How to Bench Press

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Ever want to build up that chest of yours? What about those skinny arms? Bench pressing targets both of those areas and you will begin to see results pretty quickly as long as you give yourself ample rest in between your workout sessions. Aside from your pectoralis major, the bench press targets your anterior and medial deltoid and triceps.

Steps

Begin by lying flat on the bench, with your body in a natural and relaxed position. Make sure that you are not holding your shoulders in an awkward position. Be sure to have a natural spinal curve. You do not want to have your lower back completely flat on the bench, but you do not want to force it to curve too much either. Instead, opt for a comfortable and natural position. You should have your feet flat on the ground and your shoulders touching the bench.
- Do not lift on a "cushiony bench" if you are a heavy lifter. When the bar and plates weigh more than 200 pounds plus the weight of your upper body, your shoulders will disappear into the bench and cause neck strain. Most lifters do not lift heavy, so the benches are soft, however when covered with a furniture cover, these benches make nice seats to sit on between sets.
- Choose a bench that fits your shoulder width. A narrow bench is unstable and a wide bench prevents the upper arm from bending back.
Put your arms straight out to either side of you, and then bend your elbows, bringing your hands up to touch the bar. This is where you should position your hands. You can make your grip sightly wider to increase the amount of pectoral muscles involved in this exercise, and you can bring your grip in slightly to increase your triceps involvement. For a standard bench press, opt for the normal grip.
Begin with just the bar weight. Lift the bar off the rack and position it directly above the middle of your chest. Inhale as you lower it down, gently touching your chest with the bar. Do not bounce the bar off your chest, as this can cause serious injury. Begin to exhale as you push the bar up and away from your body. Extend your arms to just under full extension. Repeat this for eight repetitions as your first set.
- Lift with a bar that has a little flex but is not "whippy". A stiff bar can be uncomfortable to lift with. All bars are made of metal and stiff, but a bar with some flex feel better on the joints. The salesperson at the store will give you the right bar for your bodyweight, based on the formula for bodyweight and bench press. Generally, a beginning or intermediate lifter is not going to lift over his bodyweight plus 50%.
- Examine your goals when choosing a bar. For setting a personal record or a state record and above, use a bar with a standard diameter of 1 1/16 inches. If not concerned with records, a thicker bar does not dig into the palms and is more comfortable. A thicker bar increases the distance of the lift and decreases the amount that can be lifted. A 1/8 (or 1/16) inch increase in bar diameter has a noticeable difference in feel and stability.
Now add weight to the bar. The bar by itself weighs 45 pounds. You will want to increase by five to ten pounds at a time until you find a comfortable weight.
- Practice extra caution if tall. Tall lifters with wide grips should use care not to crush their hands when racking the bar. Weight benches were made for someone somewhat tall (6 feet tall and not for a lifter 6 feet 8 inches tall). Tall lifters should not use an extra wide grip. An extra wide grip also strains the wrist with excessive radial flexion. Close and wide grips can make the wrist more prone to injury.
- Avoid using the thumbless grip. If the bar slips off your hands, it would be disastrous. When being spotted by spotters and by a spotting device the thumbless grip is not as dangerous, but the spotting device has to be very, very solid. The thumbless grips is easier on the wrist and conducts power to the bar more directly (you can lift more). Use chalk with both grips. There are lifters who will use the thumbless grips despite the possible danger.
Be sure to have a spotter to help you whenever you lift a heavy weight. You never want to drop the bar on yourself.
Drink plenty of water, and take at least two minute breaks in between each set. You should ideally perform one light set of eight repetitions, followed by three heavy sets of increasing weight, with six, four, and then finally two repetitions.

Video

Tips

A recommended amount of doing the bench press is 1 time per week for beginners or twice for intermediates and experts. When performing this, it is recommended to do 3 or 4 sets of 5-8 reps.
Try to line the bar to the bottom of your breast bone when going down, just below your pectoral muscles.
By raising the bench to an incline angle, you will work out your upper pectorals.
Breathing is very important in bench pressing properly, be sure to inhale while going down, exhale while pushing the weight up. If it helps you, think that your breathing out is your "push force."
Along with breathing, be sure to stretch your pectoral muscles by grabbing a stationary object with your hand, and slowly turning your body away from the object while still holding. Also stretch your back muscles, they are very important in this workout as well.
For your first set, warm up with a significantly lower weight or do 10 or 15 pushups, as this will ease your muscles into the workout.
For more effective chest building, try an inclined bench, this puts you at a 45 degree angle on a bench, and it will isolate your upper chest better. This exercise will show results faster than using a traditional bench. Try a lower weight than you normally bench when you try this workout.
Do dumbbell bench presses if you can't find a spotter. There's nothing worse than getting trapped under the bar at the end of a hard set.
Try increasing the weight between sets, moving an average of 10-20 lbs per set, this will encourage muscle growth. Keep track of your progress and try to increase the weight every two weeks if you feel comfortable with it.
Keep hydrated. Drink water or Gatorade, not soda.
Keep in mind that this is only one of many body toning exercises and that it is essential that along with the bench press you work abs, back, arms, and legs to gain optimal health.
The bench press is only one of many exercises that will help you attain an overall level of fitness.
If you have a bad wrist, use wrist wraps to help.
Placing your hands too far apart on the bar will work your back, not your chest. Alternately, placing your hands closer together will work your inner pectorals more.
A grip with your hands closer together targets the middle part of your pectoralis major.
A grip that is wider than usual targets the outside portion of your pectoralis major
If you lower the bar to the lower part of your rib cage, you will target the lower part of your pectoral muscle
If you lower the barbell onto the middle part of your pecs, you will target the pectoral muscles in the middle of the chest.
If you're having a hard time not arching your lower back, raise your legs onto the bench. This prevents your lower back from inadvertently arching while you bench press.

Warnings

Make sure you have a stable surface to lift from.
Do not lift excessively heavy weights when you are starting off as they can cause injury.
Always have someone spot you in case your hands slip or you lift a weight that is too heavy.
Do not continue this exercise if you experience any pain. Consult your doctor if pain continues.
It is okay to arch your back if you keep your buttocks in contact with the bench. But, you will not see results as fast as you could.

* Breathe properly. Take a deep breath at the top, hold your breath as you lower the bar, and exhale as you lock out the bar on the way up. You will both decrease your risk of injury and increase your strength using this proper breathing technique.

Things You'll Need

Barbells
Weights.
A weight Bench.
A spotter.
H2O
Willpower
Great Attitude
Energy

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Bench Press Technique And Tips

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Thursday, March 22, 2012