Bench press advice needed

Noob question, but I'm a noob so whatever. When doing bench presses, where should the barbell land? I don't touch my chest, but where should it come closest? Sternum? Breastbone? Somewhere in between? Thanks.

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touch that shit right to your nipplies

I asked one of the personal trainers walking around at my gym this.

He said it mostly depends on arm length. If you have long arms. The bar has to travel farther and even out of the ROM for your chest to be engaged on the push back upward.

If you have shorter arms, touching your chest is generally ok

Your upper arms shouldn't go past parallel to the floor.

The only people who touch their chest are those with massive chests in which their arms hit parallel at the same time.

Gotcha. I'll bring it farther back. Thanks.

Forgot to mention that most comps require you to touch your chest.

But if your goal is to just have a good looking chest, then go to parallel.

Anything past parallel puts more strain on your rotator cuff and leads to easier injury. Going past parallel doesn't activate chest muscles any harder, so you're gaining just as much by not touching your chest.

Arms to parallel, shoulders in, and back slightly arched with shoulders pinned. Success.

Fucking terrible advice, don't follow this guy OP
If I didn't go past parallel, that would be less than half a rep. You probably quarter squat too, don't you faggot?

Nevermind, I understand now. He's from reddit so he doesn't even lift.
Still don't listen to him.

Real question you ever benched over 135 lbs?

You're fucking retarded and shouldn't ever give advice.

It depends on your grip width, shoulder width, and arm length, but when you touch your chest wherever you touch your chest your forearms should be perpendicular to the floor.

Going past parallel transfers the weight off your chest and onto your shoulder/rotator cuff. There is no advantage from a muscle building standpoint for going past parallel. Your chest activates 100% at parallel.

Half of a rep would be arms at a 45 degree angle.
And the same can be said for squats, hit parallel. Although squats do see additional activation past parallel, those gains are mostly only advantageous to comp lifters. Any normal lifter will be fine going to parallel.

Ad hominem is not an argument.

Please find me a study that proves the chest activates further than parallel.

I'll wait.

You're really activating my almonds 100% with this parallel bullshit.
Don't give advice when you don't know what you're talking about.

And yet you don't refute it with evidence?

Going past parallel transfers the weight to your shoulders and strains your rotator cuff.


Advocating that every single lifter should touch their chest is nothing but pure broscience. It is based on nothing other than "it makes your dick bigger" stigma.

Show a study that says the load is not longer supported by your pectorals, triceps, and lats at the bottom of a bench press. The burden of proof is on you with your outrageous claim.

your nipples or right under them is fine.
as for younever give anyone advise again.

I see people like this at the gym and they never progress past certain weights or get any bigger.

You're fucking dumb, if you're doing bb bench press you bet your sweet ass tittys you're gonna touch your chest or nearly a cm or 2 off it, a slow controlled motion doing this, with proper form is safe. Is bb flat bench potentially bad for your shoulders? no shit sherlock, which is why people do DB flat as an alternative, but not everyone.

Your chest doesn't work when you go past parallel, your shoulders are doing all the work to get the weight back up to your chest/triceps.

Why would you purposefully waste energy you could be using to do one or two more reps by only going to parallel?

You could probably add 5-10lbs and a few extra reps to your current bench routine just by going to parallel, which is much more beneficial to your chest development than wasting energy by going past parallel.


But you can keep making gains the hard way. Hammer a board long enough and you'll eventually make a hole, right?

Do you know how I know your form is absolutely dogshit and you can't stay tight during the movement? Keep half repping your bench, I'm sure you'll hit 225 some day.

You use your back you fucking retard, were you never properly taught how to bench? A nice arch, ass on the seat, when the bar is going low enough you use your lats/back to help go down and back up, which is why BB row is a great supplement to a workout to help someone boost their bench as well, pro tip OP.

damn, you got him bro

16 replies

2 people actually answer the question.

Good job Veeky Forums

Do you need to be told 3 or more times that a good bench placement is at or slightly below the nipples?

You have to go back

youtu.be/IVUZkBbBsRw
Depends where it is best for you,the technique discussed in this video is a good starting point.
I would also recommend her other bench tutorials.