You're Bench Pressing Wrong & It Might Be Dangerous

The bench press. You've done a million of them and know all the rules. Have a spotter if you're lifting heavy, set your feet flat on the floor, hips width apart, and keep your back pressed against the bench the entire time.

One of those things is actually dangerous. No, it's not having a spotter, though having a really annoying one could be dangerous to your mental health. No, it's keeping your back flat the entire time.

Men's Health designed a video on how to properly bench press and keeping the arch in your lower back down is no part of it.

It seems crazy, cause you've probably heard that advice a million times from every coach or trainer since you were a baby body builder. But it turns out, keeping flat can cause great injury to your shoulders.

Your back has a natural arch. So, by allowing your back to be slightly off the bench, your shoulders wrap around the bench. That increases stability and lets your chest muscles stretch farther and get bigger gains.

Still, how does straightening your back hurt your shoulders? If you flatten your back against the mat, your shoulders round and it's difficult to properly engage your chest muscles. Since more weight and strain is put on the shoulder, it can cause pain.

The worst part is that since you never realized you were doing bench presses wrong in the first place, you'll keep up the bad behavior and continuously strain the shoulder. That could make you think your shoulders are too weak, so you overtrain them, and more damage occurs. 

Everything in the body is connected and one false move in the lower body can radiate all the way up to the neck and shoulders.

This doesn't mean stop benching. Definitely not. Just let the arch in your back act naturally and continue on from there. Make sure your core is engaged, but avoid over-tightening. On the flip side, don't get so relaxed that your core's all floppy and your arch gets too high.

This better bench pressing technique is similar to good form for any other exercise. Keep your core firm, without restraining your breath and don't force anything. With these tips in mind, you'll start benching more and gaining strength way faster than ever before.