Thread: How do you Bench Press?

Like a powerlifter; it's safer for the shoulders and you can move more weight.

Somewhere in the middle.

Powerlifter style.

powerlifter all the way

this focuses more on the tricepts then does it not? with your elbows tucked in.

It's elbows in, but standard grip on the bar. I don't think it emphasizes them more but I could be wrong.

with my eyes closed.

Powerlifter style. I prefer to use more weight and place less stress on my shoulders. Your chest is still getting stimulated.

One elbow out and the other tucked in! :-)

elbows out I go to emphasize on making my chest bigger but I do elbows in for cg.

Originally Posted by durk

elbows out I go to emphasize on making my chest bigger but I do elbows in for cg.

I think if you want to emphasize your chest you should do some decline pressing or DB bench pressing.

DB bench pressing stimulates my chest like nothing else. I never, ever got sore from BB benching, but every time from the DBs.

Screw DB press!!! If you can bench over 400 pounds you will feel it...I'm talking to the chest and more than 2 reps.

Okay, and if you DB pressed the same weight, you'd probably feel it much more. Besides, you get an increased ROM from the DB presses and more stabilizer work. Plus, it takes much more strength to DB press 200 than to BB press 200.

Powerlifter stlye. Definately more tri's, delt's, and lat's.

I tried PL style, and that shit hit my shoulder wayyy too hard. I could not lift more weight using this method with my long ass arms.

Are you sure you were doing it correctly? It could just be body mechanics, but for the most part people tend to combine the two when trying PL style. I had a hard time trying to remember to drive with my legs (I still don't have that down), arch my back, tighten my core, and pull the shoulder blades together all while benching.

I bench elbows out with the bar going across my collar bone. i prefer to put all the stress on my upper chest and delts. yes it is an ego bruiser for those who love to life heavy things, but it will sculpt your facade better.

That PL position puts a lot of stress on the upper abs, which can cause them to grow in a bad way...a potbelly way.

Originally Posted by lnvanry

I bench elbows out with the bar going across my collar bone. i prefer to put all the stress on my upper chest and delts. yes it is an ego bruiser for those who love to life heavy things, but it will sculpt your facade better.

That PL position puts a lot of stress on the upper abs, which can cause them to grow in a bad way...a potbelly way.

How can you balance the bar with it going that high? It seems to me as though that can be achieved only if improper form is used, which can easily lead to injury. Secondly, many people can't lift as much PL style as BB style because they're used to BB style and either refuse to try PL style or are too stubborn to learn it long enough to move bigger weights. Thirdly, putting a lot of stress on a muscle (upper abs as you claim) is much, much safer than putting extra stress on a joint (shoulder). That's just my opinion though.

Originally Posted by lnvanry

I bench elbows out with the bar going across my collar bone. i prefer to put all the stress on my upper chest and delts. yes it is an ego bruiser for those who love to life heavy things, but it will sculpt your facade better.

Okay, I won't get into the upper chest debate. However, I must say that it is impossible to isolate the upper chest. Even if it were possible to place a little extra emphasis on the clavicular head I don't think it would hypertrophy out of sync with the sternal head.

That PL position puts a lot of stress on the upper abs, which can cause them to grow in a bad way...a potbelly way.

The rectus abdominus is one muscle. There are no upper abs. At least there is some case for debating emphasis of the upper chest, but there is none here.

You think benching PL style is going to contribute to a pot belly? No. What contributes to a pot belly is eating like shit.

Elbows out...bar to mid-chest.

Originally Posted by gopro

Elbows out...bar to mid-chest.

Even GoPro goes elbows out. Why not go elbows in GP?

Originally Posted by BigDyl

Even GoPro goes elbows out. Why not go elbows in GP?

Elbows wide is the superior position for pectoral recruitment...and that is my main concern when doing the exercise.