How To Improve Your Bench Pressing Ability

 How To Improve Your Bench Pressing Ability

How long do you sit on the bench?

This may be the most commonly asked question among hardcore "gym buddies," seasoned gym veterans looking to establish themselves in the discipline, and curious newbies looking to strike up a conversation. This is also one of the most common ways to ask about people's strength, fitness, and general abilities in the gym.

Some may think that the concept of a specific bench press position is ridiculous, but that fact does not erase the position. Others want to do a big bench press just for themselves. You can also move the impressive numbers and adjust the position for safe weight transfer.

Learn how to fine-tune your bench press, optimize your technique, and create a plan for starting heavier weights.

*Examination of chest press technique

* Bench press mistakes should be avoided

* 3 tips to improve the bench press

*How to program your chest press to increase your profits

Examination of chest pressing technique

A solid bench press is worked around a certain something: dependability. Here's a step-by-step approach to creating the right environment for big lifts. It all starts with a good starting position before losing weight.

Step 1 - Find your contacts

After sitting on a flat bench, the bench press requires four points of contact. Each foot firmly planted on the ground is worth 1 point. Your hips and upper back press hard into the bench and stay in the same position throughout the lift, which adds another two points.

Finally, you should press your head firmly into the bench and maintain that position throughout each repetition. When setting up, look directly under the bar before removing the weights from the rack. This four-piece set is the foundation of a quality set.

You may have noticed that your lower back doesn't make contact with the bench, but that's actually an important difference. Some lifters believe that having an arch in the lower back (lower back) during the bench press is dangerous for the spine, but in fact, the arch is supposed to be there.

The bench press is considered a horizontal pushing exercise (due to the position of the load relative to the body). This means the angle of force.

The bench press is considered a horizontal pushing exercise (due to the position of the load relative to the body). This means that the angles of force to create spinal loads such as overhead presses, squats or deadlifts are out of sync with your lower back. The shoulder joint, not the spine, bears the brunt of the load during the bench press, so arching the back doesn't put too much strain on it.

When you are in position, remove the bar.

Step 2 - Capture

Most barbells you see in a regular gym have screws on either side of the barbell, but they also have shiny rings in equal parts on each side. In competitive powerlifting, these rings mark the limits of grip width that a lifter is not allowed to cross.

If you are not a competitive powerlifter, you can use the rings as a reference point for where your hands are. Depending on the length of your arms, coordinate the same fingers of both hands with the rings on each side. Many lifters choose the middle or ring finger, but everyone's preferred grip is slightly different.

Be careful not to put your hands too close and put your little finger too far into the ring. This changes the exercise from a regular flat barbell bench press to a close-grip bench press that emphasizes your triceps. (1)

Once your hands are in place, make tight fists around the bar and you're ready to lift.

Step 3 - Liftoff complete

How to remove the bar from the rack is more important and technical than it seems. To use a safe and effective technique, you should keep your shoulder blades folded (stretched) on the bench. This will help arch your back while lifting your chest and ribcage.

The small "press" that occurs when the lifter pulls the bar off the rack can cause the shoulders to move out of position (this is a forward movement as opposed to a backward movement). As your shoulders get longer, your ribcage sinks, which puts more pressure on your shoulder joints. This is difficult to correct until you gain weight, making readjustment difficult.

It's helpful to try to lift your hips as you lift, then bring your hips up as soon as you pick up the bar and place it above your chest. Non-point lifters can use this method to start the movement in a strong position without sacrificing form.

Step 4 - Lower and press

The bar should come down in a controlled manner until it touches your chest. Make sure the bar touches your mid or lower chest and make sure the point of contact is consistent from rep to rep. The finished locked position should be slightly more in line with your chest or shoulder height. That is, the rod moves on a slightly inclined path.

Always remember that the real sign of strength in big lifts like this is not how fast you can do the reps, but how slowly and with good control you can do the reps. Please remember. Reduce your speed a few degrees, especially during the off-center (down) phase. You can also add a pause with a chest strap to further control your weight. Don't let it sag under your weight, but tighten it up.

Value each rep to build strength and size.

Benchpress mistakes to avoid

No one wants to be the next YouTube flop. It usually shows people screwing up the bench press movement, or worse, people ignoring safety and putting themselves in life-threatening situations. Stop these problems before they start and make sure you cover the basics.

Lift your hips

Other than lifting yourself (if necessary), your glutes should not come off the bench during the exercise. Lifting your hips will not make you stronger in the lift. This is just cheating and shows that the weight is too heavy to lift properly. This is the equivalent of doing standing bicep curls and then leaning your upper body back to lift the weight on the bench press. Be sure to do movements that match your abilities. Practicing proper form will increase your strength over time.

Half Jump

Avoiding and stopping the entire range of motion, from full lockout to the bar touching your chest, allows your pectoral muscles (the driving force behind the bench press) to work properly and increases the force your body can put into the weight. slow release There is no point in doing anything (2).

If you feel like you can only do half the reps, the weight may be too heavy, your shoulders may be too unstable, or both. Instead, practice lowering your load and staying tight throughout your range of motion.

If your shoulders still hurt, it may be due to a poor range of motion or a lack of strength in the upper back to stabilize and protect the shoulders. Make sure your workout routine includes plenty of exercises that engage your upper back, such as pull-ups and reverse flies.

Use the collar in the bar

This isn't necessarily the key to improving your bench press, but it's always important when bench pressing heavy weights. It may seem counterintuitive or controversial, but securing weight plates to collars when lifting alone is a potentially dangerous operation.

Common sense tells you that you should usually fix the weight so it doesn't move. In fact, if you fail a rep and end up benching, it can be dangerous if you don't have enough strength to press the bar from chest to rack. You can't always rely on rolling it on your hips or buttocks (which in itself can be very painful and uncomfortable).

