Proper Lifting Form: Bench Press

I borrowed this from Eric Cressey at T-Nation, as there is no way I could have wrote all this. I have followed this form for benching for about 6 months and I have yet to have any sort of injury or pain in my shoulder (soreness does not equal pain). I have read a lot about how bench pressing can ruin shoulders, and how it is unsafe to break the plane of the back and use a full range of motion. I had to post this to try and debunk the myths, as the truth is, the bench press can be a great exercise for triceps and shoulder strength when performed properly in a good routine.

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.

NOTE FROM ME: ARCHING IS NOT THE SAME AS ROUNDING. ROUNDING IS VEY DANGEROUS, AND IS WHEN THE LIFTER ROUNDS THEIR BACK. ARCHING IS PERFORMED BY ARCHING THE SHOULDERS TO PRESS THE WEIGHT UP, THIS DOES NOT RESULT IN INJURY WHEN DONE CORRECTLY.

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.


If you have any questions, feel free to ask, if the description seems confusing, watch videos using YouTube, PutFile, Google Video, as I'm sure someone has posted how to bench correctly on one of these sites.