Today's article will be about the bench press, and how to do it correctly. As an individual who has been into fitness for nearly 50 years, and has 2 separate certifications, I see a lot of people in the gym that aren't using proper form on any exercise, and I don't feel like it's my place to go over and tell someone that they are doing it wrong.
The bench press is the granddaddy of all exercises. If you've ever done it before then you can relate to this. When we were young and just starting out into weight training, we had no idea what we were doing, but we enjoyed doing it. Remember when our parents bought us our first set of weights, and bench. The old plastic weights with a cement middle. I was 8 years old when my parents bought mine, and I was elated.
I guess it's just a natural reaction, because I had no idea how to bench press, but common sense (which I had none at that age) told me that you lie down on the bench and lower the bar down to your chest, and try to push it back up. I believe we all thought that at an early age.
I can remember as a scrawny 14 year old weighing in at a robust buck fifteen (lol), I was able to press 125 pounds, which I thought at the time was pretty good, and even bragged about it to my friends. (If you can press your body weight in pounds, then you are doing pretty good)
As I continued to practice on the bench, I actually gained some strength even though I still had no idea what I was doing. I ate an insane amount of food in my younger years, which is an absolute must when building muscle. Unfortunately for me, I didn't know that you were supposed to train every body part for maximum results. (It's impossible to spot train)
As I got older and stronger, I started having bench press contests with my friends, and even though I was the smallest, I NEVER lost.
In 1991 I really started focusing more on full body workouts. I did back in the 80's also, but wanted to learn as much as possible and really started to buckle down.
I bought many muscle and fitness magazines and read them from cover to cover. Even watched all of the fitness shows back in the day. You may remember some of them: Kiana's flex appeal, Body Shaping, Total Lee fit with Lee Haney, and Flex magazine workout with Shawn Ray, and Boyer Coe.
There are 4 muscles in the chest, and they are the Pectoralis Major, Pectoralis Minor, and the Serratus Anterior, and the Subclavius.
1) Pectoralis Major - Extends across the upper part of the chest and is attached to a ridge at the rear of the Humerus (bone of the upper arm). Its major actions are adduction, or depression, of the arm. (Largest muscle in the chest)
2) Pectoralis Minor - Triangular in shape and is located under the Pectoralis Major, and both form the anterior wall of the axilla. It originates from the margins of the third to the fifth ribs adjacent to the costochondral junction. Primary function includes the stabilization, depression, abduction or protraction, internal rotation and downward rotation of the Scapula (Shoulder Blade)
3) Serratus Anterior - Fan shaped muscle that originates on the superolateral surfaces of the first to the eighth or ninth ribs at the lateral wall of the thorax and inserts along the superior angle, medial border, and inferior angle of the Scapula. The Serratus Anterior pulls the Scapula forward around the thorax, which allows for anteversion and protraction of the arm.
4) Subclavius - Triangular muscle attached to the first rib and clavicle (collar bone). It lies directly below the collarbone and draws it forward and downward, providing stability during shoulder and arm movements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Note: The chest muscles are comprised of 60% fast twitch, and 40% slow twitch muscle fibers. Therefore to target the fast twitch muscle fibers you should train between 60%-80% of your 1 rep max for sets 6-12, 3/5 workouts.
Now for the science of the bench press:
You will want to get into a set routine that you do each and every time you lie down on the bench. Consistency is key. I'm going to break it down step by step as to how to perform a press the proper way.
1) Make sure whatever weight you are using, that the plates are on the bar properly, and locked down so they don't slide. (Safety First)
2) If you are going heavy, always make sure that you have a spotter.
3) Now you're ready to get under the bar: Lie down on the bench, with your eyes directly under the bar.
4) Your body should be tight on the bench
5) Feet planted firmly on the floor in front of you, and not behind you because that's more for powerlifters. When extending back to the top of the movement, you will want to push through the heels of your feet for added strength, and power.
6) retract your scapula. (pinch your shoulder blades together as if your trying to hold a grape between them)
7) Chest out, and Elbows at about 30%. What this means is that you don't want your elbows to flare out too far because this puts too much stress on your front Deltoids, and by pushing your elbows close to your body, you are activating more of the triceps. Try to find a happy medium, and work on your consistency, and after a while you will be able to master the art of the bench press.
8) Slight arch in the back (You should be able to slide your hand between the bench, and your lower back.)
9) Gripping the bar. This is all personal preference. When gripping the bar for a normal press, you will want to first grip the bar about shoulder width apart. You will see smooth spots on the bar, and should strive to grip somewhere in that area. Closer grip will engage the triceps which are a secondary muscle group, to help you push the weight. If you should strive for a wider grip, beyond shoulder width, you are targeting the outer portion of the chest, and now putting some emphasis on the Anterior Deltoid (Front part of the shoulder) as a secondary muscle.
Note: I don't recommend this, but when I bench press, I like to put my thumb under the bar so it's just sitting on my hand. By doing this, unless you're experienced with the grip, it can potentially slide off of your hands. For me, I'm just more comfortable with the under hand grip and feel like I can generate more power. Whichever grip you decide to use, grip the bar tightly with the bar resting more on your palms, with your knuckles face up so the brunt of the weight is sitting on your palms and not as much on your wrists.