If you lift unsupervised at home, it's best to leave the weights unclipped. That way, if you make a mistake, you can return the weight from one end of the bar to avoid a staple. Breaking a few tiles on the training room floor is better than breaking a few ribs or larynx.

3 Tips For More Profit

Understanding the basics is a good first step, but taking things to the next level requires deeper thinking associated with this practice.

foot drive

Bring your feet close to your hips, making sure your knees are at a 90-degree angle. This is necessary to apply a very important and often overlooked principle. In other words, the bench press is not just an "upper body" exercise.

In fact, your legs play an important role in overall strength and conditioning. As you push off, think about keeping your feet firmly planted on the floor. The bar not only moves away from your chest but also away from the floor. Therefore, this cue increases the overall recruitment of the muscle and helps to increase the power of the lift. (3)

Stiffen Your Elbows

If you want to protect your shoulder joints, improve your bench performance by using a slightly narrower grip (rather than a fairly wide grip) and tucking your elbows in during the movement.

The closer the arm is to the upper body, the less likely the shoulder joint will be in a vulnerable position. Placing your elbows in front of you instead of out to your sides will make your shoulders more relaxed, stable, and strong.

Use A Thick Stick Or Thick Handle Glue

Once you get used to the unique grip, a larger diameter bar with a larger surface that covers the entire palm usually feels more comfortable. It can also reduce joint stress in the elbows and shoulders by increasing forearm mobility and muscle tone to increase stability. (four)

The large diameter distributes the load and reduces the pressure on the joints. If you don't have access to a thick barbell, you can use a thick adhesive such as "Fat Grips". This simple removable handle can be used for barbells, dumbbells, and any exercise that requires a handle, making it one of the most useful tools in your gym bag.

Build A Better Bench: An Effective Method

If you've been training in the gym for a while, the classic 3x10 or 4x6 might not be effective enough to get you through in terms of strength or size. If your lifting numbers aren't going up, it's worth thinking outside the box a little to find ways to stimulate your chest.

Bench Press 1.5 Repetitions

Adding muscle to the chest to improve appearance can be painful, especially if the lifter has long arms. The relatively long range of motion and the large amount of locking space the lifter must traverse can cause the triceps and shoulders to assume a typical chest press pattern. This reduces chest fatigue during the set.

To perform a "one and a half" bench press, take the barbell off the rack and lower it to chest height. Hold the weight from chest height to half-tight and pause. Your upper arms ought to be at around 90 degrees.  Lower the weights back to chest height, then press them back up. This entire sequence counts as one repetition.

This high-tension technique works your chest more than your triceps or shoulders. This is because the latter two muscle groups are less involved in the lower half of the movement.

The chest is in its strongest position biomechanically and is most involved during this part of the exercise, so the one-and-a-half rep technique takes advantage of it. Ideally, you should do 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps here, remember that each "1.5" is 1 rep.

Cluster Set

Cluster assemblies are worth mentioning more than they are usually given in terms of increased strength and size. Understanding how the body works from a physiological level will help you better understand cluster training and its importance.

During short bursts of power, such as a 100-meter sprint, a first down in soccer, or high-intensity, low-rep weight training, the body relies on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as its primary source of energy. Work your muscles hard.

Stored ATP is depleted after 10-15 seconds, and the muscles that were initially used begin to stop working, producing lactic acid as a byproduct. It usually takes 1-2 minutes for ATP stores to be fully replenished in injured muscles.

Know that you can benefit from this filling phase while lifting heavy weights. A set of three repetitions can be increased to a total of four or five repetitions with a short rest between each repetition.

This mini-rest partially fills the ATP reserves in the body. Not only will this improve your strength over time, but you can cumulatively do more reps, which can lead to more muscle growth. Here are probably the best ways of utilizing clusters. 

Single Duplicate Cluster

Get 90-95% of your one rep max on the bar. Normally you would do this weight for 2 reps max, but this will give you 4 reps. Repeat once, then lift the weight for 10 to 15 seconds. Then take the weight off the rack and do something else before putting it back on the rack. Repeat until you complete 4 reps. Rest for at least 2 minutes and do 2-3 complete sets in total.

Resetting between repetitions ensures that you perform the correct technique with each movement.

Multi-replication Cluster

Do up to 5 reps on the bar. Repeat 4 times, then lift the weight and rest for 10 seconds. Remove the bar from the rack and repeat two more times. Six replicates were performed with a maximum of five repetitions. Complete 3-5 full sets.

This is a good way to increase time spent under tension (TUT), which helps muscle growth while working with a slightly lighter than maximal load and doesn't affect recovery as much as lifting something very heavy. (five)

High responsibility cluster (aka ladder) according to size

Repeated lifting, especially heavy lifting, can have a significant impact on the nervous system. A good change of pace (and also a great way to break size plateaus) is to use a high repetition method of the same approach.

The ladder set is just the ticket. Use your maximum weight for 10-12 reps. Do mini sets of 2 reps, then 3 reps, then 5 reps, and finally 10 reps with 10 seconds rest between each mini set.

This creates 20 muscle-building pushups with a weight that only allows for 10-12 reps. 1-2 sets are enough. It's both a muscle killer and a mental killer, controlling your nervous system with higher rep ranges and relatively light weights.

Let's Make A Bigger Bench

The bench press is presumably the most famous lift in the rec center. Given its credibility, it should be the most appropriate thing to do, but it's not always the case. Armed with this information, you can set yourself apart at the gym and find ways to train smarter while still training hard. Your performance will quickly be noticed, and the next time you're asked, How much do you bench?" You will get an impressive response.