How to do a bench press to pump up your chest and not get killed

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Iya Zorina examines the execution technique and explains why you should not neglect safety.

Why do bench press

The bench press is one of the basic exercises for the muscles of the upper body. Regardless of gender, you should definitely include it in your strength training because it:

• Helps Build Pectoral Muscles … The bench press loads them better than all other exercises, including data and machine presses, dumbbell set-ups, and bar dips.
• Pumps up your hands … The bench press also works great for the triceps - the muscles on the back of the shoulder - and the front delts that cover the front of the shoulder joint.
• Involves many other muscles … In addition to the main ones, the middle deltas, latissimus dorsi and biceps are also included in the work. The bench press will strengthen the entire upper body and train the muscles to move in a coordinated manner.
• Strengthens bones … Like other strength exercises, the bench press helps to strengthen bones and is even used to treat osteoporosis.
• Doesn't require a long learning curve … You don't need much flexibility or a sense of balance to do the bench press. The exercise is simple and functional, so any beginner can do it right if he can remember the main points of the technique.
• Has different variations … By changing the slope of the bench and the width of the grip, you can shift the focus to specific muscle groups and harmoniously pump your chest and arms.

How to do the bench press correctly

In the bench press, everything is important, from the position of the body on the bench to breathing and placing the legs. We will take turns examining all the important aspects that will make the movement as efficient and safe as possible.

How to set the bar to a suitable height

Lie on a bench and stretch your arms up. The bar should be approximately at the level of your wrist. Try removing the barbell from the racks. If you have to squeeze it up after picking it up, place the bar higher. If you have to pull your shoulders up, lower it.

How to get in the correct position on the bench

Lie on a bench and move so that the bar is at eye level. Lower and flatten your shoulder blades, as if you want to squeeze a pencil between them.

Bend in your chest and bring your chest up as high as you can (this position is called a bridge). Make sure that the shoulder blades come off the bench, and the upper part of the trapezoid remains pressed. Then find a comfortable position for your feet on the floor.

With a power press, the athlete's task is to include as many muscle groups as possible in the work. Therefore, it is recommended to get your legs as close to your shoulders as possible, but in such a way as to prevent the pelvis from separating from the bench and feet from the floor. This will help to make a powerful push, thereby giving the projectile momentum at the start, and increase the bridge.

Experiment with the distance of the feet and the angle of their turn to the sides. Further in the process of training, you can regulate it, achieving the most advantageous position.

Lift your buttocks off the bench to create a nice bridge, and then lower them back down - this is one of your fulcrum points in this exercise.

There is also an embodiment in which the buttocks come off the bench. This technique requires mastering, but it allows you to squeeze out more.

Evgeny Pronin

If your goal is to increase strength, focus on your legs and upper back. The buttocks only touch the bench, but are not pressed against it. This will allow the legs to work, as well as more efficiently use the latissimus dorsi.

How to remove the barbell

Hold the bar so that it rests on the base of your thumb. This will make it easier to keep your wrists from twisting unnecessarily.

Keeping a firm, arched back, remove the bar from the racks and move it to a position just above the shoulders. Seen from the side, your arms should be perpendicular to the bench. Straighten and lock your elbows.

For lifting a heavy barbell, an assistant can be used to support the bar up to the starting position over the shoulders.

Evgeny Pronin

Lifting large weights on your own can lead to shoulder injury. So feel free to ask for help.

How to do the movement

Take a deep breath and hold your breath. Lower the barbell and touch the middle of your chest with it. At the lowest point, your forearms should be upright. If they are tilted, change the grip width.

The shoulders should be at a 75 ° angle to the body. If you spread your elbows wide, you can injure your shoulders, if you press them against your body, you reduce the effectiveness of the movement.

Pushing the floor with your feet and straining your buttocks, squeeze the barbell to its original position - just above your shoulders. If you trace the amplitude of the projectile, it turns out that it goes in a small arc from the middle of the chest to the shoulders.

If you squeeze the bar straight up vertically, at the top point it will not be above the shoulders, but in front. This will increase the leverage to the shoulders, tire them out and prevent you from giving your best.

