chest form

i have a Q .. i've noticed people in the gym not going all the way down with there bench presss ... they'll go down till afew inchs off there chest then back up ... i normally go down till the bar touchs my chest ... i've tried this and found that i can do more weight at higher reps doing what i think of as cheating ? does going down all the way put more of a strain on your tri's thus lifting heavier is made harder ? and not going down all the way .. thus taking the weight off the tris allow you to lift more ??? any input ? should i go heavier and stop afew inchs above my chest ? or bring it all the way down ?

bump ... come on everyone fucking works out there chest :) someone give me your thoughts :)

I go down all the way until the bar touches my chest. This gives your chest the max. strech. Now if you are not controlling the weight and bouncing it off your chest, this would be cheating and a good way to get hurt.

Depends on your arm length and size of your chest.

Have someone watch you with an unloaded bar. Lower the bar and have them tell you when your upper arms are parallel to the floor. If you go too low it can tax your shoulders and rotator cuffs. Your forearms should not bow in either - they should be perpendicular...

thx for the replys ... that makes sence ... i do feel my shoulders getting involved .. perhaps im going past parellel thx for the advice warrior ... i'll make sure to check next time i do chest