What's up guys and welcome to Fix your Form! This series will cover a large array of training exercises and the most common mistakes made while performing them. Each episode will cover one unique exercise by showcasing all the possible errors one could make, and the solutions they can take to fix them. With valuable cues, techniques, and assistance along the way, this series will help you master your form while avoiding falling into any bad habits. Whether you’ve been lifting for years, or if it's your first time stepping into a gym, these videos will have you feeling confident, knowledgeable, and ready to level up your training! So join the ride and let's get to work! Today's episode focuses on the barbell bench press, also known as the flat bench press, barbell press, or simply, the bench press.
2 Minute Tutorial Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQCT4v41-dIi9aVDMedFkPyjusfsd5dMU
"How to do the BARBELL BENCH PRESS!"
youtube.com/watch?v=lWFknlOTbyM
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
0:19 Mistake 1: Improper Back Position
Now contrary to popular belief, bench pressing with a completely flat back is not only less effective, but actually dangerous for your shoulders. This is because without properly engaging your back, your shoulders rise upwards and experience a great amount of stress which takes the tension away from your pecs, causing you to lift less weight with a greater risk of injury. On the other hand, when you use too much of an arch, your glutes come off the bench, and your lumbar spine withstands a greater load than it can handle.
1:17 Mistake 2: Suboptimal Leg Drive
Oftentimes, you’ll see people place their feet lackadaisically in front of their knees, or shake them up and down throughout the rep. Doing this creates a lot of instability and not enough mechanical tension as you simply won’t be able to use as much weight as you possibly could. Even though this is a chest exercise, it’s still important to use enough leg drive in order to maximize efficiency of the lift to place your chest under the greatest load possible.
1:55 Mistake 3: How you grip the Bar
It's important to remember not grip the bar with your fingers, as this causes your wrists to extend backwards, placing them under a great deal of stress. Additionally, you wanna make sure that your thumbs are wrapped around the bar, and not over it, a grip commonly known as the death grip, which poses a big risk of injury if the bar were to ever slip out of our hands.
2:24 Mistake 4: Grip Width
Now you’ve probably heard that using a wide grip activates more of your chest, which is true, since the further you grip the bar, the more horizontal adduction you achieve, which is the primary function of the pecs. Likewise, a narrow grip activates more of your triceps, since the closer you grip, the more elbow extension you achieve, which is the primary function of the triceps. However, you shouldn’t go too wide to the point where it’s uncomfortable for your shoulders, or too narrow where your chest doesn’t activate at all.
3:01 Mistake 5: Incorrect Bar Path
The reason you don’t want to keep the bar path straight is because it forces most of the tension onto your triceps and forearms which just aren’t capable of lifting that much weight. This typically happens when you look forward and raise your head off the bench forcing the bar in front of you, or simply when you lower the bar straight down to your upper chest. Doing this requires a large amount of elbow flare to accomplish and as a result, a lot of unnecessary stress is placed on your rotator cuff which isn’t healthy for your shoulders.
3:45 Mistake 6&7: Improper Load Management:
Although using a weight too heavy to handle can evoke any of the mistakes previously mentioned, it typically results in a lack of control and an incomplete range of motion. That means either you're not lowering the bar all the way down to your sternum, or you're lowering it down too quickly letting it bounce off your chest to get back up. Both of these signify that the weight you're using exceeds that of your capability and you should decrease that amount to perform the rep thoroughly under control.
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About Me: I'm a college student with a passion for fitness hoping to make it my career. I started training in early 2019 and have devoted a big portion of my life to it ever since. Now, with the help of this amazing community I've been blessed to be a part of, I will try my best to give back the information I've learned for those hoping to embark on a journey of their own.
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