How Far Do You Lower the Bar to your Chest?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
41

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:
For god’s sake man, Bring the bar to your chest. Do you want to have a shitty chest?

When you have sex, do you only stick half your dick in?

FFS i hate it when i see a dumb punk in the gym load up the bar with 315, and fuckin only bring the bar down to 4 inches above the chest. Same thing with curls, I know some people do lower 1/2 and then higher 1/2, but i see stupid guy do nothing but top half rep curls for like 10 sets of fucking 40.

Sorry.[/quote]

I’ll just keep not touching my chest anyway, thank you, seeing as how it’s brought up my off-the-chest strength like crazy without bothering my bicep tendons like paused benching used to.

I don’t flare my elbows at the bottom usually, but I tried that particular combination and that was maybe the first time ever I actually got a good chest workout from benching. Still don’t like it on the shoulders though (elbows flared) so I stopped doing it (and I’d rather not tear a pec with the big weights). For those using the bench as an actual chest exercise though, it might be worth a try… Watch SincityIron’s vids… I got the idea from those…

Works a lot better for me all-around than the old Ronnie-style bottom 3/4ths only kind of benching ever did (and that periodically annoys my tendons and leaves me weak at the bottom, actually).

Need strong arms to stop the bar in the air though if it’s real heavy… I had to adjust my technique some too… Very different from touch and go or bouncing.

[/quote]

You’re an advanced lifter. What works for you works for you, but do you really think that a new guy shouldn’t start out by lowering the bar all the way down?

[/quote] I think the new guy should try what feels best and allows him to progress the fastest.

May sound cliche, but come on… The idea that one must touch one’s chest on the bench isn’t all that different from people saying that if you don’t do standing military presses, you’re pussy, or that everyone must get their chin over the bar on a pull-up, or be bent-over at a 90 degree angle on rows… Or hell, use a 4-6 inch grip on close-grip presses.

I’m not talking about guys turning the bench into some sort of top-half press, just actually using muscular strength to stop the bar (and stopping it at a height where it doesn’t bother your tendons or whatever, if that is otherwise a problem).

I have long arms and my bench numbers aren’t great compared to the amount of time I’ve been training, I’ll admit. But I don’t think it compares to being a pussy or anything.

For instance, I don’t think squatting above parallel is better for your squat overall unless you are working a sticking point. Same thing with weighted pull-ups. Although i agree the lower 3/4 of the rep is the most important, I still think the bar should at least touch your chin.

Deadlifts and rack pulls are different I guess, comparable to the bench press argument. I guess I’m just looking at the bench press from a powerlifting point of view. I do floor presses sometimes but I def. touch the chest when bench pressing 100% of the time.

42

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:
I have no idea what the relevance of someones height is WRT to this.

How does your height affect your flexibility? [/quote]
I would think arm length would have more to do with that than height.[/quote]

Really? Who has worse flexibility? Long armed guys. Or short armed guys

Do long arms cause poor flexibility or does poor flexibility cause long arms [/quote]

My fault, I read it wrong. Completely in fact.

43

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

[quote]BONEZ217 wrote:
I have no idea what the relevance of someones height is WRT to this.

How does your height affect your flexibility? [/quote]
I would think arm length would have more to do with that than height.[/quote]

Really? Who has worse flexibility? Long armed guys. Or short armed guys

Do long arms cause poor flexibility or does poor flexibility cause long arms [/quote]

Flexibility was probably the wrong word in the first place… Dunno.

I’ve never met a healthy individual in the gym who didn’t have the flexibility to touch the bar to his or her chest.
Now, going all the way down, all the time, causing them discomfort or slowing their progress? Sure… Usually with very long-armed guys (and again, maybe shoulder structure plays a role, but I don’t have x-ray vision…) and beginners with little upper body mass.

If he can’t touch, he must be rounding his shoulders big-time or something…?

[/quote]

If someone gets pain they should adress the problem or find a way to avoid it, of course. If there are no dumbells around then stopping a small distance before the chest may be the the only alternative. Not something I’d recommend to anyone who has to ask questions about this though.

I dont consider it “smart training” to stop the bar several inches above the chest for the sake of injury prevention. Smart training would be to stop barbell benching in general. Im talking about guys whos elbow crease never approaches 90 degrees “because it hurts”.

