Bench Presses

The barbell   bench  press, is the most commonly used and talked about exercise dealing with  weights . It was first used by bodybuilders and then used by powerlifters. Today, it is used predominantly by ego lifters that know very little about the exercise. Did you know the bench press causes rotator cuff problems? Did you know that it very easily creates an imbalance in the shoulders? You probably didn’t. There are, however, tricks you can do to minimize this and lift more weight.

I was watching a Dave Tate video the other day on YouTube and he brought up some great points. If you’re going to listen to someone that talks about bench presses, then there is no person better than someone from westside barbell. Afterall, a 600 lb bench press in that gym is no unusual!

The first thing you want to do is lay down. Next, you want to unrack an empty barbell and practice your movement. I’m sure, like most people, you are pushing that weight with your elbows flared out and very slowly, right? If so, you’re doing it wrong!

You need to first create a natural arch for your spine. You do this by bringing the feet closer to the torso. This arch allows a shorter range of motion and puts your spine in a better position. The next thing you want to do is tuck your elbows as closer to your sides as possible, which takes out a lot of stress on the anterior shoulder muscles and applies it the triceps.

After you do this, you want to bring the bar down to your chest and pause, if you bring it down too quickly you can damage your ribs. The bench press uses a stretch reflex that allows the muscle to contract harder at the bottom giving you a better assistance. The next thing you want to remember, is when you’re actually driving the weight up do not imagine yourself pushing the weight. Instead, imagine yourself pushing yourself back into the mat.

The use of accessory exercises for your bench press will increase the amount of work you are capable of doing, but if you include this accessory work too quickly it can stall the progress on your bench press much sooner. Wait until you get to about a 1x your bodyweight bench press before you consider the use of accessory exercises. Until then, training your whole body with compound movements and eating enough food will keep your bench progression linear.

A reasonable goal is a 1.5x your bodyweight bench press. If you’re 180 lbs, then making your goal around 270-300 is ideal and strong for your bodyweight. Focus on developing that bench press, but remember to train your whole body and stretch your shoulders internal rotators to avoid the imbalance!

Check out best Adjustable Workout Bench

Marcy Adjustable Utility Bench – SB510Check PriceMarcy Utility BenchCheck PriceGoplus® Adjustable Folding Sit Up AB Incline Abs Bench Flat Fly Weight WorkoutCheck PriceMarcy Diamond Olympic BenchCheck PriceReebok Deluxe Utility Training BenchCheck PriceDeltech Fitness Two-In-One Flat to Incline BenchCheck PriceTKO Commercial FID Dumbbell BenchCheck Price