Close Grip Bench Press

[_Wolf_]

hi...

i wanted to know: for close grip bench presses, do you make the barbell youch your chest...? so far, whenever i do close grip bench presses (mainly for triceps), i always make them touch my chest...is this wrong...??

Anuj

[Darkhorse]

IMO it should touch below the nipple line at least. If it touches too far up the chest, you'll have the natural tendancy to flair out your elbows, which is the worst thing you could do. When I bench albiet close grip of regular, I ensure that my elbows are tucked all the way into my sides and the bar pauses just below or right at my bottom pecs. I also try to have the bar travel in a "J"..Basically that means that from the bar resting on my lower chest area, as I press it back up, it gradually moves back towards my head. Just helps prevent injury, which is my number one goal.

[Eric3237]

Originally Posted by 0311

also try to have the bar travel in a "J"..Basically that means that from the bar resting on my lower chest area, as I press it back up, it gradually moves back towards my head. Just helps prevent injury, which is my number one goal.

Same here. I find that's the naturall path the bar wants to travel so I just don't fight it. Sometimes, I think, good form is just doing what's naturall.

[verbatimreturned]

I just do it on the smith machine and let it touch my chest, But I make sure its lined up where my elbows wont flare out like what 0311 described when i go down

[Eric3237]

That's exactly the kind of thing 0311 and I are talking about, verb. The smith doesn't allow the bar to travel I it's natural path, thus increasing the likelihood of injury.

A lot of dumbass personal trainers still tell people to start out on machine or smiths and then "graduate" to free weights. Really, really stupid idea.

[verbatimreturned]

no more Smith Machine for Close-Grip bench for me

[Eric3237]

Ha, verb, btw, I wasn't calling YOU stupid. Also I can see smiths for, say, recovering from an injury, where the stabibility of the bar may be desirable for a short period. But if your used to not having to control the path of the bar and then you go to free weights that could actually set you up for trouble.

[Dr X]

Originally Posted by Eric3237

Same here. I find that's the naturall path the bar wants to travel so I just don't fight it. Sometimes, I think, good form is just doing what's naturall.

Same here

[Eric3237]

I know pure powerlifters would disagree with this. Dave Tate would adamantly say to keep the bar in a straight line. The shortest distance between two points of course. If I was a powerlifter I'd probably see it the same.

I've also read these same powerlifters say that avoiding the J line and keeping the bar in a straight line lessens the strain on the shoulders. But for the life of me I can't understand how forcing the bar into a straight line when what it wants to do is travel in an arc helps your shoulders any.

[Darkhorse]

Originally Posted by Eric3237

I know pure powerlifters would disagree with this. Dave Tate would adamantly say to keep the bar in a straight line. The shortest distance between two points of course. If I was a powerlifter I'd probably see it the same.

I've also read these same powerlifters say that avoiding the J line and keeping the bar in a straight line lessens the strain on the shoulders. But for the life of me I can't understand how forcing the bar into a straight line when what it wants to do is travel in an arc helps your shoulders any.

In my phone interview with Matt Reynolds, we went into depth about the J line. He said in the past they thought it was best to have the bar travel the least amount of distance by going straight up and down. Recently, they have changed their minds about the J line and it's now becoming more and more popular for the RAW bencher. I'm not too sure that applies to a shirted bench. I have a bad memory!