STOP Retracting Your Shoulders for a Bigger Bench Press

[@breckenridgelong7692]

I can only speak from my own experience but I use to just have a flat bench and as I started lifting heavier and heavier weights eventually I started getting discomfort in my rotator cuff area. I read about using a power lifting arch and retracting my scapula for more stability and tried it out. My shoulder pain went away immediately and never returned and I started progressing even faster in weight. I've never had any problems with it but I admittedly only do a slight arch and I'm not making it a priority to hold my shoulders together while pressing so maybe it's just a matter of taking things to an extreme which is causing people problems.

[@joon8161]

^same

[@henrids]

same

[@JustinHSV17]

+

[@kenuffff]

because retracting your shoulders puts the movement where it should be into your triceps, not your shoulder. this guy is asking for a torn rotator cuff or pec if he goes up in heavy weight. you'll never hear of someone tearing a tricep in a bench press because its meant to press..

[@drinkinouttacups2665]

​@@kenuffff I've absolutely heard of people popping tris

[@giannil2498]

God, this makes so much sense. All of my efforts to eliminate that bit of natural protraction during high effort sets were always detrimental to my performance, despite what other people said. Thanks for making this video, it truly helped me understand the bench press better.

[@OwGash]

For me pushing my shoulders back actually got rid of a lot of shoulder issues. But i do admit its harder to reach peak weights with it

[@xunap]

same

[@geopwr5077]

Highly experienced powerlifter gives us gifts. Priceless ! Thank you David.

[@mayedpowerlifting]

My recommendation has always been to set the shoulders in a relatively retracted position during the setup, then to completely forget about their existence during the descent and especially the ascent. This in my experience let's me reduce range of motion without squeezing the scaps and upper back the whole time.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Yep pretty much this.

[@johnreidy2804]

I always retract my shoulder blades and I can Bench 385 at a body weight of 185.

[@Limbaugh_]

@@johnreidy2804 keep it up then, everybody is different

[@monkeyhater4203]

@@johnreidy2804 what does that matter

[@johnreidy2804]

@@monkeyhater4203 apparently it doesn't matter whether you retract you reshoulders or not

[@WillyEast]

You have one of the best channels on KZbin. Unfortunately most other channels just post this rehashed info for views. You explained it clearly and your channel is one of the few I value now. Thank-you so much.

[@travisthomas1100]

My coach basically told me this but I didn't really understand what he meant until just now watching this video. He never said not to retract my shoulders, he simply told me to focus on creating tightness through leg drive and arching. He said instead of tightening my back to create arch to drive with my legs and push the bottom of my ribs toward the bar, which I did but I still retract my shoulders. I will be giving this a try today while benching to feel it out, as it does make a lot of sense that you don't want to engage muscles that will act in the opposite direction you want the bar to move!

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

You are definitely ok to have some retraction during that process of setting up. Don’t deliberately try to avoid it. Mostly just don’t try to retract while you are pressing. But what you described sounds correct. Just don’t worry if you feel your shoulders coming together some during your set up.

[@Tarek-tm9jd]

This is very in line with how calisthenics athletes teach the good ol' pushups, retraction happens on the eccentric mostly on its own as you say, and on the concentric reverse back to neutral (or even protraction in the Pushup Plus variation). Great content as usual, and anecdotally had the same experience, everything felt better when I stopped thinking about forcing the position of my rotator cuf.

[@Sam-pr6oe]

Visualizing my scapulas like I do on a push-up instantly corrected any shoulder pain I had during the movement, for sure

[@dawsonboyd7229]

Thank god someone with credentials came out with this. I developed some shoulder pain in my bench press that was really messin with my head. Followed all these retraction tips and literally made my shoulder worse. Just lighter weight and movement with intent and slight angle changes made it go away.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Yea I didn’t say it explicitly in the video, but I do think many people’s shoulder issues they feel is because of this. They just are not allowing themselves to press effectively and end up shifting into areas that don’t really have that capacity.

[@khoo55]

same lol

[@wilfordbrimley6938]

So you've been ego lifting most your life... dont blame the form

[@jameszbierski391]

@@wilfordbrimley6938 you sound like a lotta fun to be around 😃👍🏻

[@mrbong123]

@@jameszbierski391 nah he's gay

[@piotrdauter4301]

Wow, I’ve been thinking about this exact subject during every benching session in my current mesocycle - your video is very informative and it seems I finally have some idea on how to modify my approach to shoulder retraction so I won’t feel like I need to fight my own body to keep my shoulder blades maximally pinched during pressing phase of the lift. Thank you so much, I’m subscribing immediately.

[@IronBoyDiego]

Same here.... 🥲 I just failed a bench press PR attempt because of thinking about squeezing the lats in the concentric part of the motion

[@shootsir]

I have been struggling about my shoulder position while doing bench press. Will definitely try your approach aka just be normal lol

[@jocahc]

Great video. I personally use some shoulder retraction for setting up my bench press. As very well discussed in video, that helps with creating tightness and reducing a bit ROM. However after the liftoff, I don't try to actively keep that position. I basically forget about it and focus on leg drive and pressing.

