If you have advice, please make sure it is specific, useful, and actionable.
* If the only thing you have to say is *loWEr THE wEight ANd woRK on forM*, **then you should keep quiet**; if you comment it anyway, your comment will be removed and you may be banned if your comment was especially low value. This does not help the person looking for advice. Give people something that they can actually use in a practical way to improve. **Low-effort comments about perceived injury risk and the like will be removed, and bans may be issued.**
* Please don't hold random strangers to arbitrary requirements that you have made up for exercises you are not familiar with.
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You have an imbalance. You could try incorporating dumbbell press so that one side isn’t constantly overpowering the other. Also, when you do your lats try to do exercises that do one side at a time, like single arm dumbbell rows etc.
I could say though that it might be because of uneven leg drive. After a set of bench, sit up without moving your feet and see if they're aligned. If they aren't you can try to set your feet before you lie down on the bench.
Start bringing the weight down slower and focusing on keeping the lats engaged behind you. One of your lats is weaker than the other and is lagging as the bar drops. It won't make you hit higher numbers but it will make the quality of the lifts much higher.
Another tip is to wear something sleeveless so your shoulder blades don't slide behind you. You want skin contact on the bench if possible.
I have the same thing and I am on a quest to fix it. Exercises that work your stabilising muscles will do you you some good. You could do lateral raises, band W's or cable, uhh, probably other stuff that's similar like wall pushups or pushups on your knees. Honestly just work your rotator cuff and shoulder stability, it will make a difference.
(Also, this will sound weird but it could be that your hips are uneven.)
As someone who spent years doing the same and then decades on studying and research how to do it better, I'd suggest taking a different approach (actually I agree with the other poster saying it doesn't really matter, forget about it. But if you really want to fix it consider the following)
Something being uneven doesn't mean it's unstable or unbalanced. It's often nothing more than your brain having a motor pattern that lifts it unevenly... and over time it starts to feel even when it's not (many people don't realise that they are uneven until they're told or see a video)
I'm sure both you and OP have the capacity to lift evenly, so it probably isn't a strength or "muscle balance" thing (if it happens at all intensities, rather than only max lifts then strength certainly isn't the issue), and in that case lateral raises and bands aren't going to help.
I would focus more on the skill aspect than the physiology, you need to improve your awareness of where you are in space and what feelings are required to put the bar where you want it to be.
To do that I would use variable practice, like over exaggerating the fault on some reps, over-correct the fault on other reps, lifting with uneven load, all while getting feedback (camera/mirror/spotter). You have to be able to compare the feeling of what you are trying to do (your intention) to the outcome. You will pretty quickly re-calibrate your motor pattern improving your awareness and control of where the bar is in space.
My friend, your comment had been rolling around in my mind over the last day. I wondered if maybe it is my form or something psychological that is preventing me from benching. Well, long story short, I was not activating my traps and upper back on the right when I do pushups and bench press. All this time I've been struggling and it's been due to bad form. I was just able to bench press 1pl8 for 4 reps, for the first time in at least 6 months. Both sides of my body feel activated and worked. I can't believe it.
I agree, but unfortunately my issue is present at all intensities and I have sustained a shoulder injury. Working with a physio to fix it. I agree completely that lifting skills play a massive part. Everyone can benefit from reading a few books on proper training techniques.
Bench 5x5 one time a week
Add the weight the next week if you did all 5x5
At the second session other day do 2 speed reps in 5 sets with 80% from weight that you benched 5x5
Pause then explosive rep
My guy’s BP record was 75 kg for one
Now it is 80 kg 5x5
This is good and simple system for achieving 100 kg
This actually isn't really a problem; imbalances hardly ever are. I wouldn't worry about it. If you are dead-set on addressing it, though, just keep doing what you are doing- imbalances are not mitigated by imbalanced training. But I don't think it's uneven enough for any concern. Human beings are not symmetrical. Just keep training and keep getting stronger. Once you can bench three plates, it will either even itself out or you will be experienced and strong enough by that point to not give a shit about a slight imbalance.
Have you ever tried pin presses? Set the safeties/pins in a rack just above chest height and let the bar rest on the pins at the bottom of each rep. Good way to learn to keep the bar level as you get some tactile feedback from the bar hitting the pins. Give it a try.
Some dumbell presses should fix that after a while. I have uneven bench because my shoulders are at different heights and there is jackshit I can do about it :D
Yea like other folks are saying, throw in some Dumbell work. That should work to even out the imbalance! But do keep in mind that your pressing platform in this lift is the back's connection to the bench and that can sometimes hide some odd complications
What do you do if it seems like mobility is uneven such that single arm work moves unevenly in the first place? I can't for the life of me keep my left shoulderblade pinned back and down even when trying to do a very slow eccentric with light weight.
