Scapular Function in the Bench Press | Principles of Loaded Movement

In order for you to have stable shoulders and maximize your pressing muscular recruitment your scapulas need to move. It's common for athletes to lock their scapulas in rectraction but that's probably doing more harm than good. Check out this video where we dissect the common faults of scapular function and how to fix them.
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[@Venthorn]

Here two years later. This is the best bench press video I've ever seen. I've never understood the various cues, forms, etc., until you two explained it like this. Wish I saw this when I started lifting.

[@immersiveparadox]

True. I can’t agree more.

[@dubson965]

And PLEASE, more videos on scapular function in regards to pressing and rowing, and an entire series or video on the bench press from this guy would be amazing! I could listen to this guy talk for HOURS!

[@romangutin5876]

Seconded

[@gerardobruno8670]

@Jagger Ishaan Yup, been using flixzone for since december myself :)

[@xkai07]

Brilliant video . Explains perfectly why my shoulders and biceps are so fucked up despite thinking I was retracting properly

[@CodyRobertEly]

COmpletely invaluable. Too many articles guide to lock into retraction and completely ignore what that does to peoples' biceps and shoulders.

[@Isaiah-ft5nx]

This explains why I never progressed in bench, but push-ups with scapular protraction/retraction always felt amazing

[@dovahkiin23PL]

Wow,this is game changer.I was doing it wrong,cant wait to try it next bench session.

[@Supbrozki]

how did it go?

[@linbenson2505]

this is probably the best scapular function expain i've ever seen on KZbin. It's esay to understand and show the common mistakes that we usually make.

[@jakeharrell7415]

i've been training consistently for over a year and i've been super frustrated with my lack of chest activation for, well, over a year. this was my exact problem. couldn't find this information anywhere else on the internet. absolute godsend

[@AnonymousHedge]

Wow! I knew there was always more to it than just “depress and retract, depress and retract, depress and retract forever and always”... it became obvious doing cable flies, as I had zero activation in my pecs if I always kept my shoulders back and down. This deserves WAY more views Edit: just realized how this solves my issue with incline pressing - being taught no scapular movement on bench, shoulders rotate up on the overhead press, I had no idea what to do on incline pressing. I even get pain from incline at times. But doing them as stated in the video makes perfect sense!

[@dubson965]

WOW. This guy is phenomenal! Such a great speaker, and very intelligent! Please, Have this guy on more!

[@nathanxs7001]

Fantastic video. I always kept my scapular fully locked the entire press and could barely feel my pecks contract. Really looking forward to my next bench session to use this new technique

[@everettengineers4603]

Did not even know to do this until watching this video, always thought you have to just keep it depressed always, but no, you depress and then protract as you push up! Game changer!

[@rambarada1377]

Sir I can't explain how big of a hero you are, very fucking well taught why didn't I see this video before better late then never

[@zbuH777]

Yes ! Another video on scapular function in the overhead press would be great

[@isaacharris3263]

Really great video guys! More scapula videos would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for the content!

[@patricioansaldi8021]

I've been benching again recently and experimenting with posture and this video pretty much covers and properly explains all of this. Thanks you deserve more views!!

[@Samtar]

This helps SO much. As a totally newbie with benching (dumbell press) I thought I was supposed to keep things locked up back there, and it's been almost impossible. Can't wait to try this on my next workout.

[@jordancasti11o]

This is super helpful, I’ve needed help with this for a long time. Thank you!

[@Gumnball]

Nice video again. Thank you guys.

[@jsedge2473]

One of the best bench press videos ever. Almost all bench press videos tell people to constant lock in and retract. That probably leads to more injuries and pain than people realize (and muscle imbalances)

[@xXCorruptedzXx]

The most informative, clear and concise explanation I've come across. Following other's recommendations I have shoulder issues that extend to my collar bone that makes all kinds of noises -.-...