[@simplehonestmusic2261]

I'm a Massage Therapist newly getting into weight lifting. I just have to say - when I was first given the cue to retract my shoulder blades for bench press, it just seemed so wrong, based on my understanding of anatomy, but I was the noobie weightlifter so I listened to my trainer. Today I started looking around for actual reasons why retraction is good, and your video was a big relief to watch. Thank you!

[@Iegendsneverdie]

In my opinion arching and subsequent reduction in range of motion in the bench press should mostly be a result of spinal (thoracic and maybe lumbar extension) and not scapular function (retraction). I had very good results with some lighter front squats before my bench sessions, because it helped me to learn adopting this posture

[@IronBoyDiego]

Nice drill 🤙🏽

[@jaifer8715]

Underrated channel

[@jasonsever2031]

I was struck in the bad way and if I didn't not suffer a shoulder impingement, I would not be listening to you but since I know the pain of shoulder impingement, I am listening to every word you are saying.

[@beannanjones5602]

I remember reading Greg Nuckols on this. I think it was in his how to bench guide. If I remember correctly he said something along the lines of he didn't really care what you did with your shoulders as long as it was comfortable and facilitated good movement. depressed, retracted, elevated, he wasn't too fussed. his main thing was upon pressing up to concentrate on flaring and pushing. that was the main cue. I have a mildly kyphotic posture due to some mild schueuramann's disease and I've found that slightly elevating my shoulders and pinching with the upper traps a bit actually feels more comfortable than trying to depress the shoulder blades, and gives me a better platform to push off of. Anyways good video!

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Right yea I agree here. And I think many of the comments that really disagree with the video didn’t get all the way to the end got upset with the clickbait title. I’ll have a video coming about flaring as well that I’m sure will get people just as upset without them really listening. But thanks for watching and getting the core message!

[@taylorhillard4868]

I actually started retracting my shoulders to manage the shoulder pain I was experiencing before. Before that my shoulders would just move around freely and put a lot of strain on the joint. Also, if you don't retract your shoulders, how do you keep the pecs included in the movement? Whenever I don't retract my shoulders the triceps take over and my pecs don't move pretty much at all.

[@henrids]

Agreed! I developed a strain around my clavicle because I used to protract my shoulders to finish a tough lift. I started retracting a lot during the setup, and made good progress with NO pain since then. The title of the video is highly misleading, because all coaches and elite lifters I've listened to say to retract the shoulder blades.

[@matthewsum1752]

@@henridsbro did you watch the video?

[@kenuffff]

the triceps are the primary mover, the pecs just stabilise in a press.. if he wants to tackle "myths" the biggest one is the bench press is a chest excercise.

[@mikkeldueholm3134]

Great video David, when i first Got into PL and PL specefic training In allmost all cases the first thing being taught is the importance of maintaining a retracted position throughout the Bench Press, it was frustrating to me because i never seemed to be able to maintain that retracted position. Regardless of cues programming etc. Then i came across some of the material from kabuki strength yt Channel where they discuss scapulahumeral rythm and the focus should be more on depression and otherwise let the scapular move naturally through retraction and protraction throughout a Bench rep. I have certainly found it helpful for my Bench, nevertheless its a great topic for discussion once again great video David i look forward to the next !

[@Nick-dq5fo]

Thanks for this, learned this the hard way after straining my pec a couple times

[@IamMattFleetwood]

The information reiterated in this video combined with a video Marcellus and Michael Seay put out a couple of years ago really helped my bench press overall. I often used so many cues to keep my scaps both retracted and depressed throughout and the whole purpose was for the psuedo-stability my brain felt while in that position, although it did nothing to help the actual press overall. Now, I mimic Noriega to some extent where all spinal extension and elevation is created and maintained through my leg drive during the set-up and the rep(s) themselves. Overall, my bench has not only improved from a 1RM POV, but also the consistency in my reps/barpath is much better as well. Solid video David!

[@jasondreams202]

I really appreciate the multitude of opinions and cues that you can get on this platform from those with experience to share… I just tried this and it seemed to be of benefit. Thanks

[@emiliodiaz8082]

Best explanation I’ve ever heard about this issue.

[@PSNCHOCOLATEMILK99]

Great video David! I was hesitant at first but your explanation was on point. Looking forward to the how to bench press finalization.

[@anthonym32]

thank you so much for making this video. Legit an exact issue I had for so long.

[@usedcars9521]

1:41 "coming down will be depression" me at 4 am on many nights

[@YungKash662]

lol

[@vedishplays]

This man is a hero

[@thesnailshow8004]

1:51 thinking about bending the bar helped with activating my lats.

[@LeoJaniga]

Your videos are so useful

[@SchwarzSchwertkampfer]

2:05 close grip. I concur with. Wide grip will snap your rotator cuffs. Yes it has its place but in moderation.

