Bench Press - To the Chest or not to the Chest?

[Regiment]

What's everyone's opinion on barbell brenchpress and how low you go, looking around at some of the online guys, like the guy that does strong lifts, they always recommend touching your chest as it works more of your chest...others recommend only going to parallel as anything past parallel can be risky for your rotator, but how far down does everyone go and what's your experiences and opinions on the matter?

I rarely touch my chest, it's not something i aim to do and infact will lower the bar down to an inch above my chest before pushing back up. My argument for doing this is that it forces me to control the weight through the entire movement, i get a great range of motion, especially with the length of my arms and there is no risk of me trying to bounce the weight off my chest and i've never felt it in my chest when i go the extra inch anyway, that extra inch to me just seems to tighten the front of my shoulders a little more and nothing else.

The people saying go to Parallel only have impressive chests, the people saying touch the chest have impressive chests, so it just seems like what works for some doesn't necessarily work for others.

[Hoofy]

Working shoulders > impressive chest. So I only go to parallel. Sorry. Do I even lift, bro?

FWIW, I feel soreness in the chest area even though my upper arms are parallel and no lower.

[Martyboy84]

4 second slow drop onto chest (but not supporting the weight).. Wait a second then explode up just short of fully straightened elbows.

At my strongest eating like a champion I was lifting serious weight. Low rep stuff but I just looked fat (still do) so I'v recently went to higher rep lighter weight stuff.. Still look fat lol.

A few guys drop to around a clenched fist away from their chest.

[smiffy180]

This is quite and important question as its dependant on an individual.
Firstly how flexible are you?
This IS important and if your body won't naturally allow you flex far enough to touch chest with minimal weight you really don't want to he doing it when you have some weight behind it.
Imagine all that pressure on your joints, tendons etc pushing past their limit - it's only so long before something goes.

Secondly do you want to go to touch?
Think about it, we see it on powerlifting comps and that's about it. They go to touch to prove they've done FROM for judges. If you're training for own benefit go to just below parallel or to touch if your body is comfortable with it.
Hope this helps.

[burwoodman]

You will develop the same chest regardless of your range of motion, within reason. I'm talking extremes whereby you are on the floor at home and try and lower your elbows. That small range will allow a full chest! This has been proven many times although I wouldn't advocate it. The Bench Press is crap for developing muscle anyway. Flys are superior and DB incline presses are very good as are dips.

[didelydoo]

Of course, should you want to do a bench press, then yes, you should touch your chest.......

[mu0n]

I always come to chest. Whether it touches or not would be 50:50 but it’s there or thereabouts. I generally just feel it brush.

Personally, when I go heavy, I have a mental block that I still have to come to my chest even if I know I’m going to struggle getting it back up again. Most people will come down ¾ if they are ‘cheating’ or whatever, but yeah. I think it comes from doing press-ups and making sure your nose comes within a gnats cock of the floor.

I personally would say that getting to within a couple of inches of your chest should qualify as a decent press. Any more distance than that and I wouldn’t count it as a proper bench press.

[Warnie]

I'm 6ft 4, so find I get pain in my shoulders if I touch my chest with the bar, so therefor go just below parallel. If I didn't get the pain then I would touch my chest no doubt but I can't believe there's enough to be gained to risk injury.

[MrWhale]

Full ROM so bar to chest, depending on training tempo will vary.

[Regiment]

Warnie said:

I'm 6ft 4, so find I get pain in my shoulders if I touch my chest with the bar, so therefor go just below parallel. If I didn't get the pain then I would touch my chest no doubt but I can't believe there's enough to be gained to risk injury.

Exactly this, I don't get pain in my shoulders though, just a tightness.

[goldblum]

Warnie said:

I'm 6ft 4, so find I get pain in my shoulders if I touch my chest with the bar, so therefor go just below parallel. If I didn't get the pain then I would touch my chest no doubt but I can't believe there's enough to be gained to risk injury.

There is no relationship between how tall a person is and risk of shoulder pain when bench pressing. If your technique is sound it's very,very unlikely you'll hurt your shoulders, notwithstanding a current injury.
For most people with a medium grip the pectorals are fully stretched before the bar touches the chest. The wider you go the more likely the bar will have to touch the chest before this happens. If you are training for strength,endurance or size you should fully stretch the muscle through its entire ROM for the most benefit.

[theshrew]

Warnie said:

I'm 6ft 4, so find I get pain in my shoulders if I touch my chest with the bar, so therefor go just below parallel. If I didn't get the pain then I would touch my chest no doubt but I can't believe there's enough to be gained to risk injury.

I used to get shoulder pain pretty bad on the bench. I played about with grip position and its ok now. Added bonus of lifts went up slightly to.

As for range i go down to my chest sometimes i dont touch if i miss judge it. I find the lower part of my lift is by far the weakest so in my mind i go as low as possible to build that up if i do that the numbers will go up

[goldblum]

NeMiSiS said:

I have seen guys with their legs in the air/crossed and stopping the press 2-3 inches above the chest, but they have always been sub 50KG,

I've seen this as well. Completely baffles me. I mean there's far better exercises for the core, it doesn't challenge the pecs as there's not enough weight, and if you really pushed the balance aspect it would be a hugely dangerous lift. Idiots.

[mu0n]

NeMiSiS said:

I always touch the chest with bar, heels, head, shoulders and gluts touching the bench and a thumb wrap-around grip, these were the rules I was trained to use and they have stuck.

I have seen guys using a thumbless grip with their legs in the air/crossed and stopping the press 2-3 inches above the chest, but they have always been sub 50KG, maybe picked up from a newly qualified PT who saw it on a Rocky film.

Hahaha, I occasionally do that on my dropsets. I'd never do it for normal benching though...

[M400 NBL]

If you are flexible enough to touch your chest with the bar, do so. But rest on your chest (still pushing the bar so it's only just touching) and then lift.

That way you can't bounce. And it's MUCH harder than and will make you stronger than bouncing the weight or doing less than a full rep.

[rdhawkins]

I've been doing StrongLifts for a couple of months and always touch my chest, keep the elbows tucked in slightly too which avoids putting strain on the shoulders and neck.

[Ordinary_Chap]

I find the suicide grip to be far more comfortable and I can do much more that way but I simply don't trust my wrist anymore after damaging it in a car accident.

I know lots of very serious lifters that use the suicide grip but I'd definitely not recommend it to a newbie.

[TheBALDpuma]

didelydoo said:

Of course, should you want to do a bench press, then yes, you should touch your chest.......

I seem to remember saying something similar before.

[kingstondc5]

What about the guillotine press to the throat?

[goldblum]

TheBALDpuma said:

didelydoo said:

Of course, should you want to do a bench press, then yes, you should touch your chest.......

I seem to remember saying something similar before.

Dogma. A bench press is simply the action of lying on a bench and pressing away from your chest. We sneer at others who don't touch but in literal terms it's still a BP.