Benchpress With Shoulders

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

I cannot remember the last time my chest was sore at all. Whenever I go heavy on the bench press, I’ll feel it in my front delts, maybe triceps, but never chest. Do my delts just take over because they’re the stronger of the two?

I was thinking about dropping the bench out of my routine and doing some exercises that work the chest more directly. Would this allow me to bench more in the end?

I currently already train shoulders. I can shoulder press about 185, and bench 245x3. I was thinking about doing flies or maybe cable crossovers.

2

Have you tried benching with dumbells?

Also, what kind of form do you use? I tuck my elbows in and I feel it more in my chest that way.

3

I started out benching with dumbbells. Once I got over 90 lb dumbbells (the largest in my gym… need a new gym), I switched to the bar. Back then, I actually could feel it in my chest, but I believe that’s because my hands moved in as I went up.

My form, I keep my elbows to my side, bring it to my lower ribs, push straight up, arch my back, I think my form is pretty decent, I’ve read a good amount about form, and I would try to take it to the gym with me and make little steps each time. It looks SO much better than when I first started with the bar.

I made awesome gains on the dumbbells, then it seemed to really slow down when I switched to the bar. I could do 180x10 on dumbells, when i switched to the bar I could do 205x5, then when I hit 225x5, I feel like it took forever for me to progress to 245x3.

I then stopped while I was in school for about 6 months. when I came back, I was a little weaker, then I got to about the same strength in about a month.

I suppose my real question is, when people have a shoulder dominant bench press, is it because their body hasn’t learned to use their chest in the movement? Or because their body is compensating for their weaker chest with their shoulders (I’m sure the shoulders are used by everyone in benching, but to a lesser extent)?

If the first is true, I could lower the weight and speed of my bench to concentrate on using the chest in the movement.

And if the second is true, then adding some direct chest work would be more beneficial.

4

Bench press is really not an ideal chest builder. If you are benching “correctly” you will likely use more lats, triceps, some shoulders (but not much) and chest. To isolate the chest you may try:
1.) Change you grip (wide to the throat)
2.) Pre-exhaust with flyes
3.) Weighted dips

Good luck and hope that helps.

5

Do dumbell press after your BP. Go for reps on flat or incline.

You can also invest in some bands for DB Press. I like to attach them a foot or two wider than shoulder width. Hits the tris hard at the top and also requires you to really squeez your pecs at the top to pull the DBs in. Seems to stress the front delts a little less in the lower to mid portion of the lift.

6

its not safe, but if I wanted chest development…

Elbows out, taking the bar to the nipple line. And load the chest as you come down almost have your elbows come back towards your head. I feel it best with a big old arch or a decline. Otherwise its REALLY hard on your shoulders.

But this is dangerous as hell so I dont know why I just suggested it.

7

wide grip FTW

8

Make an incline of less than 30 degrees to feel it more on the chest.that is NOT a normal incline, a lot lower.put weight plates on the 2 sides of the flat bench.

This will help target the chest a lot more. also, the flat benchpress uses a lot of front delts, so what ur feeling is normal.

9

[quote]jimmyjamesii wrote:
I started out benching with dumbbells. Once I got over 90 lb dumbbells (the largest in my gym… need a new gym), I switched to the bar. Back then, I actually could feel it in my chest, but I believe that’s because my hands moved in as I went up.

My form, I keep my elbows to my side, bring it to my lower ribs, push straight up, arch my back, I think my form is pretty decent, I’ve read a good amount about form, and I would try to take it to the gym with me and make little steps each time. It looks SO much better than when I first started with the bar.

I made awesome gains on the dumbbells, then it seemed to really slow down when I switched to the bar. I could do 180x10 on dumbells, when i switched to the bar I could do 205x5, then when I hit 225x5, I feel like it took forever for me to progress to 245x3.

I then stopped while I was in school for about 6 months. when I came back, I was a little weaker, then I got to about the same strength in about a month.

I suppose my real question is, when people have a shoulder dominant bench press, is it because their body hasn’t learned to use their chest in the movement?