[@mattcoorey2580]

I will for sure try this next bench session great content !

[@harold1733]

On the eccentric phase Im arching my back and less of my lower back and upper back is contacting the bench. Im also retracting my shoulder blades and actually providing a stiff connection with the ground, my feet, my torso, shoulder blades, and controlling the lowering of the bar. That way, Im actually keeping tension and using the elasticity of my muscles so I dont have to contract everything as hard during the concentric phase. So yeah, Ive had all sorts of other joint problems, but nothing in my shoulders or elbows from the bench. The bench sucks anyway. Its sad that some people have bench PRs better than what they squat.

[@brianrobbins3499]

That would definitely simplify things for me a bit. Thank you

[@cybersteel8]

This makes so much sense to me. I am trying to improve my bench press, and I started looking up guides on it and retracting and depressing my shoulder blades was a common thing. Now that I have been thinking about it, my bench press has felt way more unstable and I've started wiggling a lot when I approach failure. I used to just be able to fail but never actually wiggled the weight up -now, there's so much wiggling when I try and keep my chest up during the press, and shoulders back and down. I can't even focus on the leg drive because there's so much going on. I'm going to lower the weight a tad and try and focus more on my leg drive, and almost completely ignore my shoulders. It used to feel so much smoother when all I used to do was get under the bar, arch a bit and just press. Maybe I used to have subconsciously more leg drive than I do now. I am lifting more now than I used to be, but that's just due to time and muscle growth. My form feels way worse and I really want to fix that, because I know I am capable of pressing more than I really am. The wiggling is a pain in the ass. Thank you!

[@lionofallah3441]

Been retracting my shoulders and it’s been driving me mad! Thank you for this video

[@chrismaxmuscle]

Two part answer here because having done both raw and equipped I can speak a little bit on it. Not an expert in any way shape or form just my two cents. 1. For raw, when I draw my shoulder blades down and together it elevates my chest and to me, feels very stable. So by creating a tiny arch, and setting my body up to where the bar is effectively being moved through a decline bench instead of flat which typically is a stronger position for most. 2. In equipped, yes you are using your last to pull the bar to you because the shirt is fighting you but, by having shoulders down and together, your helping keep chest up to shorten that range of motion. I do see your point and I agree that not all ques are going to work for everyone. Maybe it's more of a build thing where maybe a wider or smaller lifter would benefit from.creating that shorter ROM. Great content as always!

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Both of your points are about the descent so I agree. I did talk about that in the video. We just don’t want to try to retract while pressing.

[@ShawnKeller-1]

I have never been able to keep my shoulders retracted during a heavy bench press. They are retracted on my set up, but as soon as I feel the weight over me the retraction goes all away. I am learning that keeping my legs tight and pushing back is the key for me.

[@robertcrompton2733]

Interesting. I think my own experience jibes with some of the favorable comments below. Retraction during setup helps me get my upper-upper back down on the bench properly and into the quasi-decline position. Your comment about "just press" is great.

[@fsfs2778]

these are really good pointers, and are put forth in a manner so easy to digest and understand!

[@nottyseel949]

In my personal experience and with many of my clients, the issue is that most shoulders are protracted in a person's neutral stance. For many people their posture has naturally pulled their shoulders forward and they definitely stop short on the bench press and push ups because there's a mental block to bringing the shoulders back. It's very very difficult to actually retract your shoulders and for most people by the time they have "retracted" they are actually neutral. For me personally, what I mentally think is "holding a pencil between my shoulder blades" is actually just having a straight and neutral back. The important part for me is not protracting which not only hurt my shoulder when I was younger, but it takes the tension off of the chest contraction. I imagine this is very different though in powerlifting as the weight would likely make it difficult. I immediately intensified my contraction across the chest especially at the end of a rep by bringing the shoulders back and holding them neutral. It feels less like curling your bicep while flexing your tricep and more like doing a bicep curl with a block behind your elbow. I guess some people have been saying to squeeze the shoulder blades together with all your might? That wouldn't be good. Thinking about it more, it's akin to engaging your core when you do calisthenics or squats. Your not curling so tightly that it moves in the opposite direction of the squat, but your engaging so that the energy transfer from the floor isn't in your jello. That's one large problem with everyone "hearing" a thing instead of being trained. It's very easy to get what someone explains wrong or say it incorrectly for the audience. Then those people walk away and poison their associates with the wrong ideas and all of the sudden people are imagining that they can push a bar upwards while pulling it down at the same time. Wild.

[@iCaTPSA]

Finally some sense! Thanks

[@b1zzler]

yeah, my posture is really bad so I need to retract to not jack up my shoulder. But it does weaken my bench.

[@TheSandkastenverbot]

That explains all the conflicting advice. Thanks!

[@marklanders76]

This makes sense. I have been working on the big 3 lately and been focusing on powerlifting form. My shoulder aggravates me more than before and my knees have been hurting because im to focused on keeping my shoulders retracted on bench and pulling down on bar in the squat. Dont overthink it, just go through the movement and control the weight

[@JebusXLT]

cant wait for the guide. Thank you!

