>>34706617Tricks for feeling the pecs work during the bench press:
#1 Do an activation drill before you do your bench pressing. This could be anything where you DO feel a good contraction in your pecs. I like the Sven press, but bear hugging yourself can also work. As can the Pec Dec machine.
The point is not to fatigue your chest muscle - only to feel them work. Somehow this helps activate them during the following exercises.
#2 Realize what the pecs actually do, anatomically speaking. The pectoralis major inserts on the humerus, meaning that it's only connected to your upper arm and thus only movement of the upper arm has any impact on pec contraction. Much like you focus on "pulling through your elbows" when doing back exercises, you should focus on moving your elbows from A to B, not your hands or the actual weight.
#3 As a continuation of the above, you can also squeeze your hands inwards toward eachother. Of course you grip barbell tightly so the hands don't actually move, but squeezing inwards will cause your pecs to contract harder, because the truth is that the bench press doesn't nearly take the pecs through their full ROM which continues across the body, just like when you do Cable Crossovers. Once again, while I'm telling you to squeeze your hands together, what's important is actually the movement of your upper arm - not your hands.
#4 Slow the fuck down. The faster you lift, the harder it is to feel the muscle working.
#5 Pause on your chest. Don't let the weight rest, but keep it paused 1 mm above your chest for a second before you press, while focusing on your pecs.
There are probably other things as well, but that's all I can think of at the moment.
Please note that this is NOT how you bench the most weight, but it is how you learn to feel your pecs.
Also, if pec hypertrophy is the #1 goal, then you must find an exercise that lets you feel them properly. Don't become emotionally attached to any one exercise. Bench press is great but not magic