44

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

I have long arms and my bench numbers aren’t great compared to the amount of time I’ve been training, I’ll admit. But I don’t think it compares to being a pussy or anything.

For instance, I don’t think squatting above parallel is better for your squat overall unless you are working a sticking point. Same thing with weighted pull-ups. Although i agree the lower 3/4 of the rep is the most important, I still think the bar should at least touch your chin. [/quote] Why? Regardless of how you’re built or how it feels etc? [quote]

Deadlifts and rack pulls are different I guess, comparable to the bench press argument. I guess I’m just looking at the bench press from a powerlifting point of view. I do floor presses sometimes but I def. touch the chest when bench pressing 100% of the time.[/quote]

Powerlifting point of view… Thought that was me :wink:

I can only tell you that there’s no “must do this” or “must do that” except in competition.

If touching your chest works great for you as a tool in training and you are pain free and all, keep doing it all the time if you like… But truth be told, I’m likely much better built for benching than you and I still ran into trouble… Same thing with a lot of lifts for me, partial ROM has always been a good friend when it comes to keeping me injury and pain -free…

FWIW I always liked DB’s, HS lying presses and Inclines better for chest development… Flat bench is just an ego thing to me (remember I can’t flare my elbows at the bottom without causing pain etc, probably shoulder structure… I can flare on inclines though, which I do to a large degree), or a powerlift basically… It’s not all that great at training any muscle group in particular, the work is too spread out or something… I just do it because it’s so much fun to pile on the plates and keep piling every set.

45

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]Sarev0k wrote:

I have long arms and my bench numbers aren’t great compared to the amount of time I’ve been training, I’ll admit. But I don’t think it compares to being a pussy or anything.

For instance, I don’t think squatting above parallel is better for your squat overall unless you are working a sticking point. Same thing with weighted pull-ups. Although i agree the lower 3/4 of the rep is the most important, I still think the bar should at least touch your chin. [/quote] Why? Regardless of how you’re built or how it feels etc? [quote]

Deadlifts and rack pulls are different I guess, comparable to the bench press argument. I guess I’m just looking at the bench press from a powerlifting point of view. I do floor presses sometimes but I def. touch the chest when bench pressing 100% of the time.[/quote]

Powerlifting point of view… Thought that was me :wink:

I can only tell you that there’s no “must do this” or “must do that” except in competition.

If touching your chest works great for you as a tool in training and you are pain free and all, keep doing it all the time if you like… But truth be told, I’m likely much better built for benching than you and I still ran into trouble… Same thing with a lot of lifts for me, partial ROM has always been a good friend when it comes to keeping me injury and pain -free…

FWIW I always liked DB’s, HS lying presses and Inclines better for chest development… Flat bench is just an ego thing to me (remember I can’t flare my elbows at the bottom without causing pain etc, probably shoulder structure… I can flare on inclines though, which I do to a large degree), or a powerlift basically… It’s not all that great at training any muscle group in particular, the work is too spread out or something… I just do it because it’s so much fun to pile on the plates and keep piling every set.

[/quote]

I learned something new today haha

46

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
FWIW I’m not trying to be an ass to you or anything man. Just realized my first post in this thread might have come across a little different in tone than I intended it.
[/quote]

Good to see you back C_C - seem to be missing for a while or maybe that’s just me.

47

Hey guys, Thanks for all the feedback. I guess I should have phrased my question a little better. New to forums so a rookie mistake.

I do have the flexibility to touch the bar all the way to my chest without discomfort. What I was mostly curious about is people who are around 6"3 and their benching style. I work out in Japan and am by far the tallest guy in my gym. I find that when benching, keeping my feet on the floor, I raise the bar straight up all the way and then lower the bar to just above my nipples. I do my base sets of 8 at 120, 145, 180. But when I move up to 200 and then 225 I find it harder on my chest when I lower the bar all the way and get around 5 lifts at 200 and 1 at 225. I did a chest exercise last night and played with the distance I kept the bar from my chest. I found that if lower the bar to about an inch off my chest, I can do 225 about 5 times.

So I am curious how other guys lift, If it would be a bad habit to start lowering the bar to an inch off my chest or to go down all the way.

A little more about me. 6"3 215lbs. Been at a good gym now for a year, and in and out of community center gyms which never had a straight bar for benching or shoulder presses or squats. Always been using machines or two dumb bells.

