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Bending the elbow stretches the ulnar nerve and puts pressure on it as it passes through the cubital tunnel, pressing it against the bone.
So basically all over the body there are potential sites of entrapment for the nerves. There is one for the radial nerve in the wrist I believe as well as one near the femoral sheath (in the leg) and tons more other places that I really don't want to list. Now it is not a serious problem until you either have constant numbness, pain, or some type of deformity. There are several deformity of the hands that can occur due to nerve damage. If you see the last 2 fingers of your hand beginning to bend slightly and stay fixed in that position, then there could be a problem. Don't let it get to that point. If you have continuous numbness or pain, get it checked out. Once it gets to the point of deformity, nerve damage has already occured. I am thinking that the way you do your bench press is putting added tension on to the ulnar nerve and possible slightly damaging it (this is a guess, not medical advice). Now it may be your technique that you have changed or it could be a growing muscle that is altering the path enough of the nerve so that it may compress against the bone. Either way, just watch it, and if it gets any worse, consult a physician.