[@dndallasta]

Not directly related, but I've seen some people retract and lock their scapulae when doing pull ups, horizontal rows and even biceps/triceps movements. Their argument being if you lock your shoulderblades, that takes the shoulder structure out of the movement, letting you better isolate your back, biceps or whatever it is you're trying to hit. Is this accurate?

[@Chunker12]

Couldn’t agree more. I got so lost in what my shoulders were doing and forgot about the bigger picture

[@Kuba-nk8zg]

That make so much sense. I always could understand why we are tought to do something that works only until bar is relatively light. When we reach 90%+ of 1 Rep max this “perfect” cue of tacking elbows and retracting shoulders doesn’t work and we can only lift heavier when we do it “wrong” way.

[@Hotshot24-7]

I agree with your vid. I saw one that mentioned to do it and I tried but it didn’t make sense when I felt my muscles they felt like they were combating each other because they’re antagonistic

[@monhanchile]

As far as I know, this originates from the point that we as humans in everyday life, when we push our shoulder blades open horizontally (protraction), as well as when we do the opposite gesture, our shoulder blades close horizontally (retraction). But, when we are lying on the bench, our scapulae cannot make a natural retraction, due to the weight of our body added to the weight we are lifting, so many experts recommend doing this retraction beforehand and thus avoid shoulder problems or injuries.

[@classicflo6616]

Excellent video thank you:)

[@ElijahG98]

This is interesting. I've been having shoulder issues ever since I got my power rack early this year. tons of clicking and popping, especially while trying to bench. I kinda assumed that my shoulders are bad and that i need to perfect my setup and do a lot of rotator cuff work. I can sometimes get a fairly click free set if I'm super tight and everything is in the perfect position. But I do wonder if I'm also just pulling things ouf of position. When I went to the gym as a teen I just benched and did everything poorly but had no issues. Now while I'm trying the hardest to do everything correctly I have the most issues. I had a crappy smith machine before and I dont think I had any shoulder issues. I just pushed the bar. It wasn't until I got my rack and tried to bench 'legit'. And now If I dont pull my shoulders back they are even worse. But I feel like I had no issues before.

[@sumbitch3rdgen]

That's because you ruined your shoulders over years of poor bench pressing technique and now that you're older it's gotten to the point where you can actually feel the effects

[@fenixchief7]

@@sumbitch3rdgen is that your expert opinion, doctor?

[@fenixchief7]

If its just popping and clicking its called audible crepitus and its not usually a sign of anything wrong. If you're experiencing pain with it you probably have some sort of impingement and should work on shoulder mobility exercises to make room for the tendon. Might could consult an actual doctor rather than morons like me and sumbitch up there, but I fixed my right shoulder with simple body and band exercises and its stronger than when I was a teen.

[@iCaTPSA]

@@fenixchief7 moron or not, you are right with your recommendations. As a Physical therapist and personal trainer, I would start there, and see what happens after some exercises.

[@AdminAccount-cr2tb]

I read somewhere (Mark Rippetoe?) that spreading the bar will help 'load the lats' on the descent. Kind of like a spring, it will assist in a recoil like effect during the ascent.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Everything Rippetoe says in nonsense. Including this. I’ve never once heard a reasonable explanation on how something like that is physically possible in any way.

[@isaachardy1108]

Just wanted to say I'm new to the channel and loving it bro. Massively underrated & appreciate the content. Keep up the good work mate 💪

[@alpasca753]

Just what I needed. Thank you

[@kevtron]

Thank you for this! I've just started getting into lifting and have been feeling like i'm doing bench press all wrong because I can't keep my shoulder blades pinched when I push the weight up. It just feels super unnatural to me. So based on this video, I can start with my shoulder blades pinched but it's ok if they become unpinched on the way up?

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Correct.

[@PaulRutherford]

Brillant Explantation ! ..... THIS is where I have being going wrong !!! THANK YOU 🙌

[@dale_26]

Nice video! Very helpful. Thank you!!

[@jamesTWisco]

Drawing my shoulders together and putting my elbows pointing more towards my waist helps getting the bar off the j cups. Maybe because pulling them together lifts me towards the bar more. I don't know. I have no issues with shoulder or anything. I don't think about it during the actual lifting.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I have a video coming this week that might help you here.

[@MonsterFishKeepersPH]

My shoulders always hurt from benching pressing with a retracted scapula. But when I stopped retracting my scapula my shoulders doesn't hurt anymore. (but I still depress my scapula but I do not retract it)

[@Aceinthehole117]

I agree. It never made sense to me to squeeze my shoulder blades together. It feels very unnatural and is distracting. Thanks for this

[@RichARichTV]

This is so specific and helpful!

[@scottmartinez8574]

Go to Matt Wenning videos and learn the right way. A proven world record power lifter. This guy's "opinion" doesn't help anybody.

[@DONQUIIIXOTE]

Looking forward to your guide. Subscribed.

