At the gym where I work out you'd think that the human body was made up of 2 muscles - chesticles and biceps. I suppose that's the case in most gyms, but I'm noticing something I've not seen before. It used to be common to see the pec-dec monkeys bounce the weight off their chests when benching, but recently I've noticed more and people doing only the top half of a bench press. In other words about the same ROM as a floor press or a 3 board press without the boards. I'm seeing this being done by a significant number of people on flat, incline, and decline benches and they are not doing them as an assistance exercise to increase their bench press. They are doing this in place of a full ROM BP. Is this a growing trend? Was there a recent article in one of the major muscle mags recommending that people don't do a full ROM BP? I'm just curious. Maybe it's just a local thing.
Partial ROM Bench Presses
- Thread starter EL_VIEJO
- Start date
There has been some research indicating that the lower part of a bench press is where the greatest danger is for the rotator cuff, so a number of trainers have taken to recommending floor presses to get most of the benefit while eliminating most of the risk. IFBB pro Phil Hernon is one who suggests it. I haven't experimented enough to have an opinion, but not locking out at the top and stopping a good 4 inches or more up from your chest at least FEELS like the pecs are working hard. LOL, if you are have trouble benching anyway it sure couldn't hurt to try them as see how they work for you. Good luck!