bill starr - (im) - bench press under fire

8/14/2019 Bill Starr - (IM) - Bench Press Under Fire

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limited space, we selected the benchpress as part of the Big Three. Whynot the overhead or incline press? At that time the overhead press was getting lots of, well, bad press.Many authorities had declared thatpressing heavy weights overhead was harmful to the lower back. So we figured that would create dif-ficulties for athletic directors andcoaches. We really preferred theincline over the flat bench, but there was a problem—there weren’t manyincline benches available, even infitness facilities and YMCAs. Shakyas they might be, flat benches wereplentiful, and they did build stron-ger upper bodies. So they became

a fixture in strength programs evenafter incline benches became moreprevalent.

Everyone was happy—until lately. A number of people have sent mecomments that they’ve pulled offthe Internet concerning the damag-ing effect the bench press is havingon the chest, back (primarily therotator cuffs), shoulders and elbows.They contend that the lift should beeliminated from all programs andreplaced with inclines as it’s espe-

cially harmful to youngsters andolder trainees. They wanted to k what I thought.

As most readers know, I’m a bfan of the incline bench. I like itbecause it hits the target musclevery directly and because there’sopportunity to cheat on the incl Also, the motion of the incline iscloser to the actual movementsmade in nearly every sport, wherthe flat-bench press relates to onfew athletic activities. I’m not, hoever—by any stretch of the imagtion—antibench. It was one of thfirst exercises I did when I found weight room, and I include it in of my routines.

The exercise is not an evil movment just waiting to do harm. Wdone correctly, the bench press ia safe exercise and helps enhancstrength in the chest, shoulders,arms, the key word being correc When it’s grossly overtrained or when trainees repeatedly use slotechnique, injuries occur—but tthe case with any exercise. The lnot at fault; the lifter is.

The reason ugly form shows uso frequently on the bench press

by Bill Starr • Photography by Michael Neve

How to Keep theFlame Burning

The bench press is no doubtthe most popular exercisein all of weight training.Most bodybuilders and

strength athletes believe it’s the verybest upper-body lift for adding sizeand power to that area. Since theearly ’70s it’s replaced the militarypress as the standard of strength.People no longer ask, “How muchcan you press?” but rather, “Howmuch can you bench?” to determine your strength level.

The transition came about whenthe military press was dropped fromOlympic competition and at thesame time the sport of powerliftingemerged and strength training for

all types of sports became the norm.In high schools and colleges withmeager equipment, the flat benchcould still be done. I knew of severalhigh schools that did the exerciseon locker-room benches. It was easyto teach and fit in nicely when thestrength coach also happened to bethe sports coach.

When Tommy Suggs and I formu-lated a simple but effective programfor coaches that could be done witha minimum of equipment and in a

Under Fire

250 NOVEMBER 2007 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com

Bench Press

M o d e l : B e r r y K a b o v

Only the Strong Shall Survive



it touches the chest and islocked out in any manner, it

counts. Once trainees havedone a certain poundage,they’re not going to changetheir style, even if it meanssore elbows and shoulders.In all of my years of liftingand coaching, I’ve encoun-tered very few who couldswallow their pride andlearn to bench correctly afterhanding big weights usingsloppy form. The exception

was John Phillip, my Tonganfriend in Hawaii.

I trained with Phillip at theChurch College of Hawaii inLaie when I first moved toOahu. When he found outthat I’d competed in some

powerlifting contests, heasked me to train him for anupcoming one in Honolulu.

At that point he was doing515 but was rebounding thebar off his chest rather exces-sively. I told him that he hadto learn to pause the bar on




small points,such as the grip.

Many experi-ence shoulder

and elbow troublebecause they use

a wide grip. They

do it in the beliefthat it enables them to

handle more weight. Or if they’rebodybuilders, they figure it buildsa more impressive chest. Maybe,but benching with a wide grip overa long period of time is extremelystressful to the shoulders and el-bows and will take its toll. To my way of thinking, it’s smarter tobench a few pounds less or havea bit smaller pecs and be able tocontinue to do benches than it isto have to resort to wraps, musclerub and aspirin just to get through a workout.