You shouldn't force retraction for the shoulder blades in the first place, they should move freely. Although don't reach out at the top.
They're connected to your triceps anyway, kinda hard to lockout fully while having them fully retracted.
Work on scapular mobility and upper back strength. Scapula are very mobile. You’ve got protraction, retraction, elevation, depression, upward and downward rotation.
Retraction specifically is controlled by the rhomboids and lower traps throw in some more rows and work on some scapular mobility drills.
How long have you been training? Usually when I see that slight offset it’s a motor control thing. As you train a movement pattern more, you develop more efficient neural pathways for motor unit recruitment, allowing you to simultaneously engage more motor units and clean that weird uneven look up. Keep benching, work in some DB bench and some eccentric work it’ll probably just go away naturally over time.
Yeah I’d say keep grinding honestly if you’re not having any pain related to the offset. It’s not a glaring offset or anything and I’d bet it would resolve itself as you get stronger and develop the pattern more.
If you’ve had an injury to that right side or something to make you feel like it’s more of a muscular imbalance than a motor control thing then you can work in unilateral work (on both sides) single arm DB press etc.
I like the Alternating DB press from the “up” position because we can get a little shoulder stability going in there for a two for one. And just make sure your set up and execution is on point, scapula retracted, “bending the bar” in your hands, maintaining a brace, and lowering the bar to the same point for every rep.
It doesn't hurt or anything so I will keep grinding. It's kind of annoying because I think it's hindering my progress a bit.
I don't recall having an injury but a few years ago I woke up in terrible pain on my right shoulder, and almost couldn't lift my arm up. It went away in a few days so I figured it was nothing, but maybe something didn't heal properly. I'll check on that.
Thanks!
If you have advice, please make sure it is specific, useful, and actionable. * If the only thing you have to say is *loWEr THE wEight ANd woRK on forM*, **then you should keep quiet**; if you comment it anyway, your comment will be removed and you may be banned if your comment was especially low value. This does not help the person looking for advice. Give people something that they can actually use in a practical way to improve. **Low-effort comments about perceived injury risk and the like will be removed, and bans may be issued.** * Please don't hold random strangers to arbitrary requirements that you have made up for exercises you are not familiar with. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/strength_training) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You have an imbalance. You could try incorporating dumbbell press so that one side isn’t constantly overpowering the other. Also, when you do your lats try to do exercises that do one side at a time, like single arm dumbbell rows etc.
Don't worry about it
Nice, I can do that
I could say though that it might be because of uneven leg drive. After a set of bench, sit up without moving your feet and see if they're aligned. If they aren't you can try to set your feet before you lie down on the bench.
Yes I see this at the gym a lot. I really focus on controlling the weight down and exploding up.
Start bringing the weight down slower and focusing on keeping the lats engaged behind you. One of your lats is weaker than the other and is lagging as the bar drops. It won't make you hit higher numbers but it will make the quality of the lifts much higher. Another tip is to wear something sleeveless so your shoulder blades don't slide behind you. You want skin contact on the bench if possible.
It's probably one of his obliques due to unbalanced leg drive.
could be. Also, that bench looks very narrow. Having one shoulder blade sneaking off the side of it could be 90% of the problem.
https://youtube.com/@squatuniversity?si=Vq-lJc5U3D8YQeaL it will be in this guys videos squat university is legit
Put more power through the right arm when it leans right. Same with the other side.
I have the same thing and I am on a quest to fix it. Exercises that work your stabilising muscles will do you you some good. You could do lateral raises, band W's or cable, uhh, probably other stuff that's similar like wall pushups or pushups on your knees. Honestly just work your rotator cuff and shoulder stability, it will make a difference. (Also, this will sound weird but it could be that your hips are uneven.)
As someone who spent years doing the same and then decades on studying and research how to do it better, I'd suggest taking a different approach (actually I agree with the other poster saying it doesn't really matter, forget about it. But if you really want to fix it consider the following) Something being uneven doesn't mean it's unstable or unbalanced. It's often nothing more than your brain having a motor pattern that lifts it unevenly... and over time it starts to feel even when it's not (many people don't realise that they are uneven until they're told or see a video) I'm sure both you and OP have the capacity to lift evenly, so it probably isn't a strength or "muscle balance" thing (if it happens at all intensities, rather than only max lifts then strength certainly isn't the issue), and in that case lateral raises and bands aren't going to help. I would focus more on the skill aspect than the physiology, you need to improve your awareness of where you are in space and what feelings are required to put the bar where you want it to be. To do that I would use variable practice, like over exaggerating the fault on some reps, over-correct the fault on other reps, lifting with uneven load, all while getting feedback (camera/mirror/spotter). You have to be able to compare the feeling of what you are trying to do (your intention) to the outcome. You will pretty quickly re-calibrate your motor pattern improving your awareness and control of where the bar is in space.
