Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Kiel DiGiovanni, Co-founder
FACT CHECKED
The mighty bench press is the epitome of weight lifting. Everyone does it, and it's one of the best exercises you can do to increase your pressing strength.
Now, one right way to perform it is by using a full range of motion. However, is this really necessary? Can we use a different range of motions to increase our bench press? Well, maybe!
This article will look at various bench press variations that use different ranges of motion to elicit different adaptations. Find out how to use different bench press ROM techniques.
What's The Proper Range Of Motion For The Bench Press?
The general advice when performing the barbell bench press is to perform the rep with a full range of motion. The full range of motion for the bench press includes the following points:
- Start with the arms locked out at the top
- Bring the bar down until it touches your chest
- Push the bar back up until your arms lock out
The general guidelines above ensure that lifters perform the full exercise and get the most out of their training. Under normal circumstances, this is what you should do. However, recent research has suggested this isn't necessary. In addition, lifters swear that you can improve your progress by using various ranges of motion with the bench press. Both are true, but there's obviously nuance to be aware of.
Do You Need To Use Full Range Of Motion On Bench Press?
Back in the day, using the full range of motion was obvious! Some would act as if not using the full range of motion completely nullifies the movement. Well, that's not true. In fact, we only need to think about it for a second and realize that a full range of motion isn't necessary for muscle growth.
Think about any farmer or construction worker who doesn't go to the gym. Many of them are jacked, but it's because they push and carry things around all day! Are we supposed to believe their muscles won't grow unless they use a full range of motion?
Or, look at Strongman athletes. A good portion of their movements are:
- Partial range of motion movements (i.e., 18" deadlift)
- Odd movements with no specific range of motion (i.e., stone lifts)
- Isometric-centric movements (i.e., carrying movements)
However, Strongman competitors are the strongest and biggest athletes there are!
This doesn't mean using the full range of motion is bad! Nor does it mean you shouldn't use it! In fact, full range of motion is the default and should be used most of the time. One of the biggest reasons is purely for your joint health and mobility.
Research shows that using a full range of motion with compound exercises like the bench press is crucial for maintaining mobility and function. Plus, it can be just as effective at improving flexibility and ensuring total strength gains throughout the entirety of the muscle.
Benefits Of Using Different Range Of Motion On Bench Press
Now that we know we don't always need to use the full range of motion on the bench press let's consider some benefits of using a different range of motion. We'll examine both shorter range of motion (or partial reps) and lengthened range of motion.
Using The Shorter-Range Of Motion With Bench Press
We'll start by looking at the possible benefits of using a partial range of motion on the bench press. To make this easier to digest, we'll break this down into using the bottom half of the movement and the top half of the movement.
Partial Range Of Motion On Bench Press (Bottom Half)
The bottom half of the bench press is when the bar is between the halfway mark and the bottom of your chest. Newer research shows that this range of motion may produce superior benefits to something known as "stretch-mediated" hypertrophy. This is when the muscle is in a lengthened state, increasing mechanical tension, a major driver of muscle hypertrophy.
This research has shown that most growth occurs during this lengthened portion of the exercises due to increased tension.¹
Multiple studies have compared:
- Training the muscle with a full range of motion
- Training the muscle with only the lengthened half of the rep
- Training the muscle with only the shortened half of the rep
Many of these studies show that only using the lengthened portion produces more growth than even the full range of motion!² Not all are conclusive, but the lengthened portion is always superior to the shortened portion! Therefore, theoretically, it would make sense to try and maximize this lengthened portion.
Partial Range Of Motion On Bench Press (Top Half)
On the other end of the spectrum, concentrating the second half of the range of motion on the bench press could be beneficial. The bench press' biomechanics generally follow an ascending path, meaning the lift feels hardest at the bottom and hardest at the top.
This means you will never truly be able to optimize your lockout unless you use a partial range of motion, as you'll get stuck on the bottom half. Therefore, training the second half can allow you to load the muscles more at the movement's top. This not only allows you to optimize your strength at this portion, but it allows you to load all the muscles and joints with heavier loads.
In addition, training the top half of the bench press can target the triceps to a greater degree. During this part of the movement, the triceps take over as the primary mover to lock out the arms.
Benefits Of Using Increased Range Of Motion For The Bench Press
While most people talk about using a partial range of motion with exercise movements, another technique is to increase the range of motion. To do this with the bench press, you really have two options:
- Use dumbbells
- Use Buffalo bar or other cambered bar
A cambered bar is basically a bar that is curved in the middle, letting the collars hang low. A safety squat bar is a type of cambered bar and is likely the best-known and most common, but you really can't bench press with these due to the handles. However, that gives you an idea of what it is.
Therefore, a buffalo or cambered bar will be your best bet if your gym has one. When you use one of the mentioned bars, you can increase the range of motion because the bar curves in the middle. As a result, your elbows must drop farther to get it to your chest.