Besides, some of the greatestbenchers I ever saw used a ratherclose grip relative to their shouldersize. Doug Young stands out as theperfect example. If you start with aclose grip and use it consistently, you’ll end up handling asmuch as or more than if you selected that widergrip. That assumes you

do all other aspects of the lift cor-rectly.

The grip I teach to everyoneexcept those who have small orvery wide shoulders is this: On anOlympic bar, extend your thumbsuntil they barely touch the smoothcenter. That’s a good starting point. You’ll know a grip is right for youif you can keep your elbows under your wrists throughout the move-ment. When your elbows aren’t

directly under the bar, you’re giv-ing away power. Simple fact, butoften overlooked. Maintaining theforearms in a vertical position alsoalleviates a great deal of stress onthe elbows and wrists.

Grip the bar firmly with yourthumbs wrapped around it, I realizemany big benchers prefer the falsegrip, where the thumbs are notaround the bar, but I’m not talkingto powerlifters or those who havebeen benching for many years. Thefalse grip is just too dangerous. Oneslip, and there goes your dentalhealth; it happens more often than you realize, and there’s no reasonto use a false grip. Everyone I watch who uses a false grip also bridges tobring the bar through the stickingpoint. They have to bridge becausethe false grip works against them whenever the bar moves even the

slightest bit forward. By contrast, with your thumbs around the

bar, you can guide it back intothe proper line should it runforward.

As you assume your grip,lock your wrists, and

keep them that waythroughout

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M o d e l : B e r r y K a b o v

Rotator cuff

work—donehere witha ShoulderHorn—canstrengthenthe shoulderstructure andimprove yourbench presspoundage.


take nearly as much work as themore powerful hips, legs and back.True, the upper back is also a part ofthe shoulder girdle, but it’s seldomincluded in the programs of athletesobsessed with obtaining a biggerbench, which means it’s a problem

in itself. I’ll come back to that later.More often than not, the lifters

who overtrain their upper bodiesalso employ ugly bench technique.The combination eventually resultsin some type of injury or naggingpain that makes sleeping without

medication impossible and willultimately cause them to stoptraining altogether.

I believe that one reason somany people use improperform on the bench press is thatthey’ve never been taught howto do it correctly. Since it’s reallya simple movement—lower thebar to your chest and press itback to lockout—very few both-er to examine the many formpoints of the lift. With light weights it doesn’t matter all that

much, but when the poundagegets heavy, it certainly does.If you know that the bench

press is causing undue stressto any part of your up per body,here are suggestions that willenable you to continue tobench and avoid being pun-ished in the process.

For some, the best thing youcan do for yourself is to stopbenching for a while. Give yourbody time to heal. You can still

work your shoulder girdle with otherexercises, various degrees of in-clines, overhead presses done witha bar or dumbbells, and dips. Or just do lots of auxiliary movementsfor a month or so, such as dumbbellraises, curls, triceps pushdowns,straight-arm pullovers and rows.The rest and high-rep work for thesmaller groups often work wonders.

Once you decide that you’re readyto start benching again, you musttake two steps, and both will bedifficult. First, you must forget youdid numbers. Old Man Usta died.Set your ego aside, and tell yourselfthat if you do everything right, you’lleventually get back to the biggernumbers. That shouldn’t be an im-mediate goal, though, or you’ll slipback into the old habits right away.

Second, you must adjust your pro-gram and modify your technique. Your goal should be to achieve

the perfect bench press—so cleanfrom start to finish that you couldbe a model for a training video. Thatusually means starting from scratch.The time spent away from bench-ing will help in that regard. Musclememory will still be there, of course,but it won’t be as fresh as if you’dbeen benching recently. Start withthe basics, and pay attention to the

Many experience shoulder and elbow trouble because theyuse a wide grip—but some of the greatest benchers I eversaw used a rather close grip relative to their shoulder size.

