bench press help

[JubbaKing]

I hate benching but I know they are a necessity. My problem is it always seems that it's just my front delts doing all the work. I'm pretty sure my form is not to blame. How can I get around this? Should I do flies and/or DB bench (which seems to make my chest do more of the work) before I do bench press?

 

[slobberknocker]

Bench actually is a lot of front delts.

 

[0nyx]

tell me about it...

my delts are killing me today from yesterdays bench.. been so long since they hurt this much after a chest routin

 

[JubbaKing]

Ya I know that you use chest, delts and tris but it just seems like I'm not using enough of the chest and tris to do the lift. I dunno...maybe I'm just a pansy. lol

 

[hornedfrogs07]

Ya I know that you use chest, delts and tris but it just seems like I'm not using enough of the chest and tris to do the lift. I dunno...maybe I'm just a pansy. lol

Up until about a year and a half ago, I NEVER felt bench in any part of my body other than front delts. Then all of a sudden, no change in form or anything, I started feeling it in my chest. I really don't know what advice to give you except to just stick it out and keep at it.

 

[syko]

What i believe is that when you start doing bench press, your front delts do most of the work since they are not up to par to the weight, but once they get to a certain strength, they let the chest do most of the work....i dunno if this is a bullshit logic or if it actually makes sense..

 

[hmlacrosse]

i have the same problem man, and with my biceps, all i can feel is my forearms doing al the work, and with bench, its like my shoulders are just pushing all the weight, i tried really working on my form, but havent had a change yet...maybe its my hand positioning

 

[wrestler]

Try widening your grip about an inch on each side of the barbell. I had the same problem about two years ago. My chest was never the size I wanted it to be and I think that is b/c I was using more my front delts than my chest. I widened my grip and have gotten considerably stronger on the bench and put on some more size there. Just a suggestion. It worked for me. Good luck.

 

[Tweekt-out]

JK-

You may have answered your own question.

Dumbell Flyes B4 your bench routine are an excellent pre-exhaust
for your pecs.

Don't forget about the old stand-bys, PUSH-UPS & DIPS !!!

Wrestler gives good advice:
Changing the grip on your bench and/or hand position during pushups
will definitely let you get a better feel.

If you like working w/ the Db's, try using the stability ball, instead of
the bench, anything to mix it up.

It's all about the mind-muscle connection.

Hmlacrosse, I got the same damn problem with my bi's.
I'm guessing you have long arms too?

 

[DADAWG]

i get less delt and more chest work when i do decline bench

 

[Beast_19_301]

do more incline and decline, dont worry about flat

 

[jcp2]

scrap the flat, unless you are a powerlifter or being tested on it, i don't see how flats have any real benefit. Incline seems to do the job as the meat and potatoes of a chest workouit. Part of the problem with the flat bench is your chest is only doing the work for a much shorter time than when you incline. Do a flat bench, and do an incline, your range of motion is so much longer with the incline, and you will feel your chest working more on each rep. I am not sure if i explained this correctly or not but i think you get the idea.

 

[bigbuffstaples]

That's why most people get shoulder injuries from doing bench press. The wider you have your grip, the more shoulder work your gonna get, the closer, the more chest and triceps it'll work.

Flat bench press isn't a necessity at all. You don't even need it in your routine. It's just what most people do and they try to see how much they can bench, more of a powerlifting thing. i still do bench, but i do incline bench, flat bench dumbbell press and things like that. Just keep switching it up.