48

C_C this might be a little off topic but still benching related… what do you recommend on the hand placement for grip?

49

I bring it all the way down to the chest.
If you stop 1" away from the chest, why not stop 2 or 3" away? Or hell, 4 or 5"?
If you bring it all the way down you don’t have to judge the distance and there’s no question as to why you are stopping a certain distance from the chest.
Retract your shoulder blades and dig them into the bench before you unrack.

50

[quote]Liv92 wrote:
C_C this might be a little off topic but still benching related… what do you recommend on the hand placement for grip? [/quote]

Whatever works for you… And it depends on your goals of course and on what your body allows you to do without getting injured…

I go fairly close, similar to Hoornstra etc… Thumbs-length away from where the knurling starts usually, so about shoulder width or something like that… I can go wider as long as I tuck my elbows in all the way at the bottom, but I’m a little weaker with the wider grip, so I don’t use it much.

Judging by the old “bodyweight and arm size” and “curl numbers” threads, I’m guessing a lot of people here would end up transfixed under the bar if they tried to bench like that though :wink:

51

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:

[quote]Liv92 wrote:
C_C this might be a little off topic but still benching related… what do you recommend on the hand placement for grip? [/quote]

Whatever works for you… And it depends on your goals of course and on what your body allows you to do without getting injured…

I go fairly close, similar to Hoornstra etc… Thumbs-length away from where the knurling starts usually, so about shoulder width or something like that… I can go wider as long as I tuck my elbows in all the way at the bottom, but I’m a little weaker with the wider grip, so I don’t use it much.

Judging by the old “bodyweight and arm size” and “curl numbers” threads, I’m guessing a lot of people here would end up transfixed under the bar if they tried to bench like that though :wink:

[/quote]

Yeah that’s what I started doing now too thumbs length away, it feels much much better on my shoulders. Before i’d do pinky finger on the ring and it made my shoulder joints sore and it felt like i didn’t have much power to push off from.

The wide grip vs close grip (index finger on smooth part) I was doing same weight just a 2 reps less on the close grip, so I figured I had to move it in closer.

52

I’m ten foot 13 and touch the bar to the floor, suck it!!

53

[quote]ucallthatbass wrote:
I’m ten foot 13 and touch the bar to the floor, suck it!![/quote]

Decapitating yourself to optimize the effectiveness of the bench press.
That, dear sir, is commitment. Respect.

54

i’m 5’11’ and I lower the bar to my nipples (on flat bench) with no problems, I started to have problems with my shoulders when -yeras ago- I did not know how to bench properly, I mean blades in, light back arch and feet under the bench.
and a christian grip…

incidentally, one of my powercasting buddies is a bber and sometimes we train togheter, he told me he always had problems to his shoulders because of bench press…
when we trained togheter first time we did…bench :slight_smile:
well, his style/form on the bench was orrible;
feets on the bench, no blades in, no arc,very wide grip (rotator cuffs danger).

no surprise he injuried his delts many times, maybe it’s not just problem of flexibility/morphology (I have seen guys well over 6foot doing a perfect bench with heavy weights) but a problem of style?
also, I experimented by myself that -no matter how strong how are you on pulldownz and reverse bar- if your rear delts is weak you get problem with bench because rotatory cuff torque (can’t expalin in english) is UN-balanced, bench stressed up very much front delt and I after a set of bench felt an heavy pain in my shoulders, only way to remove the pain was doing a light set of pulldowns at lat machine.

for months I had this problem at shoulders,sort orhopedics told me that my shoulders joints were fine but what a pain, than i started to train seriously the back (with excercises with a 90° angle between shoulder joint and body alias heavy dB rows) and abracadabra no pain at all.

i’m just saying that IF your form on the bench is good and IF your back kinetic chain is strong as your front kinetic chain maybe it’s a problem of morphology…

at the end of the day PWLers always said that if you wanna bench heavy you have to pull heavy,why bbers should have a big chest (AKC) with a weak/flat back (BKC)???

hope it helps

Mikael from Italy (former troll a/o former “small tshirt sized” boy for some…)

55

Lower the bar to your chest or dont bench, find something else that is not limited by your pathetic flexibility or doesn’t aggrevate your injury (only two reasons why you wouldn’t lower it all the way).

WG