If not, you can always use dumbbells to get the same effect, as these allow a greater range of motion. However, realize you'll be able to use more weight with a barbell, meaning you'll get more stretch while pushing a bigger load, meaning more growth.
Most people assume that a greater range of motion is better because it's a longer distance, meaning more work. This is true. However, perhaps more importantly, this causes a greater stretch in the pec muscles. When your arms drop backward, creating shoulder extension, the pecs stretch to a longer position.
Remember what we spoke about above. Placing the muscle in a lengthened state for longer and with greater stretch should theoretically increase muscle growth. Using this greater range of motion will essentially increase the stretch. Theoretically, this means you could also use the cambered bar and the bottom half of the rep.
How To Use Different Bench Range Of Motion Techniques
Yep! You can use a decreased range of motion with the bench press to improve your pressing strength.
By decreasing the range of motion during your bench press, you can strategically divert the focus of the lift to the triceps or sticking points. Let's first discuss the triceps and lockout.
Decreased ROM To Improve Triceps Strength And Lock Out
Decreasing the range of motion to the top portion of the bench press can significantly increase your triceps pushing strength and lockout system. There are a couple of tactics you can use to do this.
Floor Press
The floor press is a variation of the bench press performed on the floor. The initial setup is exactly the same as being on the floor.
Once you unrack the barbell, you bring it down while keeping your elbows tucked. However, as you're on the floor, your arms can only come down so far. As you come down, bring the back of your arms down until they're flush with the floor. At this point, your elbows should be at a 90-degree angle with your forearms vertical.
Come down and stop for a second, then power the barbell back up until it is fully locked out.
Block Press
The block press is a movement that has you place a block on your chest to bring the barbell down. Now, most commercial gyms do not have proper blocks to use. Therefore, you could use other objects instead. For example, the neck protectors some people use while squatting could work. Other objects include:
- Hard foam block press bench press accessory from sites like Amazon
- Bring a thick towel from home and roll it tight
- A piece of actual wood, such as 2X4
You can really use anything. The only requirement is that it needs to be somewhat firm. Regardless, the block press offers a lot of variety, as you can place blocks at different heights depending on your needs.
Many people commonly use the block press to improve their lockout. They'll use a block that is at least high enough to decrease the range of motion by 50%—basically, your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. Some will even go higher to overload the triceps for the lockout.
Decreased Range Of Motion To Train Sticking Points
As mentioned, you can also use a decreased range of motion on the bench press to train sticking points. To do this, you'll use a block press again.
A sticking point of a lift is a part of the lift where you are personally weak. If you can just get the bar past this point, you can make the lift.
It's important to reiterate that everyone's sticking point is unique, so it can vary. That said, many people's sticking point is at about the halfway mark. To work on this, use a block and set it about an inch below your sticking point. From there, you perform the block press in the same manner as above.
Focus On The Lengthened Stretch With 1 ¼ Reps
If you don't have a cambered bar, you can still take advantage of the stretched portion using partial reps. This can go by many names, such as "pulse reps" or "1 ¼ reps". Regardless of what you call it, the methodology is the same.
To use this method, you would unrack the barbell and bring it down to your chest. From here, you press up but stop at or below the ½ way mark. You then bring the bar back down to your chest. From here, you could press the bar into complete lockout or repeat the process for the desired reps.
For example, you could bring it down and then repeat partial reps until failure occurs, at which point you need to lock out. We can't give you an exact protocol to follow as this is theoretical, but it makes sense and would be an interesting strategy to try.
Use Cambered Bar For A Heavy Stretch
As we discussed above, using a cambered bar with a full range of motion or something like 1 ¼ reps is another excellent option. You'll exaggerate the stretch. When doing this, you would use a similar rep scheme as you would with a straight bar. Nothing needs to change except ensuring you're using a full stretch at the bottom.
Using Range Of Motion With The Bench Press
The bench press will always play a pivotal role in the gym and use the full range of motion. However, past beliefs of using a full range of motion aren't longer etched in stone. As with any new method, this doesn't mean you randomly use a shorter range of motion or do it just because "you don't have to use full ROM."
Remember that a full range of motion is still crucial for your muscles and joints' overall strength and development. However, when used strategically, using a shorter range of motion or increasing your range of motion with your bench press could equate to more gains.
Must read: The Best Bench Press Program
References
- Wolf, Milo, et al. Lengthened Partial Repetitions Elicit Similar Muscular Adaptations as a Full Range of Motion during Resistance Training in Trained Individuals. 23 Sept. 2024, sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/455, https://doi.org/10.51224/srxiv.455.
- Pedrosa, Gustavo F., et al. “Partial Range of Motion Training Elicits Favorable Improvements in Muscular Adaptations When Carried out at Long Muscle Lengths.” European Journal of Sport Science, vol. 22, no. 8, 23 May 2021, pp. 1250–1260, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33977835/, https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2021.1927199.
Garett Reid
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