Problem w/ Bench Press

When I flat bench the one side of my back feels like it’s pushing out more than the other side. This results in me feeling very lob sided when benching. It’s not that much of an issue on the lighter sets, but I find I can’t evenly distribute the power on my heavier sets as my back is not even on the bench.

It feels like the one lat or shoulder blade is sticking out and the other isn’t at all. It feels normal when I’m laying on the bench with my arms up. But the moment I unrack the bar I can feel it.

Any ideas please? If I wasn’t very clear in my description please let me know and I will try and explain it better

I’ve actually experienced a similar feeling myself. It was when I started doing flat BB again after not doing them for years. I’m not sure if it was just the ‘newness’ of the movement, or if I was simply just used to the different bench i would utilize when using DB’s. A few thoughts though,… make sure both scapulae are puleld back before starting, possibly making such a concerted effort to proper form will alleviate whatever you may be inadvertantly doing.

Possibly switch to Dbs, or possibly do a few sets of BB rows first to get some blood into the area around your upper mid back, sort of a warm up for the antagonistic muscles (sounds like that may be the area that feels ‘off’ when you unrack the bar).

S

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I’ve actually experienced a similar feeling myself. It was when I started doing flat BB again after not doing them for years. I’m not sure if it was just the ‘newness’ of the movement, or if I was simply just used to the different bench i would utilize when using DB’s. A few thoughts though,… make sure both scapulae are puleld back before starting, possibly making such a concerted effort to proper form will alleviate whatever you may be inadvertantly doing. Possibly switch to Dbs, or possibly do a few sets of BB rows first to get some blood into the area around your upper mid back, sort of a warm up for the antagonistic muscles (sounds like that may be the area that feels ‘off’ when you unrack the bar).

S
[/quote]

I too noticed it after doing mostly incline d/bell press as my primary chest movement.

I have tried pulling my scapulae back. It’s almost as if my one shoulder blade/lat can stick out and the other side can’t…if that makes any sense

Definitley think is related to having the scaps pulled tight. I remember having the same problem when I was a novice bencher, its real distracting.

Make sure you get your shoulders back tight, your upper back should be positioned so that your traps are on the bench and that the weight of the bar is supported by your upper back not the middle of the back. Hard to describe I will drag out some pictures from a bench workshop I took a few months ago.