The sensation of the dumbbell bench press

Again, focusing on improving my DB bench press...

Previously my concentration has been all about extending the arms,
hence tricep involvement. Lately, I've been focusing on using the pecs
to bring the arms together after the halfway point of the lift. This
simple shift in focus seems to allow me to squeak out several more
presses than simply thinking of pushing the weights away from myself.

Where do you folks focus when doing DB benches? Are you aware of the
pecs tensing and bringing the arms together, or just the triceps
pushing the weights away?

This has been slow going for me as an old fart, but I'm finally
starting to increase the weights and number of reps in this lift. I've
always been aware of a disparity between tricep strength and pec
strength (as evidenced in skullcrusher weight vs. pec flye - weight).
Now that I seem to have trained the accessory muscles to manage DB
benches, I seem poised to finally make some gains.

(for reference, my 1RM on a nautilus bench press is about 250, with
Db's it's about 150)

Thanks for any ideas.

BLink

Brian Link <blink DeleteThis @visi.com> wrote:
> Again, focusing on improving my DB bench press...
>
> Previously my concentration has been all about extending the arms,
> hence tricep involvement. Lately, I've been focusing on using the pecs
> to bring the arms together after the halfway point of the lift. This
> simple shift in focus seems to allow me to squeak out several more
> presses than simply thinking of pushing the weights away from myself.
>
> Where do you folks focus when doing DB benches? Are you aware of the
> pecs tensing and bringing the arms together, or just the triceps
> pushing the weights away?
>

Never done a flat DB Press....Incline DB press...flat flies...