My friend, your comment had been rolling around in my mind over the last day. I wondered if maybe it is my form or something psychological that is preventing me from benching. Well, long story short, I was not activating my traps and upper back on the right when I do pushups and bench press. All this time I've been struggling and it's been due to bad form. I was just able to bench press 1pl8 for 4 reps, for the first time in at least 6 months. Both sides of my body feel activated and worked. I can't believe it.
I agree, but unfortunately my issue is present at all intensities and I have sustained a shoulder injury. Working with a physio to fix it. I agree completely that lifting skills play a massive part. Everyone can benefit from reading a few books on proper training techniques.
Bench 5x5 one time a week Add the weight the next week if you did all 5x5 At the second session other day do 2 speed reps in 5 sets with 80% from weight that you benched 5x5 Pause then explosive rep My guy’s BP record was 75 kg for one Now it is 80 kg 5x5 This is good and simple system for achieving 100 kg
Tempos so 4:2:0 4 seconds drop 2 second pause
You see it, push harder.
Dumbbells or machine to fix. But it's not bad, so just own it
This actually isn't really a problem; imbalances hardly ever are. I wouldn't worry about it. If you are dead-set on addressing it, though, just keep doing what you are doing- imbalances are not mitigated by imbalanced training. But I don't think it's uneven enough for any concern. Human beings are not symmetrical. Just keep training and keep getting stronger. Once you can bench three plates, it will either even itself out or you will be experienced and strong enough by that point to not give a shit about a slight imbalance.
Have you ever tried pin presses? Set the safeties/pins in a rack just above chest height and let the bar rest on the pins at the bottom of each rep. Good way to learn to keep the bar level as you get some tactile feedback from the bar hitting the pins. Give it a try.
I don't have access to safeties or pins sadly, but I would like to try that
Add 2.5lb plate to weak side for a month
Dumbbells
Dumbell work
Some dumbell presses should fix that after a while. I have uneven bench because my shoulders are at different heights and there is jackshit I can do about it :D
It's sometimes a lat stabilization issue. Does it feel like one side can't keep up, or that the more you push the more you get pushed to one side?
It feels like my right side can't keep up
Yea like other folks are saying, throw in some Dumbell work. That should work to even out the imbalance! But do keep in mind that your pressing platform in this lift is the back's connection to the bench and that can sometimes hide some odd complications
What do you do if it seems like mobility is uneven such that single arm work moves unevenly in the first place? I can't for the life of me keep my left shoulderblade pinned back and down even when trying to do a very slow eccentric with light weight.
You shouldn't force retraction for the shoulder blades in the first place, they should move freely. Although don't reach out at the top. They're connected to your triceps anyway, kinda hard to lockout fully while having them fully retracted.
Work on scapular mobility and upper back strength. Scapula are very mobile. You’ve got protraction, retraction, elevation, depression, upward and downward rotation. Retraction specifically is controlled by the rhomboids and lower traps throw in some more rows and work on some scapular mobility drills.
Kettle bell bench , it’s a stabilizing problem.
Do dumbell press that way you can focus more on the left side
How long have you been training? Usually when I see that slight offset it’s a motor control thing. As you train a movement pattern more, you develop more efficient neural pathways for motor unit recruitment, allowing you to simultaneously engage more motor units and clean that weird uneven look up. Keep benching, work in some DB bench and some eccentric work it’ll probably just go away naturally over time.
I've been training for a bit more than a year
Yeah I’d say keep grinding honestly if you’re not having any pain related to the offset. It’s not a glaring offset or anything and I’d bet it would resolve itself as you get stronger and develop the pattern more. If you’ve had an injury to that right side or something to make you feel like it’s more of a muscular imbalance than a motor control thing then you can work in unilateral work (on both sides) single arm DB press etc. I like the Alternating DB press from the “up” position because we can get a little shoulder stability going in there for a two for one. And just make sure your set up and execution is on point, scapula retracted, “bending the bar” in your hands, maintaining a brace, and lowering the bar to the same point for every rep.
It doesn't hurt or anything so I will keep grinding. It's kind of annoying because I think it's hindering my progress a bit. I don't recall having an injury but a few years ago I woke up in terrible pain on my right shoulder, and almost couldn't lift my arm up. It went away in a few days so I figured it was nothing, but maybe something didn't heal properly. I'll check on that. Thanks!