A student asked me recently about my recommendations for range of motion for the bench press. Years ago, I was all about full range of motion—it was cheating if you didn’t touch the chest. Studying a bit more anatomy and having shoulder problems owing to wear-and-tear and a type III acromion, I have changed my tune a bit. Unless you are required to touch the sternum because of competition rules, it really isn’t necessary to bring the bar all the way to the chest (i.e., the sternum). One to two inches above the chest should be sufficient. Key is that the arms come to slightly less than 90-degrees and just below parallel to the ground.
It is important to not stretch the shoulder excessively. The deltoid and pectoralis major muscles are quite capable of being stretch. The potential problem, though, is the coracobrachialis, which runs from the coracoid process on the scapula to the humerus (the brachium or arm). At the low point of the bench press, the coracobrachialis is stretched and add to the compression of the shoulder capsule—especially when the arm is abducted 90-degrees (i.e. is near parallel to the bar). This can be alleviated by pressing with the elbows closer to the sides—and avoiding dropping the bar to the chest.
Another benefit of pausing above the chest is that you pause above the chest. It is harder—because the lifter isn’t taking advantage of a bounce off of the chest—and thus requires more work of the muscles. Now, if you are powerlifting, you will want every possible advantage in maximizing the weight lifted, but, if the goal is to build strength and size, we are less interested in a technique advantage. Controlling the descent and pausing at the bottom before exploding into the concentric phase will emphasize the eccentric contraction and affect greater muscle hypertrophy.
If shoulder pain is an issue, a reverse grip bench press might be an option. The challenge with a reverse grip bench press is racking and re-racking the barbell. If you are using a spotter, then it is less of a problem. If lifting alone, set the safety catches to just above chest height. This will enable you to slide under the bar to position yourself for the lift and serve as a stop to protect you should you fail to complete a repetition (nothing worse than getting stuck—or crushed—under the weight of the barbell). Grip the bar comfortably wider than shoulder width and press off of the rack. The barbell can come closer to the chest since the coracobrachialis is less vulnerable, and you will also effectively activate the chest muscles with less load. Start light. The movement will feel quite awkward at first. Quite quickly, though, you will find it easy to begin progressing the weight. It is a nice alternative to the flat or incline bench.
I prefer the barbell to dumbbells for a couple of reasons. For one, it is an easier set up. I have adjustable dumbbells and it takes some time to change plates. Dumbbells are also harder to exit out of at the end of a set—especially at heavy weights. Sure, you can drop them. This is fine with set dumbbells—maybe—but adjustable dumbbells can be more easily damages (and I have scars from the cuts and scratches that come with using the thighs to push them up into the starting position). In dropping the dumbbell, there is also an increased risk of injury. An advantage to dumbbells in the possible greater activation of the muscles owing to the reduced stability. Still, one can lift more weight with barbells an ultimately have a greater increase in strength. For the bodybuilder, though, dumbbells and cables will be necessary for building greater shape and size to the muscle. For pure strength and hypertrophy, nothing beats the good ol’ bench press!
I would avoid chest flyes (again, unless you are a bodybuilder or physique athlete). First, this is an isolation exercise removing much of the triceps contributions to the exercise. Always, “opportunity costs”. Isolation exercises then require additional exercises to target the missed muscle(s). This means more time spent in the gym. Second, the motion of the fly is essentially the same as the barbell or dumbbell bench press. The only difference is that, with the arms held nearly straight, there is less action in the triceps muscles. Complex movements always trump isolation exercises. Finally, with flyes, there is a greater likelihood of taking the range of motion to an extreme and over-stretching the shoulder. So, I stick with the bench press in my “basic 5”.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
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