[@surfyswag]

Exactly what I was looking for, thank you

[@Megaman_308]

Fantastic video. Whilst other videos talk about how you should be retracting and depressing your scapula during chest presses none mentioned that the scapula should protract a little, without your shoulders rolling forward, when doing the press. Here I have been holding that retraction during the press movement and feeling lots of tightness in my upper back and uneven chest presses and diminished pec involvement. I tried this with a floor press at home and the difference was huge!! Thank you so much. You finally put this issue of mine to rest.

[@skude3]

This is the best bench video on youtube.

[@aleksandartoza7313]

Probably the best video ive seen on benching

[@dk-lifter3782]

Gamechanger indeed. Looking forward to implementing this to my bench to do it ‘the right way’ :)

[@maliaropati7864]

This is awesome. I freaking love this

[@abrahamm959]

Best explanation i found on youtube Thank you

[@21redsox21]

Omg THANK YOU. You actually explained everything. Not just said “retract your scapula!” I had no idea of any of this and now my shoulders have paid. Thank you for explaining the correct way

[@jasonvichinsky1458]

Excellent material

[@will160176]

Good video. Thanks.

[@originalmacefit]

Great information, thanks!

[@sebastienroux1790]

This info is gold.

[@Dad_K]

Welp, hit two of my pain/issues off the bat. Thank you for the detailed information!

[@user_ghdq3]

Amazing video, thank you

[@maxbiddulph3286]

This is really helpful wish I found this sooner

[@nonamekallan750]

I've always thought there was something wrong with my my bench press. Thx for this amazing piece of information

[@gerardjanuszczak6699]

Awesome video, keep going guys 😁

[@666ofdoom]

I'm going to try this

[@ElBoyoElectronico]

Super helpful!

[@cheemakhaled2092]

Amazing. Thanks

[@chlenix21]

Valuable knowledge, man. I think this is the same opinion with Paul Carter and Mountain Dog in their video about scapular motion in bench press.

[@roymustang.595]

God damn it ! This video should be trending , nobody talks about that much love from India thanks for the advice and I subbed instantly thanks for the advice

[@devin3863]

Good tips. I would like to learn more on scapula movement in pull-ups if you are looking to make another video. Thank you.

[@TheDavidtrez]

👏 Great vid!

[@1kingmitdemding]

Thanks for the valuable (and free!) content guys! I just recently realized that I always lifted in an "overarch-scapular-retraction/depression" pattern - and like you mentioned I was locking the scapulas too much in pressing movements instead of staying neutral in the spine and moving the scaps independently... My neck, upper back and shoulder pain/stiffness got a lot better. Could you please compare different body types like very kyphotic vs hyperextended spines? Or rather stiff/immobile shoulders vs. hypermobile/loose shoulders. I know the first examples are more common but I found myself in the rather rare hyperextended (very flat and litte kyphosis in the t-spine), too much retracted/depressed scapulas and hypermobile in the shoulder corner... I still have a hard time to find the right position for my upper back & scapulas so that would help me a lot to start lifting safely again! Greetings from Germany, much appreciation and keep up the good work :)

[@turkishdelight6032]

You rock, Brandon

[@Vabloath]

soooooooooo helpful i hope you get 1 mil subs immediately

[@cianwalsh409]

Wow this fantastic thank you thank you thank you

[@JayCalus_20]

Now I understand why I didn't activate my chest as hard as I can because I retract my sacpula too much. This video is a game changer!

[@jon2024]

Would love to see a video solely based around individuals that have, like you said, locked up T-Spine. I have postural Kyphosis and legitimately have all the faults you indicated, and Thus have bicep tendinitis from it.

[@Ashtonstraininglog]

THANK YOU

[@jamesfeng7355]

Details makes the biggest difference

[@meos7574]

Wow thanks you so much guys

[@jantomon1937]

Thx ! I was definitely in the bent arms , retracted scapula club. Cant wait to try this tomorrow morning.

