Bench elbow tuck article.

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Wilhelm
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Bench elbow tuck article.

#1

Post by Wilhelm » Sat Oct 31, 2020 9:12 am

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/why-y ... -benching/

Specifically the video of Jennifer Thompson.
I never try to intentionally flare, and while also not trying to tuck excessively, have tried to control my elbows from shooting back on heavy reps/singles, which they seem to want to do "naturally."
Trying for movement of the bar and elbows as close to unison as possible.

Her elbows move back before the bar leaves the chest it seems, so the bar still moves back off the chest.
The times when i think i get it most wrong are when i try and keep them from shooting back, and the bar leaves my chest, and then they shoot back.
It's been a while, but that can lead to a few inches of overly vertical bar rise.

I think this is less a form check post, as just wanting to see other people's views on the topic.
If i hadn't looked closely again at this (fairly representitive of a "good" rep in my book) , i'd have thought my elbows didn't flare/move at all before the bar rose, but they do just a bit.
I think i'm fine with that.
SpoilerShow
Tucking extra has never felt strong for me.
fwiw, my grip is ring fingers on the rings.

AllM1ght
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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#2

Post by AllM1ght » Sat Oct 31, 2020 9:28 am

Always love Gregs write ups.
Will attest again this advice^ though from someone else has helped my bench progress and consistency, though I've still a long way to go haha.
Bench(Ugly topless body warning xD)Show

dw
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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#3

Post by dw » Sat Oct 31, 2020 10:26 am

I don't do anything consciously with my elbows, will try this next time.

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#4

Post by dw » Sat Oct 31, 2020 10:28 am

AllM1ght wrote: Sat Oct 31, 2020 9:28 am Always love Gregs write ups.
Will attest again this advice^ though from someone else has helped my bench progress and consistency, though I've still a long way to go haha.
Bench(Ugly topless body warning xD)Show
This look like a really good implementation of what he's talking about.

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#5

Post by dw » Wed Nov 04, 2020 5:21 pm

So I tried flaring as much as I could as soon as I start the concentric.

It feels like I'm doing exactly that, guiding the bar "unnaturally" while also pushing it out. It made my shoulders quite sore which doesn't normally happen to me from bench press.

Is it possible I'm overdoing it? It is possible to overdo this? My eccentric is same as ever, touching reasonably low on the chest I think.

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#6

Post by lehman906 » Wed Nov 04, 2020 6:38 pm

dw wrote: Wed Nov 04, 2020 5:21 pm So I tried flaring as much as I could as soon as I start the concentric.

It feels like I'm doing exactly that, guiding the bar "unnaturally" while also pushing it out. It made my shoulders quite sore which doesn't normally happen to me from bench press.

Is it possible I'm overdoing it? It is possible to overdo this? My eccentric is same as ever, touching reasonably low on the chest I think.
He has a video about it on YouTube, and it’s actually a pretty subtle change. Basically instead of intentionally tucking, you let your elbows go at about 60 degrees. I kept my same grip and touch point but implemented that change and the bar is jumping off my chest. My sticking point is about two inches higher now, which is interesting.

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#7

Post by dw » Wed Nov 04, 2020 7:13 pm

lehman906 wrote: Wed Nov 04, 2020 6:38 pm
dw wrote: Wed Nov 04, 2020 5:21 pm So I tried flaring as much as I could as soon as I start the concentric.

It feels like I'm doing exactly that, guiding the bar "unnaturally" while also pushing it out. It made my shoulders quite sore which doesn't normally happen to me from bench press.

Is it possible I'm overdoing it? It is possible to overdo this? My eccentric is same as ever, touching reasonably low on the chest I think.
He has a video about it on YouTube, and it’s actually a pretty subtle change. Basically instead of intentionally tucking, you let your elbows go at about 60 degrees. I kept my same grip and touch point but implemented that change and the bar is jumping off my chest. My sticking point is about two inches higher now, which is interesting.

Thanks now I see the clip. That seems more sensible than what I was doing, will try it soon.

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#8

Post by Wilhelm » Wed Nov 04, 2020 9:36 pm

@lehman906 , any chance you could please link the clip?

*Sorry.
This one?