[@hrafnagu9243]

Ever since I started trying to focus on my back so much, I've done nothing but hurt my left shoulder. I started to just stop thinking about it and just making sure my shoulders just don't push forward, my left shoulder feels so much better.

[@BrothamanASMR]

How would you protect your shoulders from injury without retracting?

[@saschabraband4528]

This is a great sight. I think it‘s similar to the push up

[@gibbsy071]

Hi i watched the whole video and hopefully understood most of it, however how can i protect my dodgy left shoulder when benching, and i don't ego lift. Lastly you said you weren't sure how the whole pinch your shoulders cue came about, and someone mentioned jeff nippard in the comments, stating the literature, retract the shoulders when benching is that not why it's used as a cue, Thanks.

[@VictorYTMusic811]

Where does the idea that rhomboids and upper traps being antagonistic to the pec major come from? Pec major works across the GH joint with no scapular attachments whereas rhomboids and traps work across the scapulothoracic with no huneral attachments. They dont influence each other in a direct way and arent truely antagonistic afaik.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Main point here actually is less about those specific muscles, and more so the actions. In my videos I really try to avoid evening getting too complex with minutia of the muscles. This video was sort of difficult to walk that line. Mostly my point being here that the muscles that work to create retraction of the scapula and the action of pulling the arm back are extremely hard to differentiate. So it’s much more about the effort it takes to retract and how that affects the ability to press. The pecs do protract the shoulder though which would be antagonistic. While we don’t need protraction, we shouldn’t be pulling our arms in the opposite direction of where we are trying to press.

[@VictorYTMusic811]

@@BrazosValleyStrength hmmmm interesting. Im more so under the impression that you can keep your scapula retracted without it hindering the pressing action at all as there are no actions involved in pressing from those specific muscles that antagonize each other. I believe the pec minor does do protraction but it isnt a prime mover in the bench press sooo? I dont doubt that some people do get so caught up with actively retracting that they cant connect with more important aspects of the lift, but ill have to disagree on how retracting the scapula will work against your pec majors ability to press.

[@VictorYTMusic811]

I guess what im trying to say is pulling your scapula back doesnt have any effect on your ability to horizontally adduct at the GH joint, or extend at your elbows...

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Maybe the best question to ask here is can we practically separate the action of recreating the scapula and pulling on the upper arm? That is the crux of the argument to me. My feeling is no. And secondly, does retraction meaningfully add to pressing strength even if we can separate forces on the upper arm? Again my thought is no and then it becomes wasted physical/mental effort that can take way from efforts that add much more value.

[@ProphetFear]

@@VictorYTMusic811 No, holding retraction and into protraction inhibits the pec minor and inhibits extension and adduction of the bar. Kassem from N1 has a video on this subject at length from at least a year ago.

[@victorarroyo3303]

Excellent video! It's been difficult for me to "not" cue retracting the shoulders. I have just been focusing now on leg drive, and trying to have chest "reach the ceiling" without really focusing hard on retracing the shoulders, and like you mentioned not really purposely protracting the shoulders either.

[@drock3129]

U should have a pinch but you should paying attention to whether you are causing damage. Keep the elbows down, slow and controlled reps, and keep the tension. He is right but got the wrong idea of pinching. You should always pinch; that’s part of keeping the tension. What you should not to is what he did here at 6:12 where the shoulders went moving up and elbows all to the side. If you do it like that you’re going to hear all sorts of pops and grinds when you get up and make no mistake it can cause injuries and nerve damage. You might not feel it for a few weeks or months of using this form and you might see great results from this form. But it is an ego lifting form and you won’t last long doing it. Trust me I learned the hard way.

[@infallibl]

Hypertrophy based benching for me is different.. I pack my lats and drop my shoulders DOWN not so much back . I first started ramming my shoulders back in an exaggerated retraction. That was still an omprpvement at the time but I then realised packing my lats and dropping my shoulders gave me the perfect line.

[@MrCococda]

What do you mean by “packing” the lats my lats are pretty “flared” so to speak when I retract and I keep my shoulders low when benching. My goal is to isolate the pec and keep the shoulder joint safe.

[@infallibl]

@@MrCococda packed = flared. And yeah, same in many chest exercises.

[@wilfordbrimley6938]

12:55 this is exactly why I won't stop doing this. 95% of people that have ever worked out do the arm spin thing or grab a rack and turn to stretch (neither as a warmup, but already in pain) or just straight up say "my shoulder is not feeling too good today". Not me 👌Could've just summed it up as legs stabilize you, and not having novice lifters thinking of trashing back cues

[@Pepe-pq3om]

I don't understand

[@reynardklemens7059]

THANK YOU!!!!!!

[@dachump8536]

Huh your the first person I’ve seen workout with vivo barefoot shoes I love using those especially for deadlifts

[@papluab]

I am curious to know how all these will play out now that IPF has revised the bench press rules.

[@Masahall2634]

just want to make sure. this applies to dumbbells as well right?

