Mobility assessments look at more than just how flexible you are. They also look at the full range of motion for a single joint and how well the body controls its muscles when it moves. To evaluate the most likely source of compensation for the shoulder and thoracic spine, the following mobility examinations are recommended:
Thoracic flexion
Rotation of the thorax
Rotation of the cervical spine
Lateral cervical flexion
Flexion and extension of the cervical spine
Flexion and extension of the shoulders
Internal and external rotation of the shoulders
Pectoralis minor length measurement
Suppose an individual has a shoulder, thoracic, or cervical spine constraint. In that case, it will likely influence arm mobility and vice versa. As a result, the trainer should also complete the following elbow and wrist mobility assessments:
Flexion and extension of the elbows
Flexion and extension of the wrist
Supination and pronation of the forearm
Depending on how inadequate the client’s compensations are and how limited their mobility is, they may need more corrective programming and some time in phase 1 of the OPT model before returning to the bench press.
Suppose the acute variables and bench press range of motion depth are changed so the client can maintain an appropriate form with minimal payment. Assume, however, that compensation exists but is small. In that case, addressing these concerns while using the bench press in training is acceptable.
It is essential to understand that this article is about lousy bench press form. It is based on the assumption that the client has already moved on to the strength training phases, initially free of compensation (or having a minimum wage). The client is generally adequately prepared for strength training.
People often develop muscle imbalances and stability problems over time; this is especially true if the individual is exposed to repetitive stress patterns, like sitting at a computer for extended periods and lifting, training, or doing activities the same way every day. In this case, the client will probably need a corrective or longer warm-up routine before exercise to improve muscle balance and keep movement quality from worsening.
Finally we state,
The bench press needs to be executed correctly. When done correctly, the bench press is a safe and effective exercise for strengthening the upper body. In that case, the exerciser will get less out of their workouts and be more likely to have muscle imbalance and overuse problems.
An individuals lack of knowledge about proper form and quality movement technique; improper acute variable selections such as excessive intensities, volumes, and less-than-adequate rest; and pre-existing muscle imbalances causing movement impairment at one or more of the kinetic chain checkpoints involved in the bench press are all common issues preventing good bench press form. Fortunately, the majority of these problems are easily discovered and solved.
By giving people exercise cues and figuring out how they do on the bench press, you can teach them more and get them to use better form.
Adhering to the OPT model and guaranteeing the person’s physical fitness for strength training can prevent excessive intensity, volume, and short rest intervals.
The overhead squat evaluation and other assessments of loaded movement and mobility can be used to find muscle imbalances and movement limitations that go along with them.