# FITNESS and NUTRITION FORUM > WORKOUT AND TRAINING >  Bench pressing: touch the chest?

## jg42058p

Is it too hard on your shoulders to let the bar touch your chest when you bench press?

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## Nooomoto

No. If thats the case you need to stretch.

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## rockinred

I agree with Nooomoto... go lighter and get the full range of motion and stretch. build up to whatever you like at a comfortable rate of time. No hurry. its when you push the limits that you start to feel it hurt and injure yourself. I do know some people with shoulder injuries that can't bench with barbell... they just use dumbbells though... so something to consider.

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## jg42058p

cool thanks guys

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## Second2Last33

I was always taught that it was important to get a full range of motion and touch your chest (not bounce off but lightly touch) for the best results. However it took me awhile to build up to it and I have to stretch before each bench session.

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## Bill_boy2005

My lifting partner does not have a full range of motion on bench. He can lift more than me through his range of motion, but my lighter weight and full range of motion seems to be building better mass than his short range of motion and heavier weight.

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## Livinlean

Heres a tip man. Lay with a barbell on a swiss ball. Make sure the swiss ball is in the middle of your back closer to your shoulder blades. Start doing a bench press movement with the barbell. Because of the ball you will only be able to go down a certain amount and that is how low you should go on your bench without risking shoulder injury. Ofcourse you could just jump into touching your chest right away but it could put extra stress on your shoulder. A safer way is using this method and gradually go lower and lower every week till you can touch your chest this way your rotator cuff muscles get used to you going lower everytime instead of just jumping in.

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## Armykid93

The bar should never touch your chest when your benching thats aweful for you.

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## Armykid93

> My lifting partner does not have a full range of motion on bench. He can lift more than me through his range of motion, but my lighter weight and full range of motion seems to be building better mass than his short range of motion and heavier weight.


 For sure, your always going to make better progress with lighter weight and proper technique. Thats why its funny if you watch the guys who dont go down all the way with squats then 2 years later theyre still doing the same weight.

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## DubVwrestler171

I've noticed better workouts and better stretch with proper technique on my bench.

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## OnTheSauce

God I wish someone would have taught me to stretch and work on ROM when i started lifting. I didn't know sh*t and just went into the gym doing whatever. I hurt my shoulder twice doing barbell bench and I don't know if it will ever be right now. I can do dumbells "ok" if I stretch and warm up really well, but I think I'm doomed at ever using a barbell again.

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## dtob

> Is it too hard on your shoulders to let the bar touch your chest when you bench press?


Read your body 
If it hurts dont do it
I know some guys that can bench huge weight bar resting on chest no pain no problem same with behind the neck miltary press 
My bro RIP could come down to his traps!
With 315 no issues
I cannot go anywhere near as deep (heavy)
Point is everyones built a little diferently 
My rule of thumb is when inside the joint hurts its to deep
Read your body you know it better than anyone

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## Armykid93

I always go just slightly above the chest and slightly before full extension of the elbows if I do bench but I rarely do anymore. I love dumbbell press now.

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## Stosh_112

Yes its not about the weight its about the correct form and F.O.M

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## Times Roman

> The bar should never touch your chest when your benching thats aweful for you.


this is humor, no?

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## Times Roman

> Is it too hard on your shoulders to let the bar touch your chest when you bench press?


whatever you do, just don't start bouncing the bar off your sternum!

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## AllAmerican-PCS

> this is humor, no?


Has to be...The only time you don't touch your chest is if your board pressing(obviously you cant) or ballistic benching (don't try this in maximal effort lifts), but full range of motion is very important, especially if your a competitive power lifter where you have to pause press. I have seen a lot of people in the gym with this problem mostly due to lack of proper ROM, also start adding dumbbell presses with a tucked press (elbos in) stretch as far as you can down and make sure to go all the way up (lock out is very important to)

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## jypoll

every single guy i see at the gym either does not touch chest, or bounces of the chest and thrusts his hips off the bench to get the bar up. I find this absolutely ridiculous.

I touch to my chest keep my feet firmly planted on the ground and butt never comes off the bench.
And if i lift over 100lbs i will make a 3 second pause on the chest.

Same with squats... why do guys insist on lifting wayyy more than they can handle and do 1/4 squats?
Have we all just turned into F**** morons?