[@MrCatgroove]

I overretracted for years and now I'm dealing with shoulder pain that refuses to go away. I only get it during horizontal pressing though. Vertical & dips are fine for some reason. My right side is stuck in, what feels like, a constantly retracted state, so much that my right arm is visible "shorter" (not actual length, but because of the retraction) than my left. This is now my resting position. I can't contract my chest properly without feeling a tremendeous amount of tension in my shoulder, and doing the bench press motion with just my arms hurt. Not sure what to do either. Focusing on more movement of the shoulder blades does not seem to help. Stretching is so frowned upon nowadays that I haven't even bothered with it. PT's in my small town are horrible and doesn't understanding lifting. Their advice is always "stop lifting" essentially.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

My suggestion would be to keep doing pressing movements that you can, and that allow full ROM. Some things that have helped me overcome some pec pain is DB Pressing with some protraction at the top, loaded pushups with a slight deficit and full protraction, and any other machine that will allow that full comfortable movement. Sounds like you have tried a lot of things, so that may not help, but it might be a start. Good luck with it.

[@MrCatgroove]

​@@BrazosValleyStrength I might just have to dial everything back and really just emphasize the relative protraction of my right side. DB's hurt, but pushups have worked semi-well for some time now. They hurt some days, and other days they're fine. Same with dips. Might be the last inch (or whatever) of protraction that I'm incosistent with, because if I don't actively focus on it, it does not happen. The weird thing for me is that the pain is always in the deepest stretched positon, so I wonder how protracting more helps with that.

[@TS-lm5po]

Check out MSK nuerology video on bench press cues. Think it will help you out

[@hakarl_]

Recently I experimented with pressing with not retracted shoulders for increased range of motion (and hopefully more hypertrophy), and I started having issues with my shoulder because I'm not trained in that bottom range of motion although I can shift some weight there. Just a word of caution to anyone who wants to change their style: don't go all in immediately, haha I've cued shoulder retraction and depression for myself a lot, for the descent. I've never considered that shoulder retraction could work against the press itself, but I don't seem to be having that problem. Probably just intuitively learnt to let the shoulders move enough during the press to let the pecs do their job. For high-arch bench pressers I'd say maximal shoulder retraction is still the way to go, because it seems to me that the benefits of (even slightly) reduced ROM tend to outweigh mechanical inefficiencies more and more as the ROM gets shorter. Like those ridiculous grips where the index finger is on the ring and the rest of the grip is actually 6cm to the side lol

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I generally agree with most of this. Especially the last paragraph. For some people, the reduced ROM can outweigh the loss in potential force from the pecs. But that’s still almost exclusively during the descent. Retracting hard there might help a lot of people who have exceptionally big arches, but it doesn’t need to be maintained while they actually press.

[@jonathanwynne6925]

Seems a lot of commenters didn't watch the video or didn't understand.

[@nolimitsfitnesscoaching1223]

I liked this video, and it does highlight some of the false info that we have grown accustomed to. However, the stability and efficiency we get from retracted scapula is very real. Also, the muscles that retract the scapula and offer this rigidity are not working in opposition to the pecs. As long as we know how to properly retract or pinch our shoulder blades together, we can create a solid and stable shoulder girdle for which our pecs can press from, and it will not impede the primary movers of the bench press.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

How so? How does adding pinching together give us a better ability to press? Also, the pec minor does connect to the scapula and act as a protractor. So there is some conflict there. Also, what would be the incorrect way to retract? If you are implying that there is a correct and incorrect way to do it, can you elaborate there?

[@iCaTPSA]

@@BrazosValleyStrength I think that what you and most people think when trying to retract shoulders is pushing your scapula as hard as you can with the typicall "like you where to hold a pencil with them", while it should be a gentle contraction just to move the scapulas. Also, it is not just pushing your blades like holding a pencil, you should add some depression too.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Sounds like you didn’t watch the video

[@matthewsum1752]

Blud didt watch the video

[@lukes5631]

Actively retracting the scapula engages muscles that reciprocally inhibit the pecs... it makes ZERO sense to keep these muscles consciously engaged. It is ideal to have a starting position where your scapula are "down and back" with your serratus muscle engaged, which is assisted by the lats as a stabilizer, but of any of the muscles to focus on keeping locked in, it would be the Lats and the Serratus. If you can FEEL this area of the body stabilizing the bench press, then you are pushing from a good foundation. There is no need to squeeze any of your scapula retracting muscles.

[@danielcartwright8868]

The way Mark Rippetoe explained it was that it helps keep the bar path higher over the the chest (closer to a straight line down) without putting your shoulder in a compromised position.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I really just wouldn’t be taking advice from Rippetoe. Accomplishing that goal of having the bar go in a straight line would also make your bench worse. So both of those are bad.

[@danielcartwright8868]

@@BrazosValleyStrength I'm not sure why having the bar go in a straight line would make your bench worse; the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. His point was that if your back is flat, you'll have to tuck your elbows more and touch the bar lower to save your shoulders, but if your back is arched, you can touch a bit higher, reducing the horizontal motion in the bar path. I suppose that spinal flexion would give your chest said backwards arch, though.

