Most lifters are obsessed with the flat barbell bench press. Every dude wants to boast of his bench press poundage and therefore will often try to lift beyond his ability.

The most common low-grade injuries include elbow issues from locking out and rotator issues from over-stretching at the bottom. Powerlifters are notorious for pec tears, and I admit to suffering a partial tear in 2010 on my second rep with 500 pounds. Dumb, I know.

Preventing the elbow issue can be relatively easy – stop short of locking out on all pressing movements. A locked-out elbow joint takes a large proportion of the tension off the pecs. Tension is something you want if hypertrophy is the goal, even if it forces you to decrease the weight.

In regards to avoiding shoulder issues, and the worst case injury, a pec tear, I found the floor press to be an excellent alternative. It prevents over-stretching at the shoulder joint and eliminates an excessively stretched pec tendon at the transition point from eccentric to concentric, thereby eliminating much of the danger-zone for pec tears.