[@sloppyjonuts9162]

Jan Tomon this actually makes sense i try to keep em pulled back when I bench , it never works, like my body is telling me , hey jackass when you press off the chest I’m supposed to unlock.

[@jimmykruzer]

@@sloppyjonuts9162 this is literally what I've been going through. I can't even really keep them pinched at the bottom when I'm really working hard anyway

[@terskinsBBX]

Awesome video thank you! Every time I think I'm getting decent at bench I find something like this that makes me realize I'm fucking it all up

[@petrl9838]

This is the video that made the bench click for me, nobody else explains it properly like this

[@robertburwell2442]

Yes I would like to see more on scapula movement during exercises. Robert Burwell

[@catedoge3206]

GOLD!

[@catedoge3206]

Yes

[@catedoge3206]

yuh

[@sebby007]

Really nice video. You've clearly thought about this a lot. Any tips on scapular function / gleno humeral rhythm for overhead pressing? Seems more difficult that for flat bench with more ways to screw up...

[@rc1749]

Thank you so much for this video. I'm dealing with a rotator cuff injury largely due to incorrectly bench pressing and I'm trying to teach myself the proper form now. This feels like a very stupid question, but whenever I try to retract and protract my scalp while I'm on the bench, it feels weird because I'm laying on my scalp. So just physically it has a hard time smoothly sliding in and out sort-to-speak because its laying on the bench. Especially going from protraction to retraction, I feel like my lats can't get on the bench because other parts of my back are now laying on the bench. I was wondering what I may be doing wrong? Thanks so much!

[@HeathWatts]

This is great! So, scapular depression must be maintained, whereas the scapula must be allowed to retract and protract at the bottom and top of the ROM, respectively. Is that correct? For rowing, is it the same process? Maintain depression and allow for natural retraction and protraction?

[@keizerc1]

Would be interested to know your thoughts on how this could effect rotator cuff health. I was always trying to keep and hold a retracted scapula position throughout the bench press movement and recently had a rotator cuff tear during the bench press. I personally feel I was in a very poor position due to the retracted scapula. In hindsight, I think if I would have let the scapula glide naturally, I would have avoided the injury.

[@josedelarosajr190]

Great video! Explained to a T

[@Kevflar]

This is one of the first times (or maybe even the first) I hear someone mentioning scapular protraction in the bench. I always wondered if keeping extreme retracted scaps might be contributing to my bicep pain since there is no natural movement allowed. I still am hesistant to accept this as a fact atm, probably because almost everyone teaches how to keep the scaps retracted, so just have to find out myself I guess. The only thing I don't understand is how retraction would prevent you from using your pecs and tricep. I don't see how that will hinder those muscles from working. Thanks for the vid!

[@rykehuss3435]

Yeah I dont know what this guy is about. If you keep your scapula retracted through the full range of motion, and your pecs and tris and shoulders arent doing the work, then what muscles are moving the weight? Its still moving somehow, magically lol.

[@ADAPTATION7]

Kevflar, you are correct in asking yourself this question. In fact, scapular retraction is more useful in a shirted bench press than raw. Think about it: You want your shoulders wide on the bench, not narrow. By retracting the scapular muscles, you are hindering your efforts. It's the same with ''tucking the elbows.''

[@LYFJV]

It puta most of the work on your shoulders by blocking chest contraction

[@AnNguyen-pt5ry]