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Well my assumption here is that when you say straight line, you are meaning a line drawn straight down perpendicular to the floor. If that’s not what you mean then I apologize for the misunderstanding there. But I did mention bar path and range of motion in this video. But neither one is controlled by any muscles on your back. Again, that would be like saying your triceps are dominant in controlling the descent of the bicep curl.

[@zaziro]

Can you show a leg drive setup that is to do in easy way with dumbells?

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Leg drive isn’t really a thing with dumbbells.

[@zaziro]

@@BrazosValleyStrength how I do setup properly when training with dumbells? Can you show that

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I won’t be making a video like that here but I’m sure you can find a tutorial on KZbin. But it shouldn’t be complicated at all. Sit with them on your legs, rock back keeping them at your shoulders, done.

[@jcintpa]

What you say makes sense, in certain contexts. If you are talking about building CHEST strength, or prioritizing hypertrophy of the chest muscles...I think your advice makes great sense. For simply BENCH PRESS strength and the limited range of motion setting up for powerlifting provides...depending on your technique...chest might not be the most important muscle. You mention the function of the pectoral...but look at the wide handgrip and limited range of motion in benching for maximum weights. You aren't pulling your arm across your chest, you aren't providing a wide range of motion as you would with say a dumbbell bench press. My lats/back are much stronger than my pecs, as are most peoples...My lats and back carry the weight down and provide (with leg drive) my initial push...retracting my shoulders provides me the best leverage to activate my lats/back....and get my strongest upper body muscles heavily involved in the lift....and when you lift in this manner...you dont have to flare your elbows out to get them over anything....so that isn't even part of the equation because my elbows stay close to my body...again, i think this is good advice for CHEST strength...but misses the mark on pure BENCH PRESS strength because a powerlifting bench press is NOT a chest exercise, it's a compound exercise, that optimized, should prioritize the STRONGEST muscles for maximum lifts. Think about the powerlifting squat: Are you going to prioritize the quads for maximum lifts? Not if you want PR's...you are going to leverage your strongest lower body muscles....because again, the powerlifting squat is NOT a quad exercise...

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

How do your back muscles carry the weight down? And how do they push? That’s literally the opposite of what they do.

[@huyngo7827]

your back muscles don't contract to push the weight away from your body, they lengthen. The argument that states your lats and rhomboids doing the most in a bench press is plain nonsense

[@reuwlane9867]

I destroyed my shoulder playing football broke it in 2 spots played through the whole season with it and I could not do any pressing movement and also developed osteolysis in my shoulder, had the choice to get surgery and miss all of off season and ruin my upcoming season or try physical therapy and see if it works, I chose PT and they taught me to use my shoulder blades and back when pressing over head and in front instead of putting all that pressure on my shoulder and rotator cuff and it saved my life and saved my career as a shot putter too without them teaching me this I would not be competing at a D1 level and I am still surgery free I not can raise my arm fully above my head pain free and can do any pressing movement pain free so I will continue pulling shoulder blades together when benching

[@Pepe-pq3om]

That sounds extremely specific case tho

[@reuwlane9867]

@@Pepe-pq3om not really look up osteolysis they call it lifters shoulder they basically explained that people don’t use their back and shoulder blades so those muscles don’t get worked and it leads to the shoulder doing all the work that’s why people have a lot of problems when pressing and getting rom ac joint injuries are pretty common among athletes

[@zachbird2465]

I slip on the bench when I start super retracted and then lose that retraction on the way up. Interested to see how that works using info from this video. Maybe starting with less retraction/no intentional retraction will cause less overall change and more stability…

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

To be clear, I don’t think that retracting some on the descent is bad. It can reduce range of motion and potentially improve bar path. But I imagine that slipping you feel is just what HAS to happen as you press. And that you should be ok with your shoulders coming out of retraction as you press.

[@zachbird2465]

@@BrazosValleyStrength definitely, I start over retracted and then think I need to stay in that retraction to not slip. If I just naturally retract and then press without worrying about staying retracted out of bottom I think I’ll be doing what your saying. I’m 29 so this is definitely antithetical to what I’ve always known. I won’t argue with David Woolson though :) worth a shot. Thank you!

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Ha well it sounds like you found your way to the right way of doing it! Most people do. They just fight it the whole way.

[@Palestrina-us8sv]

I have less should pain when i keep my shoulders retracted throughout the whole movement.

[@richardhernandez1600]

Exactly. I've been working out for about 7 years now and the first couple of years I did it with my shoulders protracted and 225lb used to set my shoulders on fire. I was stuck there and usually lifted less to help reduce that shoulder pain. One day I decided to look into why that was happening and I heard about retracting. I tried it and I immediately felt a difference. I can now press 425, shoulder pain free.

