So rumor has it that a canoe is not an ideal platform to fire a cannon from. With that in mind, and in order to get my bench numbers up and save my shoulders, I’ve been working really hard on keeping a tight back. I’ve been getting set up by putting as much pressure as possible onto my shoulder blades, and contracting my scaps hard when I set up. I feel really tight, my chest is nice and elevated, and I feel, as Dave Tate would advise, “extremely uncomfortable.” In a good way.
But now I’m wondering if I’ve been going about back tension all wrong…
Until now, I’ve been cueing “shoulder blades together.” I pull my shoulder blades back and to the center, and they get pretty tight, but they also pull my shoulders waaay back. They roll back in such a way that it’s actually kind of awkward (and I feel tension in my GH joint) to bring my arms into shoulder width. I tried to illustrate what I’m talking about in the attached photo.
Is there a better way to get my back tight other than pinching my shoulder blades? Do I need to widen my grip to accommodate my shoulders rolling back?
A video of your bench would be extremely helpful. I wonder if it has something to do with over-tucking your elbows and not retracting your scapulae. I’ll get shoulder issues if I tuck my elbows in too hard. But without a vid, that’s just a shot in the dark.
Every reputable strength training coach / gu-ru / what have you recommends that you pull the shoulder blade together and down a bit to limit the shoulder rotation. This WILL help bech more by keeping the upper back tight, preloading the chest and reducing shoulder rotation under such heavy loads.
I have a rebuilt left shoulder and now I have some issue with my right side that pretty much feel like the left did pre rebuild. If I set up properly I can bench nearly pain free ( foam press is 100% pain free) but if I don’t set the shoulders/ upper back up it’s hell to pay and I lose a bunch of weight on the bar. I don’t know how long you’ve been in this game but take it from an old salt, treat your shoulder well and you will last longer- notice I said longer. At some point we all go down.
enjoy the ride while it lasts. Use every available tool to stay healthy NOW.
There’s more to it than just scapular pinching together - the “back and down” motion is key. I practice retracting my shoulders and raising my chest to meet an invisible bar on a daily basis in my office (preferably when no one is looking). As the bar comes down, the lats really engage to “put the brakes” on the load, and control the weight.
Now, when the loads get heavier, I’ve found the only way I can really get the proper shoulder retraction is by driving with my legs into the pad during the time the bar is picked out; if I don’t I’m pinned in a less than nominal position. And then the shoulders/biceps tendons start screaming at me.
I’ve spent the last 9 months changing from “bro” benching to powerlifting style, with the help of a veteran coach and admittedly it’s been tough - but now I can bench with no shoulder pain.
In for vid.
Application of technique cues is always a tricky business since the body is so complex, while the cues are simplistic. If you have a bit of control over your body there are a countless permutations of setting your body up for lifts. For example, there certainly isn’t just one position that is “shoulder retraction” but there is a continuum of retraction levels. The only way to find the right level for YOU is by trial and error. Shoot for a feeling of “strong, natural, not painful”.
For me, an extreme level of shoulder retraction during benching is terrible.
I see what you’re saying. Looking now at the video, I feel like elbow over-tucking might be what I’ve been doing. The cues I’ve been using are:
-Shoulder blades together
-Traps tight
-Lats flexed (to rotate elbows in, i.e. anti-flaring)
-Tight arch
-Feet driving upward, pushing shoulder blades into the bench
-Wrists in line with elbows
-Tuck elbows in on the way down
-Rotate elbows out on the way up
I’m feeling like it might be those last three that are causing me grief. I used to get pain in my right shoulder, kind of between the anterior and lateral delt (and sometimes down my arm) so I spent months on rotator cuff, scapular and glenohumeral stability exercises. I feel like that helped a ton, but now the pain manifests along the inside edge of the right shoulder blade instead.
What gives?!
(Video attached, 7.4mb)
[quote]JaggedG wrote:
…I feel like elbow over-tucking might be what I’ve been doing.
-Tuck elbows in on the way down
-Rotate elbows out on the way up
[/quote]
Yeah, forget about the tucking. I would say forget about consciously controlling your elbows at all. Just actively focus on setting the shoulders and overall tightness via leg drive. You seem to do the former just fine - not sure about the leg drive.
Play around with grip width.
Just from looking at your form, I don’t think your drawing indicates how you set up. Yeah you pull your shoulders together, but you sit on your traps as well. That’s what gives you that solid base. The intentional tucking isn’t a bad cue but its more for the geared bencher. If your bar position and grip is correct, your elbows kind of tuck on their own. I think your form looks pretty solid, and everyone’s advice about shoulders together and down are spot on.
Having trouble getting your traps down, make 'em bigger. Piece of cake, right?
watched your video. Things look fairly solid. I’d possibly move your grip in to a thumb from the smooth grip. Your forearms are angled outwards a bit. OR don’t tuck the elbows as much. Ultimately, play with it and bench where you can move the most weight and be as relatively comfortable as possible.
Maybe video yourself with 80-85% and see what your form look like. Anyone can bench awesomely with an empty bar but under stress things often change a lot. - Capt. Obvious right?? lol hope this help youngblood.
Thanks for the feedback, guys! (And for not making fun of my setup-- Everyone I know says it looks goofy) I’m gonna spend the next few weeks playing around with grip width, elbow tuck and shoulder position.
Does anyone know what’s up with the pain I’m getting in my shoulder blade though? It’s kind of a new thing-- Like I said, it used to be my shoulder but recently it’s deep and low in the shoulder blade.
Yep, you need leg drive and to keep your back tight. If you are dancing around that much with an unloaded bar, imagine what’s going on with it loaded - that’s what will cause you pain and get you in trouble.
As far as your setup, and this is just how I’ve been taught, but you don’t necessarily NEED to go through that little ritual of walking up the bottom of the bench and contorting your back. Indeed, when you develop your leg drive by pushing your body back (toward your spotter) while simultaneously bringing the bar out over your chest while retracting your shoulders, you WILL get a nice, natural arch. As you begin cranking out reps, it will be your shoulders/traps that drive into the pad and your legs acting as anchors/stabilizers that help you press off your chest.
It takes practice.
I benched “wrong” for 20 years. After finally spending some time with some veteran powerlifters, I started to get it. Took me 6 months to really get the technique, and now I’m starting to polish it. Again, it takes practice.
That may be a bad pic but it looks like you should deadlift more for back THICKNESS. I’m not seeing any erectors on that back. Big bench = big back. Right now you are benching in the proverbial sand. Build a nice concrete foundation of muscles on that back to push off of.
I get that. When the bar is unloaded, it still feels awkward, which I think is a red flag. I always think of Dave Tate saying “Treat light weight like it’s heavy, and treat heavy weight like it’s light,” so that’s what I try to do even with an unloaded bar.
Hey man, I have erectors all over the place! 
Actually I have been neglecting my deadlift for the last 4 or 5 months (in favor of bringing my squat up) so maybe that’s hurting my stability.
I also feel like I lose tension in my back after about 5 reps or so, regardless of the weight.
Kay, take-away message:
-Leg drive to keep the back tight
-Deadlift more to build up the back
