Actually getting into and HOLDING this position during that eccentric phase of the press isn't always easy. Once you unrack the bar, it's easy to lose that shoulder blade retraction (that's the technical term for pulling the shoulder blades together) unless you specifically know how to achieve that position.
As well, you may not have the kinesthetic (body) awareness to know when you're in the proper position in the first place!
So what I've got for you is a quick muscle activation drill to help you feel the EXACT position your shoulders need to be in when you begin your first rep of the press...and you're going to use GRAVITY to force your body into that position.
One key point to note is that it's fine and normal to lose that retracted position as you press back up...that's just the body mechanics working as they're supposed to work. Don't try and keep that retracted position as you press through to the top...that just changes the functioning of the shoulder blades.
When you start the next rep and begin lowering the bar, then you can work to get those shoulder blades retracted again to reset your body for the next rep.
How To Do This Shoulder Blade Retraction Drill
To do this one, I recommend using a bar set in the power rack (on the safety rails a few feet off the ground) or a flat bench (you can just set your hands on the bench surface). The Smith Machine bar will also work quite well here.
(Side Note: I have a couple plates on the bar, but you don't need to load it, if you've got it braced up against the uprights of the rack. I also rubber grip strips on the safety rails so the bar won't slide. I recommend you set the bar up against the uprights so the bar gets pushed up against them when you do the movement.)
Start by setting your hands on the bar at the exact spacing you'd use for a bench press. Get into the push-up position with your arms locked out, body stiff and straight.
Once you're in this position, notice where your shoulder blades are. When you get into the position, you'll naturally carry them in a protracted/forward position.
Now, keeping your arms locked out, drop your torso down towards the bar, letting gravity do the work. It should like you're trying to push your chest towards the bar. You should immediately feel your shoulder blades come together and your upper back muscles contract.
THAT is the position you want to be in when you're bench pressing. We're using gravity to teach your body the lession and the positional awareness to know what it actually feels like.
If you want to really see this demonstrated obviously, move your mouse on and off the picture...watch specifically on my upper back where the white stripe is.
This simple drill will teach you how to properly get your shoulders set for a bench press movement.
And to really bring the lesson home, once you've dropped into that retracted position, now do a push-up on the bar, KEEPING your shoulder blades retracted the entire time (even at the top, where the natural tendency is to push them forward to get your body as far from the bar as possible).
Once you master this shoulder retraction drill on the bar here, it's time to get UNDER the bar and try it out.
When you get set to press, I like to grip the bar, then do a small inverted row, pulling my back off the bench. Then get those shoulder blades back in and tight behind your body, remembering the feel of this shoulder drill you just finished.
This is a GREAT teaching technique that will help you increase your bench press strength and improve the stability in the shoulder joint during the movement pretty much INSTANTLY.
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