[@ronin4160]

6'5", built like an orangutan, hard stuck at 295lb. I do feel more pec if I stop concentrating on retraction but I also start feeling some shoulder discomfort. I also noticed that retraction automatically means I start elevation as well. Depression in the shoulders and trying to engage lats ends up feeling like I'm dumping the bar and losing my thoracic extension, though. Overall it's a mess. Dumbbell press feels amazing and I can throw up 100s in each hand for 10 reps ezpz but I also don't go down as far as with a barbell so I'm assuming my dimensions are just bad. Would be interested to see what you think of depth in bench press and if touching chest is "right" for everybody.

[@ham5483]

6'5 here too, 6'10 wingspan, always had trouble with bench because of my monkey arms

[@1981steelworker]

I found retracting my shoulder blades actually caused an impingement, so , when I set up and get super tight and pull the bat out my shoulder blades naturally pull thereselves downward rather that tucking them and fighting the lift

[@theeirongiant9788]

I'm no expert by any means but I don't think anyone wants to tell you you are right or you are wrong. If you are an experienced lifter you may receive this information in a way that would have you perceive that what you are saying is wrong but too a beginner this information is perfect. It's just like Q's. I can tell someone to sit back on their heels and it will help them push with their midfoot/hold foot I could tell someone else the same thing and it could f****** their whole squat. You have very good content keep doing what you're doing you rock. Nothing you said was wrong. But like I said some people might take it as wrong because they're not perceiving it the way that you're explaining it.

[@ishowspeedyhighlights2817]

Hit 95kg and 2 weeks later injured my shoulder and chest due to ego and bad form since i was to excited to get stronger I decided to bench 90kg when my right shoulder was injured to bad form and struggling to retract

[@ShayanGivehchian]

Please do a video on choosing a hip height for sumo deadlift

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I have so many videos on this

[@MegaDiscoZombie]

great video!

[@vinitchhabria1738]

Such a good video, Glad I saw it:)

[@RetreatHell518]

Any advice for benching after weightlifters shoulder?

[@rickydugan8223]

So what if I just cue driving my traps into the bench with leg drive, bring my chest to the bar on the eccentric, and got my back stronger so im using my lats without actually cueing them?

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

I’m not sure how to answer this. What’s the what if here? What you described is what I said in the video. The main point is not to try to keep your back pinched while pressing as it doesn’t add anything.

[@TDZone70]

Dave, leg drive can be used to create an arch. This naturally creates shoulder depression instead of having to actively pull the shoulders down into depression. Is this correct?

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Well sure. But we create a bigger arch by pulling hard into it. Depression is fine in the bench press. The video is specifically about retraction. But I think the majority of the people upset/confused in the comments confuse the feeling of depression and retraction.

[@TDZone70]

@@BrazosValleyStrength Thanks for explaining. I want to teach my son a better way to press than I was taught. Maybe he can lessen the chance of shoulder issues. Thanks for this video and answering questions!!

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Yea I would watch this video along with my leg drive video to get a good start on concepts. But I’ll have more important ones coming soon as well.

[@TacticsTom54]

So confused now ... I benched 405 for 5 reps consistently last summer . Work injury and over working had to have complete reconstruction this January. First doc says don't bench but if u do , contract the scapula and shoulders in for proper alignment. So is this not correct ?

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Doctors tend to not give very good advice surrounding exercise.

[@kefir1338]

I just focus on creating a platform for the pressing muscles. Bench is mostly tricep anyways. The chest is much more of a stabilizer than a prime mover for me and it has worked both for getting muly numbers up aswell as making benching more enjoyable

[@tanthai3653]

More of a stabiliser FOR YOU. For many others its chest as prime mover. For different techniques, its chest or tricep.

[@sodisheveledcrew]

So from my understanding; you allow your shoulders to retract at the bottom so your elbows go straight down instead of rounding backwards.

[@marshallsweatherhiking1820]

I think chest stretching is important in conjunction with benching heavier weight, but it isn’t really productive to force your shoulders back the ENTIRE movement. The point seems to be more to have your shoulders retracted during the negative part of the lift so that when you start pressing you are in a stable position.

[@kenuffff]

the reason you retract your shoulders is it puts the movement into your triceps where it should be, not your shoulder that can't handle let's say 500 pounds hence why people tear pecs and rotator cuffs but not triceps. you do back work to create the stability of that position with it retracted. pressing is an arm movement, not a chest exercise. its the same as a squat, you want the glutes and hams to be stronger than your quads, as they're the workers .

[@BrazosValleyStrength]

Lol my guy, you have to stop commenting. I think you are looking at your information upside down or something as you couldn’t have things more backwards.

[@kenuffff]

@@BrazosValleyStrength ok let me go flare my elbows and use my shoulders to press 500 lbs. i'll send you the orthopedic bill.

[@chonkeboi]

@@kenuffffflaring your elbows on the concentric is much better than not flaring if we’re talking raw.

[@PK_Dutch]

Doing the overly back dominant thing when I was young resulted in such severe cramps I had to quit more than once.