M o d e l : J o h n C o w g i l l

For those who have pain when theyperform the bench press, the best thingthey can do is often to stop benching fora while.


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the lift. Many beginners pick upthe habit of cocking or turning their wrists while the bar is in motion,trying to coax it through the stick-ing point. That doesn’t help, and it works against you because the un-necessary movement of the wristdiminishes the power generatedby your chest, shoulders and arms. When the wrists are locked, powerflows through them into the bar.Bear in mind that your wrists aredelicate joints and very susceptibleto injury. The constant cocking or

twisting will aggravate them, andthey’re one of the tougher areas ofthe body to rehab.

If you find it difficult to stop cock-ing or twisting your wrists duringthe lift, tape or wrap them. That willhold them in place and also serve

as a reminder for you to keep themstraight.

Now let’s move from the handsto the feet, an aspect of benchingthat is generally overlooked. Benchpressing really starts with the feet.Brace your feet down into the floorbefore you lie back on the bench.That helps establish a firm base sothat when the bar does hit the stick-ing point, you can power up fromthe solid foundation into the press-ing muscles. If you allow your feet to

dangle, though, there’s no source ofpower when you need it. So you endup bridging or twisting to nudge thebar upward. Neither is permissiblefor the perfect bench press.

Similarly, when you position yourself on the bench, squeeze

down into it. Lock your shoulderblades and glutes tightly, and be-come a part of the fabric. Be thebench. Trite, I know, but you get theidea. The combination of grindingdown into the bench and driving your feet into the floor will ensurethat you have a very solid founda-tion from which to press the weight.

Once you’re fixed on the benchand have gripped the bar, have thespotter hand you the bar on yoursignal. Make sure you and your

spotter are on the same page. Quitea few prefer to take the weight offthe racks on their own, without anyassistance. They feel that affordsthem more control of the bar rightaway. Either way is fine. Fix the barat arm’s length, take a deep breath,

You’ll knowyour grip isright for youif you cankeep yourelbows underyour wrists

throughout themovement.

M o d e l : N o e l T h o m p s o n













































































bedelib-erate.

After you’recom-

fortable withpaus-

ing and havethe line down pat, get

aggressive. Think of

the start as a boxingpunch—short andpowerful. As soonas the bar leaves your chest, follow

through, and it will float throughthe middle range, which is wherethe sticking pointusually resides.

The bar shouldmove in a straight

line off your chestand through the

middle; then glide backslightly at the finish so that

it ends up over your chin or neck.It will travel upward in an arc, but a

small arc.Lock the bar out, and exhale and

inhale before doing the next rep. If you’re handling a light or moder-ate poundage, how you breatheisn’t that important. When you useheavier weights, however, it’s criti-cal. Hold your breath throughoutthe lift, or at least until the barbreaks through the sticking point. Why? Inhaling or exhaling while thebar is in motion forces your rib cageto relax, and that adversely affects your base. Holding your breathensures that your diaphragm stayslocked, creating a positive intra-thoracic pressure. That’s what you want, and there’s little danger ofrunning out of air unless you’re interrible shape, as the lift takes only afew seconds from start to finish.

For those who find it difficult tostop bridging, try this. It’s some-thing lots of powerlifters did to keepthemselves from bridging in a con-test, which is cause for disqualifica-tion. Raise your feet up above thebench and cross your legs. Now youcan’t bridge. That also really helpsthe start because you aren’t get-ting any assistance from your lower

body. Your goal should be to obtain

the perfect bench and, for the timebeing, forget about the numbers.Five reps will work well, as willthrees, but stay away from singlesuntil you’ve built a strong founda-tion and ideal technique. If youhave a history of being injured frombenching, do it only once a week. And do only one primary exerciseper workout for your shoulder gir-

dle. You can add one auxiliary move-ment as well, but no more than that.Should you decide you can handlebenching twice a week, make surethat one of the days is a light day.Going heavy more than once a weekisn’t a smart idea, especially if you’vehad problems with your elbows, wrists, shoulders or some otherbodypart in the past.