@@rykehuss3435 Those muscles are doing the work still to an extent, but you have to translate the glenohumeral joint superiorly and anteriorly when you perform the concentric part of the bench press (the shoulder flexion) with retracted scapulae. The anterior deltoid begins to take more of the brunt when you're benching, which will contribute to the anterior/superior humeral glide that I described above. If you don't believe me, try flexing your shoulders from 0 degrees with 90 degrees at the elbow (mid point of the bicep curl) to 90 degrees (end range of the bench press) with the shoulders stuck in retraction. Then do it again without pinning the scapulae, but also NOT OVERPROTRACTING either, and you'll feel the difference between activation of the chest, triceps, and anterior deltoid, not to mention your shoulder will feel a lot more fluid too. And @ Kevlar, performing shoulder flexion with the scapulae locked in extreme retraction will irritate the long head of the biceps tendon, which will explain why it might hurt. When you pull the shoulder blades down and back (scapular retraction, depression, and downward rotation), it will jam the acromion process on top of the the long biceps head, especially when you combine the motion of shoulder flexion with the deltoid, which wants to pull the humeral head upward. This also inhibits the rotator cuff muscles from keeping the humeral head stabilized, which will further drive dysfunction for your shoulder girdle, and give you more biceps irritation.

[@rykehuss3435]

An Nguyen But the shoulders shouldnt feel fluid during bench press, thats the point. They need to be back and behind the chest for maximum stability. If your shoulders come forward during the concentric, that puts way too much stress on the shoulders since now the shoulders are doing a lot of the lifting AND stabilizing the weight that they cant realistically handle. When the scapula are retracted and depressed, this provides a stable, solid base for your upper torso against the bench. You need all the stability you can muster to bench press efficiently. With the chest ahead of the shoulders, theyre doing most of the lifting during the concentric and the shoulders first job is providing horizontal stability and then some lifting power.

[@Clickarn93]

I got biceps tendonitis because I pinch ed my scapula. How can i heal it fast? Any good exercise?

[@jonahmoore1779]

I’m hoping this the answer to my uneven bench.

[@tkt9310]

Could you give me some cues to how to correctly depress the scapula

[@snorlaxcom]

To what degree do you protract and at what angle you protract off of the chest? Should you protract throughout the press or is maximum protraction achieved at a certain point and you maintaining that scap protraction as you continue to press? Of course assuming we want to avoid over pressing shoulders into the air and off of the bench.

[@Gumnball]

I didn't find a video of you on the BP leg drive but would love to see one. I personally find it hard on heavy load to maintain a safe and tight back. When pressing my butt tend to slide so my arch get higher, my back is "folding" if you see what I mean. I try to keep the abs, the flutes and back thight but It doesn't always work.

[@Dev518]

Set up with a bigger arch and make sure you drive your head back horizontally rather than pushing your butt up. Squeeze the glutes as hard as you can when you drive.

[@jasonvichinsky1458]

What do you see as the appropriate use of forward pressing motions using only the core to stabilize the torso? For example, A unilateral chest press from the standing position utilizing a cable machine or resistance band? Obviously this does not allow for as much weight be used. But it also means that scapular movement is not limited by all of the weight pressing down on them. Or am I entirely confused about the matter ? Thank you so much

[@oaklandav1]

I've noticed for quite a while that my right tricep never feels truly engaged when I do pressing movements but it does when I do isolation movements such as tricep pulldown. Could it be because of my scapula not depressing/retracting throughout the motion? I did fracture and dislocate my humerus bone and never did any PT back when I was younger. So I wonder if this is contributing to it.

[@lukeh21]

So he’s saying depress the shoulders from start to finish and as lowering let your body retract naturally ?

[@joaquinp5176]

I have a question. If you are training for strenght, let's say sets of 3-5 so pretty heavy load, am i supposed to be able to retract the scapula when reaching the bottom of the exercise if i protracted them at the top? Because i guess the pressure between my back and the bench is going to make it very difficult

[@pizzaisftw]

I cant manage to keep depression in my right shoulder while I press horizontally. I can tell because I don't get a stretch on the eccentric portion when I press and it's only the right pec. Releasing the pec minor definitely helps but what other tight muscles could be causing this?

[@PolskiOlympia]

Can bench press with bad scapular activation lead to scapular winging? I injured my self by bench pressing with no movement of scapula

[@zaziro]

If I do back and chest exercises, do I do it with thoracic extension or not?