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## gearbox

It is annoying of your weighting to use the equipment too! Like the squat rack

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## Armykid93

> God I wish someone would have taught me to stretch and work on ROM when i started lifting. I didn't know sh*t and just went into the gym doing whatever. I hurt my shoulder twice doing barbell bench and I don't know if it will ever be right now. I can do dumbells "ok" if I stretch and warm up really well, but I think I'm doomed at ever using a barbell again.


What workouts do you do for range of motion?

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## Armykid93

> It is annoying of your weighting to use the equipment too! Like the squat rack


Ditto
Btw I never touch my chest. I stop about a half inch off it

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## Noles12

> The bar should never touch your chest when your benching thats aweful for you.


Can you please explain why it is awful?

I personally go all the way down lightly touch my chest and go back up. My body remains on the bench, my feet stay flat, and i never bounce the bar off my chest

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## Armykid93

> Can you please explain why it is awful?
> 
> I personally go all the way down lightly touch my chest and go back up. My body remains on the bench, my feet stay flat, and i never bounce the bar off my chest


Its bad for you're shoulder. Had a physical therapist tell me that after I dislocated mine

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## jypoll

> Its bad for you're shoulder. Had a physical therapist tell me that after I dislocated mine


maybe you need to change your grip or form, or add some shoulder strength, 
there should not be a problem with going to your chest

also if your one of the guys who drop it on there chest and wait for the bounce then yes it is bad for shoulders, if you lower it slowly and controlled it is not bad

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## AllAmerican-PCS

> Its bad for you're shoulder. Had a physical therapist tell me that after I dislocated mine


YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPIST IS SETTING YOU UP FOR FAILURE!!!!!! No offence to you bud, but 90% of people that get shoulder injuries in the bench press is due to lack of form/technique. I dont know how many people i see in the gym all the time fading over there face in there concentric phase, elbows flared out so bad it places all the weight back onto the shoulders. You should always stay in a tucked form and press in a straight line up not up and back over your face, this puts all that weight on your rotators causing serious damage. If you have a serious set of Tri's (being the strongest muscle in your bench) great upper back, impressive set of delts paired with strong lats with good FORM!!(the biggest key here), YOU WILL NEVER!!!!!!!!! have shoulder problems in the bench. 365lbs pause press raw Stay strong and healthy my friends

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## Noles12

> YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPIST IS SETTING YOU UP FOR FAILURE!!!!!! No offence to you bud, but 90% of people that get shoulder injuries in the bench press is due to lack of form/technique. I dont know how many people i see in the gym all the time fading over there face in there concentric phase, elbows flared out so bad it places all the weight back onto the shoulders. You should always stay in a tucked form and press in a straight line up not up and back over your face, this puts all that weight on your rotators causing serious damage. If you have a serious set of Tri's (being the strongest muscle in your bench) great upper back, impressive set of delts paired with strong lats with good FORM!!(the biggest key here), YOU WILL NEVER!!!!!!!!! have shoulder problems in the bench. 365lbs pause press raw Stay strong and healthy my friends


Exactly. Form is everything. You can safely go down to your chest and have no shoulder issues. I tore a rotator cuff playing sports and always had shoulder issues. I comfortably benched 425 last night down to my chest, controlled no bounce, then pressed it up. No pain from my shoulder whatsoever and a very smooth movement

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## DanB

Here's two videos which may help, the first is terrible form, bouncing bar off chest and asking for injury, the second is near perfect IMO, notice how bar slightly touches chest but dosnt bounce at all

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## Armykid93

Who said my dislocation was from benching and I have great form benching. The extra half inch above my chest i'm sure really doesn't make much of a difference. I get close enough to my chest it looks like i'm touching it I just don't actually physically touch it.

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## Armykid93

> YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPIST IS SETTING YOU UP FOR FAILURE!!!!!! No offence to you bud, but 90% of people that get shoulder injuries in the bench press is due to lack of form/technique. I dont know how many people i see in the gym all the time fading over there face in there concentric phase, elbows flared out so bad it places all the weight back onto the shoulders. You should always stay in a tucked form and press in a straight line up not up and back over your face, this puts all that weight on your rotators causing serious damage. If you have a serious set of Tri's (being the strongest muscle in your bench) great upper back, impressive set of delts paired with strong lats with good FORM!!(the biggest key here), YOU WILL NEVER!!!!!!!!! have shoulder problems in the bench. 365lbs pause press raw Stay strong and healthy my friends


I will say I could tuck my elbows in more. Other than that I know I have good form.