Be sure to include some specificexercises for your upper back. Manyathletes tell me of pain in theirrear deltoids, and invariably it’s aresult of disproportionate strengthbetween the front and rear of theshoulders brought about fromtoo much upper-body work anda severe lack of upper-back work.

Shrugs, high pulls and rows will getthe job done. If you’re experiencingpain in the back of your shoulders,do a couple of sets of dumbbell rowsat the end of every session. Everyday is even better.

Clean up your technique and doless for your upper body, and in ashort time you’ll be able to say that you’re a master bench presser—andbe pain free. A good deal, to my way of thinking. Take a moment toconsider the big picture. Learn tobench-press perfectly, and you’ll beable to include it in your programfor the rest of your life. Or keepabusing your body with sloppy formin order to satisfy your ego, and you won’t. Your choice.

Editor’s note: Bill Starr was astrength and conditioning coach atJohns Hopkins University from 1989to 2000. He’s the author ofThe Strongest Shall Survive— Strength Training for Football , whichis available for $20 plus shippingfrom Home Gym Warehouse. Call(800) 447-0008, or visit www .Home-Gym.com. IM


and then lower it in a controlled

manner to the point where yourbreastbone ends. Of course, thereare variations on where the bartouches the chest, but it shouldn’ttouch too high or too low. Remem-ber the rule: Your elbows must stayunder your wrists at all times.

In order to establish a pattern in which every rep is identical, youmust make sure the bar touches your chest in exactly the same spotevery time. That happens only when you lower it under complete con-trol and don’t allow it to crash on your chest. Remember Doug Young, whom I consider one of the greatestpowerlifters ever? He’d lower the barso slowly that you’d have thoughthe was trying to avoid aggravat-ing some old injury. In fact, he wasmaking certain his downward line was precise. Then he exploded intothe bar, and it shot up like a rocket.Lowering the bar in a slow fashionalso enables you to really tighten all your pressing muscles in prepara-tion for the upward thrust. I com-pare it to coiling a giant spring, thenreleasing it.

Now comes the part of the benchpress that many refuse to accept

because it means using a lot less

weight, especially at first. I’m talk-ing about pausing the bar on yourchest for a full second. Touch andgo doesn’t make it. As you pull thebar down to your chest, contract themuscles in your pecs, chest, armsand upper back, creating a solidbase on which to position the bar.Stay extremely tight, and focus ondriving the bar upward in exactlythe same line every time. When yourebound or even touch and go, thestarting line may vary a great dealand adversely affect the rest of thelift. When you pause with the bar on your chest, however, you have muchmore control of the its flight.

Until powerlifting becamepopular, everyone who benchedpaused with the bar on his chest.Olympic lifters did so because they were doing benches to help them with the start of the military press.The purpose of benching was tostrengthen the front deltoids andtriceps, and that was achieved bypausing. Rebounding bypassedthe target muscles, particularly thedeltoids, and didn’t make any sense.Bodybuilders paused, since they wanted to involve as many muscles

as possible in the movement. As aresult, neither group of athletes hadany injuries from benching. No soreelbows, shoulders, pecs or damagedrotator cuffs.

Once you learn to pause, you’lldiscover that you can hold thebar on your chest for four or fiveseconds and still be able to blastit upward. Until you get the feel ofpausing and determine where todrive the bar in the proper groove, M

o d e l : M i k e M o r r i s

If you haveshoulder pain when

benching with a

bar, try dumbbells

for more freedom

of movement—and

pause at the bottom

of each rep for a

full second.

bill starr - (im) - bench press under fire

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