[@veikko3152]

MORE SCAPULA VIDS

[@GoodByeSkyHarborLive]

if we maintain deep retraction by locking scpaula throughout the whole movement, does it also overload the posterior shoulder muscles on the way down more?

[@jimmykruzer]

This is crazy this has all been happening to me

[@phil7725]

So retract the scapula on the way down and protract at the top? Or let the scapula come apart as you press? This is the first time I’ve heard anything like this.

[@snorlaxcom]

I'd like to see this with actual weight and not just theory.

[@kevinmuns1263]

As someone with a completely immobile T spine and with moderate kyphosis the comment of having your scapula up by your ears resonated a lot. I always try to overarch due to my upper back not having much mobility.

[@LanNguyen-hi4qs]

I feel a lot of stress on my rotator cuff. Is due to the fact that I struggle to keep my scale depressed

[@vachibal3553]

Great info , summary of whole video would be even better to make sure what position to be in , in plain English . Thank

[@christisgreaterthanculture9255]

doing heavy bench with scapular protraction ruined my right shoulder in my early lifting days

[@draedeltoro6542]

What the fuq I’ve been benching wrong for years and always wondered why I was so shitty at it and my chest wouldn’t grow

[@gminasyan]

This is adding to the range of motion is it not?

[@Mateo-et3wl]

What happens between reps? Do you re-depress your scapula while locked out? Seems unrealistic

[@neildutoit5177]

This feels like a stupid questions but, what do you do on rep 2? Do I have to get myself back into retraction before lowering again? How? (maybe it's easy if you practice but I normally have to get into retraction before unracking or I can't)

[@snorlaxcom]

Exactly. So much missing from this. How are you supposed to move scapula around if 300 lbs is supposedly pinning you down?

[@jtinero]

I don't think it's a stupid question. It almost sounds as if it should be treated as a reverse row. Your arms move with your scapulae. So as you're pressing the shoulder blades should be slightly protracting. During the eccentric/lowering phase, it's almost like a row where there should be some slight retraction occurring to accommodate the arms lowering. The arms and scapulae move together, but the ratio isn't exactly 1:1. I don't think you retracting when you unrack will screw you up to much as long as each subsequent rep follows the pattern in the video. My question in how do we prevent the actual bench pad from inhibiting scapula movement? It's not like we're floating horizontally. The pad against our back will have an impact on how our shoulder blades glide.

[@medaillemaverick]

How do wide “fat” pads come to play into this?

[@patrickjulius7352]

Doesn’t the bench physically get in the way of the retraction-protraction rhythm?

[@snorlaxcom]

Pretty much, and it's even worse on wider benches and flexing the rear delts as you row down.

[@omerul-farukarslaner8531]

Hey man this video is really interesting for me almost 98 percent of fitness gurus powerlifters say to bench with a retracted scapula and keep the shoulder blades back and down an keep it there as u go through your reps. my thing is im not really comfortable like that or i cant feel my chest at all that way but i dont want to snap my shoulders up man are you sure about this because when i get some heavy ass weight in my hand i dont want to tear my rotator cuff or something are you sure this is healthy for the shoulders because you are saying that almost 95 percent of fitness experts are wrong. Im just wondering bro because everyone says to bench with retracted scapula so im confused i dont want to get injured plz can you explain me if this is safe for heavy weights .

[@omerul-farukarslaner8531]

I'm not trying to prove your wrong by the way I feel my chest and triceps way better when I bench like the way you showed in the video but I'm concerned for my shoulder health can you please give me your opinion you said it's better for chest and triceps hypertrophy but what about shoulder health doesn't this put the shoulder in an risky position I'm really worrying about injuring my shoulder so can you please explain me if this is healthy for heavy bench my concern is getting injured will i get injured or is this correct form . I don't understand why everyone littelarly every youtbe channel says retract your scapula pinch your shoulder blades together if you don't want to snap your shoulder i would like to hear your opinion about this topic please let me know thank you.