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## Conrad0032

I normally stop 1/2 inch off my chest. I noticed when my friends try and do this they bench less as you have to stop the bar and don't have your body to absorb some of the bounce, no matter how much it is. I noticed fine growth with it in terms of strength and size so no complaints. I think it's personal preference.

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## PumpMasterFlex

Yeah, this is how I do it too. IMO it's more difficult; you have to fight inertia.

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## gearbox

it goes back to how noles12 does it. you bring the weight down (lightly) touch your chest and push up with your chest arms, not back legs or whatever else some people use. Lose your ego at the door when you enter the gym, it will help save you from injury imo

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## spywizard

it's really about are you trying to build muscle and strength, or do you break the 90 degree angle on the elbow and thus transfer the weight to your skeletal system..

the real measure is the point of which blood is allowed to re enter into the muscle that is under strain... 

so no, i don't break 90 degree angle, and that's one of the reasons shorter guys can always bench more, they reach out a little further, and thus the muscle is under contraction the whole time.. not the ligaments and tendons that connect to the bone.. 

good times..

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## muscle02

I have learned over the years that good form trumps weight all day. I know that I need to tuck my elbows more and try to every time I hit the bench.

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## ironbeck

Simple, the second video is the correct bench method.

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## ac guy

> It is annoying of your weighting to use the equipment too! Like the squat rack


Dude last week was doing push ups in the squat rack. I sh!$ you not.

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## Bart55

Im not sure why she told you this. I have a torn posterior labrum, and had a partially torn Rotor cuff as a result dislocating my shoulders in football. I did some PT for it, and the following year ( My senior year of high school) I was able to do a full range of motion 345lb bench press with no negative effects on my shoulders. A year later (current date) i still have no problems with my shoulders, maybe because I stretch a lot? Either way i figure if anyone would have had shoulder repercussions from doing a full ROM it would have been me. Anyway, all I'm saying is bar to chest, not bar bumping off chest, and proper stretching will help your bench press in the long run.

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## Bart55

My above post is in response to Armykid being told by his Physical Therapist do not do full ROM

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## The_Irish_Dave

I agree with dtob. Listen to your body. If you are going to do the chest touch though don't suddenly do it. Build up to it if you are not doing already. It does take time. You can easily pull a muscle in the shoulder and you'll be out of bench pressing action for ages. I don't think it's necessary to actually touch the chest but close enough to it will do. If you do touch it don't bounce it because it's just cheating really. A powerlifting pause is even harder and you can knock about 10kg or so off your weight if you want to do it right so it's not good for ego boosters. The chest can be heightened of course with a good arch in the back so all the guys who don't touch it, if they actually arched a bit more they could actually touch it and not be lowering it anymore than they are already. Again, if it feels wrong, stop. You're not flexible enough yet, or warmed up enough.

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## Ishallnocheatmyself

I Dont know about it being true or not but i use full range of motion with a pretty wide grip and slow controlled press, i started at 160lbs bench my partner 215 now im pushing 265 x 8 hes still pushing 225ish and he dosnt even come close to chest just dumb ****ing reps and ive tried explaining it and he just does his own thing.

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## curioususer

I'm one of the guy that dumped barbell for dumbbells.. best decision I've ever made.

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## G Lock

I think touching your chest is going to give the best results for most people, I said most, I could say there might be a couple people in the world that maybe just can't touch their chest. But you have to ask yourself, are you doing less of the full range of motion because your body limits your or because your letting your ego in the way and your trying to bench the most without looking like a whimp.
If it is your body that wont allow you to touch your chest than don't.
When I first started lifting I would come close to my chest but never touched it because it was much harder.
But then one day I said I'm going to get the full range of motion even if I have to start off with less weight I'll just work my way up.
Ever since my gains on the bench been coming every week or two. I noticed faster gains with my body when I got the full range of motion. Now I bench more than I do when I was doing those not full form reps.
I would say that most people don't touch their chest because of the ego though, most people want to lift the heaviest amount of weight to show off or not look weak or feel weak.
I don't drop the bar down super fast but not super slow either, I find that if you drop the bar down to fast you'll tend to bounce more off of your chest then if you went down at a regular pace, I always explode up though.
My opinion 85% of the people should do full range of motion and maybe the other people whos bodys wont let them can come close.
I think in powerlifting you have to touch your chest for it to count as a rep, dont quote me on that im not to sure.

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