To maintain the correct body position, use one piece of advice: imagine that you are not pressing the bar, but pushing up from it. Push the body into the bench, while remembering to bring the shoulder blades together and maintain a deflection in the thoracic region. This mental trick will help keep your shoulders from stepping forward.

Before increasing the weight in this exercise, ask someone to video you from different angles and assess the position of the forearms and shoulders during the press, the placement of the bar at the start and the range of motion.

If you do the exercise technically and it is easy for you to do 8-10 times with the bar, you can increase the weight, but do it gradually.

How to warm up for heavy weights

Regardless of your fitness level, you need to warm up well before the bench press. To get started, do 1-2 sets of 5 times with a bar (20 kg). Then (depending on the final weight) throw in 5-20 kg and do the following warm-up approaches, gradually decreasing the number of times until you get to the working weight. Here are the warm-up options for the 100 and 50 kg bench press.

Working weight = 100 kg: 20 × 5, 20 × 5, 40 × 5, 60 × 3, 80 × 2, 90 × 1.

Working weight = 50 kg: 20 × 5, 30 × 3, 40 × 2, 45 × 1.

Don't neglect your warm-up even if you don't have time. Unlike the deadlift, in which you simply cannot lift the weight or (in the worst case) tear your back, the bench press with a heavy barbell can cripple or kill you.

How to keep yourself safe during the bench press

Falling a heavy barbell on your face, chest, or abdomen can cause serious injury, fracture ribs, internal bleeding and death. Therefore, when you go 95-100% of your 1RM, think about safety. Use one of two options:

1. Ask for insurance. If you go to the gym without a friend, ask the instructor or one of the regulars. Just make sure the person has done this before and will not count crows while you are doing the exercise.
2. Do bench press in a power rack. Place a bench under it and place the safety stops just above your body line when you are in a horizontal position. As you feed your chest up at the start, it will rise above the rests so you can press to full range. At the same time, dropping the barbell will not break your ribs.

How to change the bench press to fit your needs

There are several types of bench press that will allow you to shift the load on different muscles. Focus on your goals.

If you want to better load the upper chest

The pectoral muscle consists of two bundles: upper and lower. In the classic flat bench press, more load is transferred to the lower beam. If you want to shift the load to the top to evenly pump your entire chest, try the incline bench press.

Set the bench at 45 ° and perform the exercise, observing all the technical points for the bench press.

Be careful with your weight: while the working angle is unfamiliar, take 20% less than usual.

If you are going to pump triceps

Grip the bar with a narrow grip to shift the load on your shoulder muscles. Do not join your hands together, place them on the palm of your usual grip.

In addition to the additional load on the triceps, this option puts a little less stress on the shoulders. So if you have shoulder problems, a narrow grip can help.

If you want to overcome the plateau

If the weight on the barbell press stays in place, try changing free weights and doing the dumbbell exercise. This press pumps the chest muscles as efficiently as the barbell version, and the unusual movement can provide the necessary incentive for further growth.

Don't be guided by your barbell working weights: your shoulders will have to work to stabilize your position, which means choosing a much lighter weight. And be careful when taking the starting position so as not to injure your shoulders.

In the video below, Jeff Cavaliere shows you how to do this as safely as possible.

In addition, to increase the weights in the bench press, it will not be superfluous to work out the auxiliary muscles.

Evgeny Pronin

For the development of the bench, it is useful to train the lats and stabilizer muscles: biceps, middle and rear deltas.

Find the most effective biceps, back and shoulder exercises in our articles.

How to incorporate the bench press into your workouts

Do the bench press 1-2 times a week depending on your training schedule. Make sure that at least 48-72 hours pass between the two presses (during this time the muscles will have time to recover).

If your goal is muscle growth, do 3-5 sets of 6-12 reps. If strength is a priority, work with heavy sets 3-5 times. They provide the fastest gains in strength.

Keep in mind that the bench press is a heavy exercise that can tire the nervous system a lot. Therefore, if your main goal is to pump your chest or increase working weights, do the bench press first, right after warm-up.

If you turned on the bench press on the day of your triceps workout, it is better to start with other exercises, since the nervous system tired during the bench will not allow you to give all your best during the rest of the workout.