it just turns into a kind of rdl and its easier to engage my hamstrings

So you weight nerds...where to bring the bar on my bench press? When I bring it down directly across my pecs, I feel nasty tweaking in my delts. So I usually bring it down about three inches below my nipples. I feel like that engages my chest more and my shoulders less. Is that okay?

Like, right at the base of my sternum. @Deleted User ?

https://youtu.be/wKhI-O4HI8M

Thanks @The Huwhyte Ulf - VA watching now and liking the music

Alan Thrall is a monster

That's about where I go but it depends if I'm doing dbells, I go a bit higher with dumbbells

He has several other videos. Good source for form and he's updated some of his videos as he learns better form etc.

Aye though DB press is a bit lighter

My form has my tris tucked in and it naturally flows to the sternum

Granted, at highest weight that control is questionable

I was going to say to tuck your elbows a little more to get more triceps than deltoids.

Bench wobbles TAKE YOU TO THE TOP

(Don't do this)

My shoulder starts to pop when I do heavier weight. But mainly on incline.

I usually keep my feet on the bench and my head hanging off the bench when I press @Deleted User. I heard thats the safest.

My shoulders always wanna get involved at max, you must train them to serve and not take over

Oh my god

😆

okay so it looks like he does the same thing, there's a slight arc in the path

Also, if you do have overactive shoulders I've never had a problem if I totally forced my shoulders down with some intensity. Doesn't seem to be a detriment if that's what you need to work on .

Not pinning shoulders down can be a real risk to your rotator cuff so that's why I'm mentioning it

@The Huwhyte Ulf - VA Ah very helpful - "elbows behind the barbell turns the exercise into more of a front shoulder raise"

I do try to pin my shoulder blades before every set as well. Has helped isolate my chest.

I have bad shoulders and have been tweaking things on bench press for a while to try to find the safest method

I've found that making sure your grip isn't too wide, keeping your wrists straight, arching your back, and your pushing shoulder blades together goes a long way

If your shoulders are already aching, you can still do a lighter underhanded bench press until they feel better

My set up is... grab bar with right hand, lean back and arch my back, put left hand on, push shoulderblades together, pin down shoulders. Lift and tuck elbows closer going down, slight arch of bar path forwad to sternum. Press up along same arch. I am religious about my set up and that's how I got my 410lb bench (and Sheiko programming)

410 is fantastic. I do something very similar. Grab the bar, tuck the sholders, brace, feet flat and go 1-2" below my nipples. Always keeping my elbows below the bar and the arms tucking in to 45 degrees against the torso on the bottom. Bar has to go from directly above your shoulders to below you nipples. If it goes up and down you are hurting your shoulders. I have been benching for decades adding 10lb a year last few - injury free (thank God) for 5x340. I don't do heavy singles anymore.

I pause banch each rep and I don't arch the back at all. I lift less weight that way but it is better to lift 30lbs less with good form and activate the same amount of muscle fibers then to put all that additional strain on joints and ligaments for no benefit. (I am looking at you above the knee rack-pullers haha)

@shyguy Thanks for posting that 5x5 workout link. I'm starting it Monday.

somtimes i feel like i am just putting stress on my joints and ligaments on not making any gains

Make sure you’re eating bone broth, or collagen and such. There are some good cheap gelatin supplements, bone broth is cheap. That stuff is really good for rebuilding connective tissue and join health.

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Lakes-Gelatin-Collagen-Hydrolysate/dp/B0091MQ5IE

Maybe you are @Pat-MA . Especially if you are doing partial movements, use straps and so on. Partial squats will destroy your recovery and really wear out your connective tissue.

I recently read that quarter squats can improve sprinting and vertical jump ability much better than full squats so I have been doing quarter squats because i like to play basketball and also have a bad knee if I squat about halfway down

I do not condone partial anything when lifting

If you do partial squats you are gonna be torn up