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I'm 6'5 and can't lay down properly on the step (and even when i do its really uncomfortable) for the chest track so I have to lay flat down on the floor, the only soreness I feel is in my arms that's it. Obviously on the floor I can't get my elbows down really far, of all the body pump classes I've done I'll felt no muscles other than my arms working.

Ehm, I am pretty sure you are not supposed to drop your elbows very far, no lower than your chest anyway (90 corner) but if you lay down flat on your back you are leaning on the floor with your elbows when you get to that point.

I understand 6'5 is very tall but why would you not be able to lay down on a bench? I'm pretty sure we have guys as tall as you in our gym and I've never seen them laying down on the floor for pump exercises like chest/ triceps?

For our participants that are blessed with some amazing height a good rule of thumb is to have them add more risers under their bench. We had a man around 6 foot three and we had him use three risers on each side. As long as your knees are higher than your hips, you'll be set! Give it a try and see if that helps!

 "When your body screams, tell it to shut up!" 

I too am wondering why you can't lie on a bench. Can you be more specific as to why it is uncomfortable?

What should make it more comfortable is adding more risers. Your height chiefly determines how many risers to use (e.g. I tend to only use 1 each side or I really have to work super hard to keep my lower back down on the bench.) So try three for starters. Maybe four if you need it ...

As for muslces, you should be feeling it in your chest, with probably a little in the shoulders though we try to limit that by pulling the shoulders down and away from the ears.

Elbows should not dip below the top of your bench.

Make sure you have the right target zones though. Elbows should be out, bar travels down to the chest (or nipple line.) Get your instructor to check for you, that's what they're paid for.

If you're doing it all well, though, and you're sitll not feeling it, time to add weight

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Free the body. The mind will follow.

Get two steps and place them together to make a longer step.

Sorted

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Make it happen

To answer your original question, you want to feel it in your pectoral muscles. Picture the muscle-boys on Venice Beach - they can independently flex their pecs (ew, gross!) but those are the muscles you are targeting. If you are feeling it in your shoulders or arms, then "walk" your shoulder blades down your back to take your ears further than your spine.

 Check also that you have your hands out to maximum width - which at your height I'm sure you do! All the way out, pinkies touching the inside of the plates.

 
Re: bench - if it doesn't work for you, skip it. Do it on the floor. In fact when I took my BodyPump training (back in 1999, they may have changed this) they actually taught us one chest track where we did it on the floor to ensure that our elbows were not dropping below the 90-degree angle. You can't drop down deeper than the floor, thus keeping your elbows at/above 90-degrees.

Good luck and stick with it!

 

I wouldn't recommend the chest track on the floor, simply because it's very inviting to let your arms rest on the floor - and the chest would no longer be working.

In a chest press, you should set up your position by keeping feet the width of the bench, butt down on the bench, abs engaged to pull the lower back to the bench, shoulder blades back and down - then slide them into the spine - as if you are pinching a pencil between them, and be sure the head is supported by the bench. Hands wide on the bar, so that arms make a 90-degree angle at the bottom, target should be your heart, and bring those elbows to the benchtop, but no lower. Push through the heel of your hand on the way up and try to focus on continuous movement - no stopping at the top or bottom (unless it is an isometric hold as in BP 66).  I also used to have a hard time engaging the chest - you really need to focus on the position of the shoulderblades - and keep tension there the entire track. Also, think about opening the chest on the way down and squeezing your chest as you press up.

Ditto what voluncheer said!! I couldn't have explained it any better myself!! Sounds like voluncheer just had some great coaching! Kia kaha!

The chest press is so simple to do, yet so hard to feel where you want to feel it.  I have two "visual" type cues I use that help from what I hear.  The first is to pretend as you bring the bar down that you are opening up your rib cage just like a book, and then as you press up, close the book.

The next cue is this:  when you are at the top of the chest press, pretend you have one of those great big stabilty balls underneath the bar.  Try hard to "squeeze" that ball as you come down!  You will definitely feel it in those pecs if you do! 

 

Our master  trainer in JUne /08 is actually recommending chest track be done on the floor ,for those who haven't tried it Give it a whirl ,Its actually fabulous for targeting the pecs ,due to the elbows going no lower than the floor ,Its also in the manual as an option ,as anew BP instructor  Im not sure if it was offered as an option before

Id just increase my weight ,when I went to the floor off the bench I increased my weight by 1/3 due to the range being smaller but the work being done where it is supposed to be (chest and ribs) You'll find out there's muscles you diden't know you had anymore

Good Luck!!!!

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"You can only learn to fly if your brave enough to fall"

I can appreciate where the first guy is coming from. I am 6'4, (just started BP by the way), and the problem I get in the chest section is my shoulders (rotor cuff) seems to run out of gas and my pecs are not even warm. I would like to add more weight but my shoulders just gas out.

I am thinking eventually the shoulders will not be the weakest link and I can add more weight, either that or I need to restrict the motion and focus on squeezing the chest? 

Well, I'm 6'3" and don't have any problems feeling it!

 

Check the following:

1. Hands as wide as you can get them on the bar

2. Aim for your heart (HRM or bra strap line) and keep your elbows directly under your bar

3. As you bring the bar down feel your forearms pressing into your plates - this will ensure you're pulling your elbows out wide (think about pulling the pages of a book apart as you open it)