Or because their body is compensating for their weaker chest with their shoulders (I’m sure the shoulders are used by everyone in benching, but to a lesser extent)?

If the first is true, I could lower the weight and speed of my bench to concentrate on using the chest in the movement.

And if the second is true, then adding some direct chest work would be more beneficial.[/quote]

You are using your shoulder cause it’s the easiest muscle to use for your body. Your body just don’t want to be crashed by big weight, he dont know that you want a huge chest. You must learn to use your chest when benching. You can achieve that by supersetting an isolation lift for chest juste before dooing your bench.

Are you pretty tall with long arms and legs? If yes it could explain why isolation movements work better than only benching for you. People with short arms will benefit more from only dooing bench and will perform better at it.

Hope I could help you even if it’s hard for me to explain in english :stuck_out_tongue: (french guy :wink: )

10

Don’t worry, your english is pretty decent. I’m 6’1" (185cm), long arms, short legs.

My goal is to just become as strong as possible, and I’m guessing that to get the best bench possible, I’ll have to start putting my chest into it.

So you think supersetting a chest isolation exercise will help me learn to use my chest in the bench? Interesting, I’ve never seen anyone do this. I need to start working chest either way, I think I’ll try it out to see how it goes. Thanks for the advice.

11

Yeah, try something like fly before benching and you will feel your chest a lot more!

But to develop your chest, a lot of isolation exercices will work better than fewer big exercices for you cause you have long arms.

12

I’m not too clear on your goal, if it’s just “get stronger” then strengthening the pecs is a good idea, if you really mean “bench more” then you probably should specialise in lats and triceps more to get the most out of the hand you’ve been dealt.

But if you want to emphasise chest in the flat bench, then a wider grip will help.

13

I think often, too much effort is put into BB benching just for the sake of saying you bench X.

Yes it is a good exercise, but it’s not the end all, be all of developing a large chest. I currently don’t BB bench at all since dumbells are working really well.

14

[quote]DragnCarry wrote:
I’m not too clear on your goal, if it’s just “get stronger” then strengthening the pecs is a good idea, if you really mean “bench more” then you probably should specialise in lats and triceps more to get the most out of the hand you’ve been dealt.

But if you want to emphasise chest in the flat bench, then a wider grip will help.[/quote]

If I bench more, wouldn’t it be fair to say that I’ve gotten stronger? I was under the impression that a chest dominant person have higher potential in benching than a front delt dominant person. Since I already train shoulders, I don’t need benching to be just another shoulder exercise.

[quote]rsg wrote:
I think often, too much effort is put into BB benching just for the sake of saying you bench X.

Yes it is a good exercise, but it’s not the end all, be all of developing a large chest. I currently don’t BB bench at all since dumbells are working really well.[/quote]

As I said, I got better results (weights increased faster) with dumbbells, however, the dumbbells in my gym only go up to 90 pounds. I want to be stronger, I won’t let a lack of equipment hold me back just so I won’t be one of those BB benching guys.

15

Incline and decline are options as well. I’m massively shoulder and tricep dominant (military press close to my incline), so all I really feel from flat benching in the pecs is where they tie in to the shoulders. Not so with incline/decline.

16

Try decline flyes.

17

[quote]jimmyjamesii wrote:
If I bench more, wouldn’t it be fair to say that I’ve gotten stronger?[/quote]

Yes, but not necessarily in the chest. You can develop an enormous bench with strong triceps, front delts and lats.

A stronger chest can’t hurt, although Louie Simmons seems to be of the opinion that shoulder and tricep dominant benchers are less prone to injury than chest dominant benchers.

18

you could do the bench to the neck with wide grip like many oldschool bodybuilders use to do-never do it without a spotter-. Flat bench-especially if your doing it for strength- will not hit the chest that hard. Since you will have an arch and probably bench lower trying to utilize your back, triceps, shoulders and leg drive.

19

I’ve always gotten my best chest pump from low-incline cable flyes (about 30 degrees, i guess). Just enough stretch at the bottom, and a solid pull all the way through the ROM.