[@AnNguyen-pt5ry]

@@omerul-farukarslaner8531 Hey man, I feel you there with a majority of the Internet and fitness professionals around me saying to pull the shoulders down and back as hard as possible. It doesn't feel right at all. I don't have a lot of shoulder pain, but I do get a lot of discomfort when I exercise with the excessive retraction. People love to oversimplify the scapular mechanics when it comes to bench pressing because the main rationale is to avoid the excessive scapular protraction and anterior tilt, which will definitely cause shoulder issues. The point of cueing retraction is to generate posterior scapular tilt, which can help in some cases for people who have pain when benching. I personally don't like this cue though because it disrupts optimal scapular mechanics. So, with that said, what Brandon says is correct with regards to allowing a SMALL amount of scapular movement when benching. It's super technical though and difficult to perform correctly, so I'd suggest doing either floor presses to control the end range of motion or to do dumbbell presses (these will help allow more scapular movement and still be safe on the shoulders).

[@omerul-farukarslaner8531]

@@AnNguyen-pt5ry Hey man thx for the comment seems like you have some knowledge on this topic. When i bench with my scapula retracted i feel really uncomfortable and my bodys telling me its not a good spot. Meanwhile when i let my scapula move freely i can get a good contraction on the pecs but after my session my front delt gets a little bit sore. Man im really worried about this because a lot of people fuck their shoulders up benching so i dont want to mess it up. So are you saying if we let the scapula move freely it's not a risky position for the shoulders. is it safe to bench like this what do you think man i would like to hear your taughts . i get a little pump on the front delt after benching but its not a pain that bad it just gets sore does this mean im doing improper form?

[@AnNguyen-pt5ry]

@@omerul-farukarslaner8531 Yea, moving the arms with your shoulder blades pinned down is not natural AT ALL. It is the most optimal for moving the most weight (powerlifting) since it shortens the range of motion and provides a stable base to heavy a lot of weight, but it's going to destroy your shoulders if you keep benching heavy like this over the long run. I get your concern with shoulder health. My suggestion is to just ease off barbell benching if you want hypertrophy and stick to dumbbell benching. The freedom of movement helps a lot with allowing scapular motion and preventing all these issues caused from barbell benching. The key is to prevent your shoulder blade from anteriorly tilting when you return on the concentric phase of the movement. Paul Carter/John Meadows have a video discussing this mechanic; they also agree with Brandon's explanation with allowing scapular movement with the bench press. With regards to the front delt being sore, I'm not sure. When I do it with dumbbells, I feel it in my chest a lot more than pinning stuff back and down.

[@omerul-farukarslaner8531]

@@AnNguyen-pt5ry hey thx a lot man u helped a lot.

[@Pajosh81]

When did bench press become so complicated

[@Dubuajay]

Sucks. I spent years avoiding the bench press because of shoulder pain all because of bad advise “retracting my shoulder blades and pinning them to the bench”

[@HendersonHinchfinch]

Does he have a mild case of scoliosis or is it just me?

[@BFaluup]

This makes me angry because for years I just tried to pinch my shoulder blades through the movement...the protraction part helps big time.

[@NotSoLiberal]

Oh lord. I guess I’m never doing the bench press without getting my PhD first

[@TheSweetalchemist]

Does your concept apply in punching? In this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioa0i4p9gq6qmKM it's the complete opposite of what you are saying. They're trying to keep the scapula back while punching. Can you make a video on your take on punching?

[@AnNguyen-pt5ry]

Keeping the scapula back while punching is a good way to decrease power and shred up your shoulders in the process

[@TheSweetalchemist]

@@AnNguyen-pt5ry Thank you for the confirmation.

[@josephhendricks6533]

Actually this is pretty controversial. This method is how I've always benched and end up fucking my shoulder up. The only way I can bench pain free is scapular retraction. Watch several videos guys before you try this and use your best judgment. This video explains how they used to recommend how to bench back in the day. Not currently recommended