{Equipment}: Even though I'm an advanced lifter, I usually use big wrist straps in order to take some of the pressure off of my wrist ligaments. It's Ok to use equipment for safety because I can promise that if you lift for any length of time, that you're going to tweak, or hurt something. It goes with the territory. Just listen to your body and don't over do it . If your body is telling you that it needs rest, then do it. Rest and recovery is when you get muscle growth.
10) Now you're ready to lift off. (lol) You're safely on the bench, with your body tight, Chest out, and Scapula Retracted, and Feet firmly planted on the floor. Lift the bar off of the handles, and when lowering to the chest, you always want to breathe in. Take the bar down to your chest, around the nipple area, or slightly lower without touching the chest, in a slow controlled manner, and then exhale on the way back up. When the bar is near the top, DO NOT LOCK OUT! I know, you've always been taught full range of motion, but in this case, you want to come about 4/5 of the way up. The reason for this is because by locking out, albeit for a split second, you are taking tension off of the muscle, and putting all the stress on your elbows. And by only coming up about 4/5 of the way, you are keeping constant tension on the muscle, and that's what you want. It's all about fatiguing the muscle so you are forcing growth.
{Smith Machine}: If using a smith machine, everything is basically the same, except, you have to align the bar with the area of the chest because it is locked into place so you can lift in a straight path. If someone tells you that's the sissy way to lift, tell them to kick rocks, because you can still gain strength by using this machine. You're just taking out all of your body's stabilizer muscles because you don't have to worry about balance. The bar is on a track, and is great for beginners. I use it, and I'm comfortable in doing so.
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{Note}:
1) Straight Bars generally weighs 45 pounds
2) Heavy Duty Squat Bars generally weigh 55 pounds
3) Smith Machine Straight Bars generally weigh about 25 pounds
=> This is all about {TUT}: Time Under Tension. The more stress you can put on any muscle/group the better growth you will have because you're tearing down the muscle fibers, and making them grow bigger and stronger. Like I always stress, there are (3) components to muscle gains, and they are, Nutrition, Weight Training, and Rest/Sleep. You need to be on point with all (3) for maximum gains.
{Personal Best}:
Back in 1993, while working out with friends at ISU in the basement inside the track, I hit a Personal best bench of 365 x 3, at about 193 pounds, which is pretty good, and I was young. (lol)
In 2015, while lifting @ Dedicated Health now, I was 50 years old, and weighed about 175-178 pounds, and hit a single for 300 pounds, which according to Google, is top 5% in the world. Maybe, Maybe Not!
{Quick Tip}:
The bench press is the granddaddy of all exercises when it pertains to the chest, but in my opinion, I believe that using Dumbbells is even better than the straight bar, because you can go below parallel with the movement which gives you a better stretch at the bottom. And you are working each pec individually by holding a pair of Dumbbells. I'm not suggesting that you never utilize the straight bar, because it's great for putting on mass, I just like Dumbbells slightly better.
Also by doing incline presses, you are targeting the upper pec area, or as we in the industry call the upper shelf. You only need about a 15% incline on the bench, because if you go too high, you are now getting the Shoulders/Deltoids involved, and that is a completely different muscle group. Decline presses work the same way. About a 15% decline is all you need to use for the lower part of the chest. We all have a lower chest, and don't really need to train it as much, but you should always try to hit it at least once per month. (Incline presses are much tougher, with Decline presses being much easier all due to the gravity of the movement)
When performing Chest movements (Push Day), I recommend doing it no more than twice per week, and rest in between so your muscles have a chance to recover and repair. Utilize Straight Bar Presses, Dumbbells, Cables and Machines on Chest day, which for some reason is always on Monday's. Keep a journal showing your progressions if need be, there's nothing wrong with that. And as you get stronger, that means that you are getting bigger. Always try to increase the amount of weight you are doing, even if you have to get someone to spot you. Leave the ego outside, and feel free to use the 2.5 pound plates if necessary. You don't have to jump up 20-30 pounds each session. This will lead to potentially tearing a pec, and you don't want that. All the weights are there for you to use at your convenience. Now at my age, I usually lift more with volume, than with low reps, heavy weights. Obviously I'm still going to get stronger, but as you age, it's much tougher to put on muscle if you're Natty, which I am. (7.4% Body Fat right now)
Science Says: that someone my age, can potentially pack on about 1/2-1 pound of muscle per year, without the aid of (PED's). Performance Enhancing Drugs! For maximum growth, you must vary your routines about every 4-6 weeks. Change up the reps, or the amount of weight, or even the order you complete each exercise. It's about Muscle Confusion. If you're doing the same things each and every time for long periods, your body will adapt, and your gains will become much slower, so always change up your routines, and intensity. Every once in a while, you must train to failure on a few sets, because it's extremely tough to put on muscle. Don't do this every time you step into the gym, because by doing so, you will attack your central nervous system, and your body will start to shut down. This is a marathon, and not a sprint, So take your time and do things the right way, and your body will respond, and you will achieve the results you want. Make it your permanent lifestyle. By looking and feeling better, this will carry over into the real world, because you will be much more confident in real life situations!
{FYI}: Natty Males can potentially pack on about 40 pounds of muscle in a lifetime, and a Natty Woman can potentially pack on about 20 pounds of muscle in a lifetime, according to Science. These numbers are top end, and not everyone can, or will achieve them.
I'm here to help anyone that wants to get in better shape. Contact me anytime!
#BiggerChest
(Hope This Helps! Good Luck)
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