Starting Position
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Lie down on a bench with your knees bent and feet flat on the bench.
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Distance between your heels and butt is ~ 6″.
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Arms extended directly above the chest.
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Weights are facing each other with the palms down.
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Lower back has a natural curve, relax your abdominals and do not flatten your back to the bench.
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3-5 degrees of bend in the elbow to provide shock absorption.
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Hands are slightly inside the elbows, 80 degree bend at the elbow to maximally engage the triceps.
Movement
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With the weights extended above the chest retract the shoulder blades down and together. This will move the weights apart 6″-1′.
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Slowly lower the weights down until the elbows are even with the body, a 90 degree angle with the shoulder, wrist and elbow. Any lower will put excessive stress on the front of the shoulder joint.
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The upper arm is held slightly below shoulder height, at 65-80 degrees of abduction.
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Hold the position on the bottom for 1-2 seconds before pushing the weights straight up.
Resistance Machine Notes
I purposely did not show this exercise on a resistance machine. Being of smaller stature I was not able to set the machine to fit my body at the correct angles to execute this exercise in good posture. If you do use a resistance machine for the chest press please follow these set-up guidelines and perform the exercise as described above.
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Make sure your upper arm is slightly below your shoulders. You may need to adjust the seat height to attain the correct angle.
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The angle between the elbow joint and the hand should be 80 degrees. Most machines have multiple grips that can be used.
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Sit with the lower body at a 90 degree angle from the ankle through the knee to the hip.
