1st Rep

I have been working out seriously for about 1 year now, and have seen great progress. Recently, I have noticed that whenever I am doing bench work (using a Smith machine), whether it be flat, incline, or decline, I struggle with getting the weight all the way down to my chest on the first rep ONLY, and as a result I usually end up doing a crappy (3/4) first rep. It feels like my arms (particularly joints/elbows) are going to collapse if I go all the way down on the first rep. Once I complete my 'half-ass' first rep.. I have no problems and can complete all the remaining reps with a full range of motion! I seem to feel this way on the first rep of my warm-up set all the way through my heavy sets..

I have recently been experimenting with my grip of the bar, and have noticed some improvement with a wide grip, but still feel some of the initial discomfort on the first rep. I feel no pain in my elbow/joints after the workout.. just the normal burn in my chest from a good workout! I do NOT want to end up hurting myself.

Do others experience trouble on the first rep? Could this be remedied by a better stretching/warmup routine? ..or is there something in my form?

I do NOT seem to have this discomfort when NOT using a Smith machine, but also do NOT usually go as heavy as I do with the Smith machine.

It's not your elbows you've got to worry about, but your shoulders. You can inflame an elbow tendon in benching, but that's kid stuff compared to tearing a rotator cuff.

I don't believe I've ever felt a burn in my chest from a benching workout. In fact, I'm hard-pressed to think of any occasion where I've felt a burn in my chest.

Here, I think this is the most relevant question to ask: to what spot on your chest do you lower the bar?

Where does the bar touch on your chest; near collar bone or near abs?

Bringing the bar too high with poor shoulder/chest flexibility seems like the problem to me.

Do some light chest and shoulder stretches and light warm up sets before work sets. This applies to any chest workout.

The best solution is to quit using the smith machine. Bench press in a cage for safety or borrow a spotter. The smith machine is hard on the shoulders and knees due to it's fixed path. It'll get you sooner or later.

Jeff out ...