Bench Press Chest Activation

So the day after benching I generally have stiffness/doms in the areas circled.

I really feel it in my front delts and the outside of my chest.

However, I feel nothing on the bulk of my chest. Also seeing better gains in the areas where I feel soreness.

How do I activate my full chest while benching?

I'm already pinching/pulling down my shoulder blades during setup and taking the bar to my chest on every rep.

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you have to yell "ACTIIIIIVAAAAATE" while you raise the bar from your chest

kek

bumping for answers I was just wondering this myself

Don't listen to this dipshit.

You yell your gymbro's name while you use the barbell to push your shoulders into the bench.

Real answer
Mind body and make sure you are contracting and not just moving weight.

you can't fully contract your pecs when you do pressing motions, so even if you feel like you're "activating" your full chest, there won't be as much pain or development
to fully contract the pecs you have to cross your arms across your body like with flyes or cable crossovers

make sure your back is fully activated/tight throughout the whole lift. you're probably losing tightness when you touch your chest or lockout the bar

if you already retract your shoulders i believe your just feeling your side pecs and you are just bringing the bar down and stretching your pecs significantly

Reminder to say "no homo" on the last rep of the last set

Focus on really squeezing your pec muscles on the top of the rep, then keeping them squeezed on the descent.

Try this out with a weight you can rep for 8-10, so you can take some time at the top to really feel the squeeze.

doms are not an indication of anything
stop being autistic

I get the same problem. Try focusing on flexing your pecs at the top and keeping your back tight and shoulder blades retracted. Practice this with lower weight.

Also rethink how you're moving. Imagine you're breaking the bar at the bottom when you touch your chest and then forcing it back together on the way up. Practice that with some light dumbbells before benching. Make a superset out of it.

That's all I know, hope it helps.

Just fucking use a wider grip tard.

I laughed for a solid 30 seconds. Thanks user

Have fun fucking your rotator cuff up.

pls explain

Ghostbusters rules apply, though. The body part you think of while yelling is the one that gets activated. Its one weird trick you can use if you love bench but hate leg day.

you feel stiff and get doms there because that's what stretches when you bench, not because those are the muscles you worked.

I get doms in my quads from squatting. Clearly squats don't work quads.

What it sounds like to me is you have great activation on the clavicular head of the pec, and mediocre on the sternal head.

If youre positive your bench tech is correct, theres two possibilities
>Youre flat out wrong
Honestly the more likely option. Never heard of someone only developing one half of their bicep. Youre just a little unfamiliar with how yojr body works at the moment.
>Your insertions GREATLY favor the top half of your pec
Highly unlikely, but weirder things have happened. If this is the case, do dumbbell work. There is more freedom of movement and youll be able to get a good stretch on the sternal head.

>not knowing the stand up and yell "Activate" meme
Everyone point and laugh

youtube.com/watch?v=FxXU1f2AJNU

Please ignore all these nonlifting fagtards, OP

I gotchu, fampai
m.youtube.com/watch?v=sl9NPBICdTM

Shit is MAGIC
I get a crazy burn in my pecs, and my pecs die out before my arms do.

Also make sure you have just a little bit of an arch, to align the pectoral fibers with the line of resistance

Sounds like that part of your chest is just weaker than the rest of your chest so it gets DOMS easier, doesn't mean you aren't working the rest of your chest

Don't lose tension and keep your scapula retracted throughout the movement.

so basically you do it on the floor? lel

Push your shoulders back, try to get your shoulder blades flat on the bench.

scooby does it too

Retract the fuckin scapula. When you push up on the bench, imagine you're pushing yourself into the bench rather than pushing the weight away from you.

Toppest of zozzles

nobody in this thread has read the sticky and it's so sad


the flat barbell press prime mover is the triceps, not the pecs. you literal fucking mongoloids please read the sticky then the recommended routines on the sticky

if you can't bench more than 100k for reps please stop worrying about where you feel it holy shit

No, he is not saying substitute bench for fooor press (but floor press is great for the chest as well)

Did you even listen to what he said?

Sticky says a lot of shit that makes me cringe in retrospect.

Like the dieting before lifting? Retarded. No reason to wait to lift