Weight Bench Set Back Mistakes

Weight Bench Pressing Back Mistakes

If you are new to using a weight bench set as part of your workout routine its crucial to understand that proper form is essential to not only getting a great workout but also not injuring yourself. While most people think bench pressing is as simple as bringing the weight down and pushing it back up there are hundreds of ways that you can go wrong. As I'm working out at the gym the vast majority of mistakes that I see newbies make has to do with their back. Having improper form with your back is not only dangerous because of the fact that it makes it easier to lose control of the weight but more importantly the long term damage you can cause to your back.

The first major mistake that I see people make is benching with a flat back. When you get setup make sure you dont just lie down make sure that you're actually arched up natural, the hips are set, everythings tight. Your butt, shoulder blades, and head should always be in contact with the bench, keep in mind that it's okay to arch your lower back. If this isn't natural for you, you can place a foam roller under your lower pack for practice. Many people have asked what the point of this technique is and the answer to that is the fact that it shortens the distance the bar needs to travels. Without the arch it's very hard to get into the right position and obviously that's going to set you up for an injury because you're going to very easily lose control of that weight if you dont't have a stable base.

The second weight bench set mistake I see people making on a regular basis is not squeezing the shoulder blades together when they bench. We just talked about having the arch in your lower back now imagine the difference if you were to squeeze your upper back, and really arch with the upper back. Now imagine, if you sqeeze your shoulders together to bench, you cant go up and down. What that does is when you go to press the weight back up to the start position you know your shoulders have no give in them therefore the power goes straight through to that bar there is no force going down there with nothing behind it to support it.

So weight bench set mistake number two is NOT sqeezing your shoulder blades together, ALWAYS be sure to tuck your shoulder blades underneath your body. Focus on pulling them inward so they touch, then downward as if toward your hips. This should force your chest outward and upward. This is precisely what you want and what will enable you to optimally train your pecs, not your front delts. This should also give you the desired natural arch to your lower back. An added benefit to this part of the technique is that it will also stabilize your rotator cuff more, allowing only one end (the insertion) to move, and the other end (the origin) to remain stable.

The third major weight bench set mistake I see is a lot of people when they lift off they actually lift their shoulders off the bench and the problem with this is it goes against what we talked about earlier which is squeezing those shoulders together, if you lift off and lift your shoulders off you really lose any tightness you had. So what you need to do is when you lift off simply get set and then pull the bar straight out horizontally away from the bar catches and then you're ready to go right away.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that strong lats or are very important to the negative phase of the bench press. Your back is the center of support for the weight as you lower it to your chest. That's why blasting your back is so important and must not be skipped. Try some T-bar rows, or bent over barbell rows to strengthen your back. You'll notice that it's almost the exact opposite or antagonistic lift to the bench press and it will help immensely.

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