Would you rather bench with the safety bars too high or too low?

[Fedorgasm]

My power rack has the holes for the safety bars approx 3" apart, which unfortunately means I can either set my safety bars slightly too high or slightly too low.

I've been benching with them set slightly too low, so I can touch the bar to my chest on every rep, but I've added enough weight to where it's really hard for me and I'm afraid failure is going to happen soon.

If the bar completely slips out of my hands, it will hit my chest and maybe break a few ribs, but it won't kill me, because the safety bars will catch it after it compresses my chest an inch, maybe inch and a half.

But, I know the bar slipping out of my hands is not very likely. What's more likely is that I just simply bring the bar to my chest and can't get it back up. But if I can move it down to my stomach area, it can land on the safety bars without hitting my stomach. It's safer, but still risky.

So I tried benching with the safety bars on the next setting toward the ceiling, and now every time I bring the bar down to my chest, it hits the safety bars, which is annoying, and it limits my range of motion, but it's very safe.

So if you were in this situation, what would you do?

edit: I should mention that this is a power rack in my home, not at the gym, so spotters are out of the question. The rack is against the wall so there's not even room for a spotter to stand.

 

[ben236]

The bar should be able to touch your chest without hitting the safeties. As long as you're able to roll of shame the bar onto the safeties, then I'd set it low.

 

[Tosa]

Use the higher setting, and put the bench down on some rubber gym mats, plywood, or something, so you can use a full ROM. You might need something for your feet too, depending on the height of your bench.

 

[48mpg]

is your chest/torso arched at all? if so, this should give you ~1+" of space

 

[Fedorgasm]

Use the higher setting, and put the bench down on some rubber gym mats, plywood, or something, so you can use a full ROM. You might need something for your feet too, depending on the height of your bench.

Didn't even think of that. Thanks.

is your chest/torso arched at all? if so, this should give you ~1+" of space

I do have an arch, but it seems to elevate my stomach but not really my chest. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

 

[Sgt Smith]

Find some videos of how to position your arch from some reputable strength athletes on youtube. OmarIsuf has one titled "How to Bench Press HEAVY ALONE Safely...And Not Die" that might help you out. Get a consistent arch and you may be able to use the higher setting successfully, but without seeing it would be difficult to say.

 

[spdrew2143]

I don't bench with the safety bars, using them teaches you that it's ok to fail a rep.

 

[spin]

Or that you value safety

 

[Rexdale]

What you describe as "too low" sounds perfect to me. You shouldn't have to worry about dropping the bar on yourself, I highly doubt that you are benching enough for that to be an issue. As you said, just gently lower it toward your stomach and you'll be fine.

 

[MuyThaiTom]

I don't bench with the safety bars, using them teaches you that it's ok to fail a rep.

I like this guy's style.

 

[Soma]

Dude, you're scared that you're going to fail soon. And all that may happen is you'll break a few ribs, haha. As if it's no biggie.

The risk is not worth the gain.

I'd set the bars for safety.

 

[FyrFytr998]

Use the higher setting, and put the bench down on some rubber gym mats, plywood, or something, so you can use a full ROM. You might need something for your feet too, depending on the height of your bench.

Perfect answer right there. Since it's your own home, I would just cut some plywood sheets wide enough and long enough for the whole bench process. Put it on the higher setting and have someone measure the distance between you chest and the bar resting on the safeties, and figure out how much to go up from there. A combo of 3/4 and/or 1/2 plywood should get you to where you want to be.

 

[aries]

My power rack has the holes for the safety bars approx 3" apart, which unfortunately means I can either set my safety bars slightly too high or slightly too low.

I've been benching with them set slightly too low, so I can touch the bar to my chest on every rep, but I've added enough weight to where it's really hard for me and I'm afraid failure is going to happen soon.

If the bar completely slips out of my hands, it will hit my chest and maybe break a few ribs, but it won't kill me, because the safety bars will catch it after it compresses my chest an inch, maybe inch and a half.

But, I know the bar slipping out of my hands is not very likely. What's more likely is that I just simply bring the bar to my chest and can't get it back up. But if I can move it down to my stomach area, it can land on the safety bars without hitting my stomach. It's safer, but still risky.

So I tried benching with the safety bars on the next setting toward the ceiling, and now every time I bring the bar down to my chest, it hits the safety bars, which is annoying, and it limits my range of motion, but it's very safe.

So if you were in this situation, what would you do?

edit: I should mention that this is a power rack in my home, not at the gym, so spotters are out of the question. The rack is against the wall so there's not even room for a spotter to stand.

I had this problem. I got around it by using chains as safeties. Much better adjustability. If they failed (unlikely as rated for 250kg) I still had the safeties and at worst a bruised sternum.

 

[Tosa]

Perfect answer right there. Since it's your own home, I would just cut some plywood sheets wide enough and long enough for the whole bench process. Put it on the higher setting and have someone measure the distance between you chest and the bar resting on the safeties, and figure out how much to go up from there. A combo of 3/4 and/or 1/2 plywood should get you to where you want to be.

Plywood would be simpler, but some rubber gym matting would be more versatile. It's not something most people think about when it comes to gym equipment, but I see it get a lot of use - deficit deadlifts, or for pulling off them, doing lunges on or off them, jacking up one end of a flat bench to make it a low incline bench, etc.