Tip How to Diagnose Your Bench Press Problem Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip How to Diagnose Your Bench Press Problem Bench stuck Here' s how to find and fix your sticking points by Christian Thibaudeau June 17, 2019March 10, 2022 Tags Training This table lists the most probable issue causing each sticking point on the bench press. Now, there could be something more complex going on, or a technical issue that's more unique to you. But most of the time, I've found that strengthening the sticking point area will solve the problem. So take a look at this table, determine where your sticking point is, take note of the causes, and use the appropriate assistance exercises to strengthen that area. Sticking Point Causes Assistance Exercises Breaking off from chest 1. Lats weak or not properly engaged 2. External shoulder rotators 3. Upper traps more dominant than lower traps and rear delts 1. Straight-arms pulldown, Pendlay row, seal row 2. Cuban press, seated dumbbell snatch, external shoulder rotations 3. Trap-3 raise, rear delt machine, Powell raise, victory raise Lower third Pecs Wide-grip bench press, Spotto press, decline bench press, floor press, dumbbell bench press, bench press with Duffalo bar Mid third 1. Anterior delts 2. Rear delts and rhomboids (Shoulder lifts up from bench) 1. Incline bench press, slight incline bench press, lying front raise 2. Bench press with resistance band around wrists, rear delt machine, face pulls Upper third (lockout) Triceps, especially long head Close-grip pin press, lockout bench press, close-grip floor press, close-grip decline bench, overhead triceps extensions If you're unfamiliar with some of these exercises, use this list: Seal Row A seal row is a chest-supported row (using dumbbells or a bar) using a bench. Elevate the bench on blocks or plates. If you don't have that setup, a regular chest-supported row will do. Cuban Press Trap-3 Raise Powell Raise Victory Raise Spotto Press Bench Press With Resistance Band Around Wrists Bench Press With Duffalo Bar Once you fix a muscle weakness, it'll take some time to transfer those strength gains to the bench press. Your body will need to change the intermuscular coordination pattern. Don't panic if your strength gains in pressing lag a few weeks behind your strength gains in the assistance lifts. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip The One-Hand Dumbbell Snatch Use this movement as a warm-up, to build more explosive power, or to get better at Olympic-style lifting. Exercise Coaching, Tips Christian Thibaudeau January 27 Training Tip The Worst Way to Do Push-Ups The way most people do push-ups leads to acute and chronic injury to the joints and tissues. Here's how to fix it. Tips, Training Joel Seedman, PhD August 26 Training 7 Things I Learned in 2011 How to make sweet, sweet, love to a ball and other wonderful lessons learned by Eric Cressey in the past year. Training Eric Cressey February 17 Training How to Build Stupid-Strong Hamstrings Work your way up to the ultimate hammie exercise by first mastering GHR progressions. Then conquer the king of all hamstring lifts: the Nordic curl. Tanner Shuck June 4