Continuing from my last post about training back without putting your shoulder into a vulnerable position. The same thing applies to training chest, keeping your shoulders back and down.

Do you often pick up shoulder niggles when bench pressing? This is very common due to elbows flaring and no scapula retraction, resulting a shoulder dominant bench press, which should be more chest focused.

To get the most out of your chest workouts without shoulder niggles

❌Lift with ego
❌elbow rising up (internal rotation)
❌elevated traps
❌shoulder rounding on eccentric part of the movement

✅focus on squeezing your chest as you press the weight
✅keep shoulder back and down (scapula retraction/depression)
✅lower the weight for 2 second negative, no bouncing

I recommend practising good technique on a chest press machine like a hammer strength machine before heading over to the bench press

Achieving good form, in particular executing scapula retraction, can be difficult due to having round shoulders. To improve posture and technique

✅stretch/foam roll chest

✅Lots of facepulls
✅take care of rotator cuffs
✅strengthen lower traps