Fix Elbow Flare In The Bench For Good!
This is an issue many lifters struggle with! You go to press the bar and immediately your elbows want to flare out and put you in a tough position to finish the lift.
We coach this head on with a two pronged attack! First we look at technique.
From a technical outlook, this comes down to a lack of back tightness. Primarily the upper back. You could feel like you're loading the lats and bending the bar but what are you doing with the upper back?
Do you feel like your bodyweight is on your traps? Are you using your back to elevate your rib cage to the bar? Think about dragging your armpits down towards your hips! And are you actually maintaining that tightness during the press itself?
From a strength perspective. Is our upper back developed enough to maintain tightness? Some of those cues may make sense but executing them is another obstacle
What I see often is those who elbow flare have pressed predominantly one way for a very long time and have built up a certain motor pattern and muscle groups for so long. Correcting that is a long term project, it can't be looked at as the instantaneous fix everyone is hoping for.
Are your triceps strong enough to execute the press? How are you benching off boards? How well do you recover between tricep accessories? There is a lot to look at strength wise as well and that takes a longer time
If this is happening to you, please message me and let me point you in the right direction!
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