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#9

Post by AllM1ght » Thu Nov 05, 2020 6:55 am

dw wrote: Wed Nov 04, 2020 5:21 pm So I tried flaring as much as I could as soon as I start the concentric.

It feels like I'm doing exactly that, guiding the bar "unnaturally" while also pushing it out. It made my shoulders quite sore which doesn't normally happen to me from bench press.

Is it possible I'm overdoing it? It is possible to overdo this? My eccentric is same as ever, touching reasonably low on the chest I think.
Hmm I'm imagining your shoulders are coming up either on the eccentric or when you press based of this, it can make a big difference to how much you can actually flare if your shoulders and lats are fully retracted and depressed.

Might be wrong though, just a mildly educated guess without video

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#10

Post by lehman906 » Thu Nov 05, 2020 9:22 am

Wilhelm wrote: Wed Nov 04, 2020 9:36 pm @lehman906 , any chance you could please link the clip?

*Sorry.
This one?
Yep. I think the problem was him saying "flare as much as possible," when a better description would be "don't tuck. Let them flare naturally."

Which, without context, could have a very different meaning.

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#11

Post by RobUK » Thu Mar 18, 2021 5:49 am

I realise this is old but perhaps worth noting the following from Nuckol’s bench guide (the article he’s referring to is the article the OP links to):

If you overtuck, though, so that your elbows wind up in front of the bar, this will increase elbow extension demands. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I talked about this issue in more depth in this article, but I’ve moderated my position a bit over time. While tucking enough that your elbows wind up in front of the bar does make the lift harder on your triceps, this technique can also help you drive the bar back up off your chest (as discussed in the previous section) at the start of the press, allowing your triceps to help out your shoulders. This can be really helpful to people for whom leg drive doesn’t really “click.” Once the bar starts moving back off your chest, though, you’ll still want to flare your elbows to get them back under the bar by the midrange of the press.

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/how-to-bench/

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#12

Post by OCG » Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:50 am

RobUK wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 5:49 am this technique can also help you drive the bar back up off your chest (as discussed in the previous section) at the start of the press, allowing your triceps to help out your shoulders. This can be really helpful to people for whom leg drive doesn’t really “click.”
Wait, wait. Back the fuck up. What does leg drive have to do with driving the bar back off of the chest?

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#13

Post by Hardartery » Thu Mar 18, 2021 9:30 am

OCG wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:50 am
RobUK wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 5:49 am this technique can also help you drive the bar back up off your chest (as discussed in the previous section) at the start of the press, allowing your triceps to help out your shoulders. This can be really helpful to people for whom leg drive doesn’t really “click.”
Wait, wait. Back the fuck up. What does leg drive have to do with driving the bar back off of the chest?
I'm not sure what his take is, or what is in the linked Nuckols article, but I know from experience that leg drive serves 2 purposes related to driving the bar. The first is that it helps lock you down in a braced position, which is means less force loss through moving around on the bench when you push. The second is that the kinetic energy from flexing the lower body will, to an extent, travel through the body and transfer into the push.

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#14

Post by RobUK » Thu Mar 18, 2021 11:19 am

OCG wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:50 am
RobUK wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 5:49 am this technique can also help you drive the bar back up off your chest (as discussed in the previous section) at the start of the press, allowing your triceps to help out your shoulders. This can be really helpful to people for whom leg drive doesn’t really “click.”
Wait, wait. Back the fuck up. What does leg drive have to do with driving the bar back off of the chest?
From the linked article -

This is also where leg drive comes into play. As you start the press, squeeze your glutes hard and try to drive your heels through the floor. This pushes your chest slightly higher, and back into the bar. The force of your chest pushing back into the bar helps you drive the bar back off your chest toward your throat, putting it in the proper position to finish the press.

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Re: Bench elbow tuck article.

#15

Post by SnakePlissken » Tue Mar 23, 2021 4:50 am

That Nuckols article actually fixed quite a bit for me back in the day. I was always obsessed with bar path and knew to keep my elbows tucked to avoid impingement. When my CG Bench was stronger than my regular grip I realized it was probably because my bar path was roughly the same and for CG it was further toward my feet. I now flare my elbows out about 45 degrees on my regular grip and the bar hits about middle of my pec instead of just below them.

The issue was exacerbated when I did high rep benching like 10 rep sets.

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