How low should you go on barbell bench presses?

Question: Recently I was at the gym benching and after I was done someone comes up to me and says I’m not going low enough. What i do is i go down until my arm is at a 90 degree angle. He told me to let it come down until its 2-4 inches from my chest.   Am I doing it right or is he right?  Emil from Brandon, Florida

Answer: Actually… you’re BOTH wrong!

The most precise answer depends on anterior shoulder flexibility. But let’s skip the nerdy doctor stuff for now…

Most people are plenty flexible enough to touch their chest with the barbell during the barbell bench press. And thus, that’s exactly what you should do.  Lower the barbell slowly and under control, then lightly touch your chest and immediately drive the barbell back to the starting position.

Shortening the range of motion (stopping short) only serves to activate LESS muscle fibers and promote weakness in the bottom portion of the ROM.  Obviously both of these are not what you want.

This myth of “stopping short” has been perpetuated by a personal training certification organization that is dispersing this and many other nuggets of misinformation.  Although this makes me want to pull my hair out, I’ll avoid getting on that soapbox for now.

Best,

Dr Clay