Bench press form: setup, grip and shoulder pain
The bench press has a reputation for wrecking shoulders. Usually it is one of two things: elbows flared straight out to the sides, or a grip much wider than you need. Both take about one session to fix.
Barbell Bench Press
- Target
- pectorals
- Sets and reps
- 4 × 6
- Rest
- 120s
Drive your feet into the floor and keep your shoulder blades pinched together throughout the lift.
Setting up, from the ground up
- Feet first
Flat on the floor, pulled back towards you until you feel your quads switch on. Your feet are how you push into the bench and keep your upper back tight.
- Eyes under the bar
Lie down so the bar is right above your eyes or just behind them. Unrack from there and the bar only has a short way to travel to get over your shoulders.
- Pin your shoulder blades
Squeeze them together and down towards your back pockets, then keep them there. This is the biggest difference between a bench press that hurts and one that does not. If they are loose, your shoulder joint takes the load your chest should be taking.
- Set the arch
A small natural arch in your lower back, with your glutes staying on the bench. This is not a powerlifting arch. It happens on its own once your shoulder blades are pinned and your feet are pulling.
Flaring your elbows straight out to the sides puts your shoulder in its weakest position under load. Tuck them to about 45 degrees from your body. Your press will feel stronger too.
How wide to grip
Set your grip so your forearms are straight up and down at the bottom of the rep. For most people that means index or middle finger on the ring marks, which is narrower than what they have been doing.
A wider grip shortens the distance the bar travels and lets you lift a bit more, but it puts more stress on your shoulders. A narrower grip gives more work to your triceps and is easier on the joint. The vertical forearm is how you check.
Wrap your thumbs around the bar. A thumbless grip gains you nothing, and when it goes wrong the bar lands on your throat.
The rep itself
Lower the bar under control to your lower chest, roughly nipple height. Not to your neck. Touch it, do not bounce it. Then press up and slightly back, so the bar finishes over your shoulders.
The bar path is a shallow J, not a straight up-and-down line. That is correct, and it is what strong benchers do without thinking about it.
Benching alone, safely
Take this one seriously. You can dump a failed squat. You cannot dump a failed bench press, and the bar is over your chest.
- Use the safety pins in a power rack, set just below your chest at the bottom of the rep. If your gym has a rack, this is the whole answer.
- No collars if you are benching outside a rack. If you get stuck, tip the bar and let the plates slide off one side.
- Leave one rep in the tank on every set when nobody is around.
- Or use dumbbells. Nothing can trap you.
Dumbbell Bench Press
- Target
- pectorals
- Sets and reps
- 3 × 12
- Rest
- 90s
Dumbbells allow a deeper range of motion than a barbell. Don't rush through the bottom stretch.
Why your shoulder hurts
You are flaring your elbows
Worth repeating, because it is the answer most of the time. Tuck to 45 degrees for a month and see if the pain follows you.
Your shoulder blades come loose at the bottom
They start tight and relax as the bar comes down, so the joint takes the load. Fix it by trying to bend the bar apart. That keeps your upper back switched on the whole way.
You press much more than you pull
Bench twice a week and row once and the gap builds up over months. Do at least as many pulling sets as pressing sets. Rear delts and upper back are the cheapest shoulder insurance there is.
Inverted Row
- Target
- upper back
- Sets and reps
- 3 × 12
- Rest
- 60s
The closer your body to horizontal, the harder it is. Elevate your feet to progress.
Variations that build the press
Barbell Incline Bench Press
- Target
- pectorals
- Sets and reps
- 4 × 10
- Rest
- 90s
Set the bench to 30-45°. Flare your elbows slightly less than on a flat press to protect your shoulders.
Push-Up
- Target
- pectorals
- Sets and reps
- 3 × 15
- Rest
- 60s
Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels. Don't let your hips sag or pike upward.
| Variation | What it adds | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Flat barbell bench | Most weight | First exercise, 4 to 6 reps |
| Incline barbell or dumbbell | Upper chest | Second, 6 to 10 reps |
| Dumbbell bench | Range of motion, side-to-side balance | Second or third, 8 to 12 |
| Close-grip bench | Triceps and lockout | Third, 8 to 10 |
| Push-ups | Volume with no setup | Last, close to failure |
Getting the number up
The bench moves slowly next to the squat and deadlift, because the muscles are smaller. Adding 1.25 kg every couple of weeks is real progress. That means the smallest plates in the gym, not the 2.5s.
Two sessions a week beats one, with the second one lighter and higher rep. Add close-grip work if you get stuck halfway up, and more chest work if you get stuck off your chest.
Nobody has ever built a big bench by benching once a week and going to failure every time.
Small jumps only work if you know exactly what you did last time. Panko keeps your last session on screen while you lift and marks the set when it is a personal best.
One-rep max calculator
Estimate your bench one-rep max from a set you have already done, and read off working weights for 2 to 12 reps.
The short version
- Feet flat, shoulder blades pinned down and back, small natural arch, glutes on the bench.
- Elbows tucked to about 45 degrees. Flaring to 90 is the most common cause of shoulder pain.
- Set your grip so your forearms are vertical at the bottom, usually narrower than you think.
- Bench inside a rack with the pins set, or use dumbbells when nobody is around.
- Do as much pulling as pressing, and bench twice a week rather than once.
Questions
Should the bar touch my chest?
Touch it lightly at the lower chest, then press. Bouncing it off your ribs makes the weight look better than it is and skips the hardest part of the rep. Stopping a few centimetres short now and then is fine as a training tool, not as your default.
Is arching cheating?
A small arch is what a tight upper back gives you, and it protects your shoulders. The extreme arch you see in powerlifting shortens the range on purpose, which is legal in that sport and pointless if you are training for muscle. Keep the small one.
Barbell or dumbbells?
Barbell for weight and easy progression. Dumbbells for range of motion, side-to-side balance and safety when you train alone. Most good chest plans use both, barbell first while you are fresh.
Why is my bench press stuck?
Usually because you only bench once a week, which is not enough for a lift this technical. Add a second lighter session, keep most sets two reps short of failure, and give it eight weeks. Stuck off your chest means more incline and dumbbell work. Stuck at lockout means close-grip.
How wide should my grip be?
Wide enough that your forearms are vertical when the bar touches your chest, which for most people is index or middle finger on the ring marks.
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Let Panko keep score
Last time's weight on every set. A rest timer that starts on its own. Meals logged from a photo or a sentence. And a chart that shows you whether it is working.