To Bench Press or Not to Bench Press

“Whaddya bench?” Honestly, I get tired of this question. Among men, this seems to be the most commonly asked in the gym. For a guy that strength trains a big, strong chest is a part of the program and the bench press seems to monopolize the majority of time spent developing the chest. While the bench press is not a terrible exercise, the importance of its role is in training the upper body is often overstated. There are several variations of the bench press, so to clarify, I am talking about the standard barbell bench press, whether it is performed on a flat, declined, or inclined bench is not important, we are talking about the barbell bench press. Again, it is not a terrible exercise, but it is one that I feel receives for more attention than it deserves.

There are three primary considerations that need to be made before determining whether or not performing the bench press is appropriate for you. The process I am about to walk you through can and should be applied to any exercise that is a part of your program. I am picking the bench press because it is typically a well-known exercise, even if you do not perform it, you have probably heard of it.  The three things to consider with this, or any exercise, are time, performance, and functioning of the anatomy.

Time is pretty simple to address but it is often overlooked. Do you have time for this today? The bench press can be an excellent exercise, especially when performed with heavy weights for low repetitions. However, that will eat up a lot of workout time. If the training session has eight exercises in a given workout but only 45 minutes to train then odds are something will be left undone if one of those exercises is the bench press. Also, there is a lot more to the bench press than simply lying down, lowering the bar to the chest and pressing it back up (more on that in a bit). Do you have the time to learn to do it properly? If not, then performance will suffer.

Performance is another key issue to consider. This is not a question of properly executing a bench press but a question of translation into improved performance outside of the gym. The problem here is that unless a person is a competitive power lifter the bench press does not translate well from training to competition. Think about it, how many sports can be played in which lying on your back pushing a heavy weight off of you is considered a winning position? In most sports the person lying flat on their back just lost. Why train to be good at a position of losing? I thought purpose of training was to win. Of course, if you want to win, you have to understand the proper functioning of the anatomy.

So if you are someone who incorporates the bench press into a program, consider the following questions: does it translate into positively improving performance outside of the gym? Is there a clicking or popping noise in the shoulder while bench pressing? Is there pain in the front of the shoulder, back of the shoulder, or base of the neck? Does the back of the neck tense up during training or become incredibly stiff the next day? If the answer to any of these questions is yes then poor bench pressing technique and/or over prioritization of the bench press is the likely culprit.

One of the major problems with the bench press is that it places the glenohumeral (shoulder) joint in a position of internal rotation; being in position of internal rotation causes the shoulders to round forward. In and of itself this is not a bad thing except that this does not only occur during the bench press. If a person works at computer behind a desk or spends a lot time driving a car that shoulders spend a lot of time in this internally rotated position. Unless you sit with perfect posture in a perfectly adjusted chair odds are that you spend most of the day in this position of internal rotation. The result being that the shoulders are constantly rounded forward. Tightness in the chest or this shoulders-rounded-forward position pulls the entire shoulder out of proper alignment causing most of the pain from the questions I asked earlier.

This picture shows what a normal, healthy shoulder looks like. This shoulder would be free of any pain associated with the bench press. Unfortunately, most bench press enthusiasts shoulders do not look like this. Shoulder impingement is the most common type of pain associated with bench pressing.  In the picture above, look at the back view of the scapula and note that  the Supraspinatus muscle passes underneath the clavicle (collar bone) and comes around the to the front. In a well-balance shoulder there is plenty of room for this to occur uninhibited. But in a shoulder that is impinged from constant internal rotation or a chronically tight chest from overprioritizing bench press the Supraspinatus becomes inflamed and swells. The result is pain that is often experienced during the bench press and other overhead pressing exercises. Inflammation increases it can spread into the back of the shoulder and up into the neck.

This is not a pain that should be ignored, hoping it will go away. If left untreated this will eventually this will lead to a torn rotator cuff and surgery. If this sounds at all like something you may be experiencing get it evaluated by a doctor immediately. Only a doctor can properly diagnose this condition. I can tell you from the experience I have had with clients, and with myself, that it is not something to ignore. 

Now, let’s focus on reducing the risk of shoulder impingement by focusing on improving proper technique. Poor technique while bench pressing is pretty easy to fix:

·     Grip the bar with hands spaced slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

·     Point the elbows in back towards the ribcage. This places the shoulder in a much safer position. Keeping the elbows up and in line with the shoulders reduces the space around the Supraspinatus muscle. This incorrect elbow positioning is what leads to Shoulder Impingement.

·     Feet flat on the ground, pressing down into the floor

·     Lower the bar in a controlled manner keeping the head in contact with the bench all of the way through the movement. DO NOT LIFT THE HEAD OFF THE BENCH. Lifting the head of the bench is what causes a stiff neck the day after training bench press. Pinch the shoulder blades together as the bar comes down.

·     Exhale and drive the bar up.

The bench press is a fantastic exercise when properly selected and applied in a way that will result in a safe and productive training program. So unless a medical reason or lack of experience exists, and, if it is compatible with long term health and fitness goals, it should have a place in most programs. The only other reason to not include it would be if you do not enjoy performing it.  In answer to the question of “Whaddya bench?” On March 17^th of this year I benched 275lb at a body weight of 185lbs (1.5x my body weight) for a set of five reps. I have not done bench press since then. Why? It is not compatible with my competitive goals outside of the gym (if you are lying down you lost), it also takes more time in my training than I care to spend on one exercise. Finally, I just do not enjoy the exercise so it is not a priority for my personal programming. If your goals are different and your shoulders are healthy, have at it.