barbell bench press
how much can you push on the bench press now? I believe most of my buddies would say not enough. The bench press is very disappointing because very few guys can push a lot of weight and most of them can finish 100kg with difficulty?
Is there any way to improve and enhance your bench press? Of course, there is! Here are some practical tips that have really helped a lot of people, and bottlenecks that they couldn't break for six months have been solved.
the barbell bench press
get more strength and girth, don't worry too much about the weight of the barbell, concentrate on the bench press, keep it as stable as possible, tense up from head to toe and take each push up seriously.
Grip
grip the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart to maintain the best position for pushing up. A wide grip may put too much stress on the shoulder joint, while a narrow grip will put stress on the elbow. Hold the barbell as hard as possible and when bench pressing the barbell, imagine you are trying to break the barbell and do not change your grip distance in the process.
barbell bench press
to do a heavy bench press, before starting the bar, push up the bar as hard as you can and squeeze the barbell with a firm grip. According to the radiation theorem, this will stimulate the surrounding muscles to lift heavier. Don't forget the thumb rule too: Hold the barbell with a solid grip. It's true that some enthusiasts prefer to use an empty grip, but the empty grip is also known as the "Suicide" Grip.
Keep your feet on the ground
place your head, upper back and gluteus maximus firmly on the flat bench and keep your feet firmly on the ground as well. This creates a feeling of total body tightness and allows the muscles to work to their maximum potential. All parts of the body work in unison and the whole body are as tight as possible to help you gain more power on the bench press.
steady on the ground
slight arch of the lower back
when lifting and lowering the barbell, the lower back should form a strong arch, so before placing your hands on the barbell, concentrate on adjusting this position with the gluteus maximus in constant contact with the flat bench. Tightening the gluteus maximus hard will allow the lower back to form an arch and keep the core tight, which is essential to maintain stability throughout the body.
Most guys don't keep it taut enough before starting the bench press, and the shoulder blades should be tucked in to sink the shoulders. Allowing tension to be created in the torso keeps the body tight and enables greater pushing power to be exerted during the bench press.
slightly arched lower back
elbows tucked close to the sides
perform each movement by bending the elbows and slowly lowering the barbell until it touches near the nipples. The perfect bench press position is to lower the barbell with the elbows as close to the sides of the body as possible and then push up hard.
Head strength
from the moment you lie down to the moment you push the barbell; the back of your head should remain in contact with the bench. Lifting your head can have an effect on the rest of your body, making it impossible to keep it stable. The shoulders and upper back should also be in contact with the bench press bench to maintain stability. Squeeze your shoulder blades as you bring the barbell down to your chest."
keep your head close to the bench
6 training moves to improve bench press strength
the key to making your muscles do their job more effectively on the bench press and getting a greater training effect is to maintain the correct posture. However, if you want to push bigger weights, these exercises train the main support muscles, which are engaged along with the chest when doing the bench press.
1. Narrow bench presses
the narrow bench press shifts the focus of the exercise to the triceps while protecting the shoulders. It is a great way to overcome weaknesses in the bench press, or at least strengthen the arms. With your hands shoulder-width apart, hold the barbell firmly and bring it down to your chest with your elbows tucked in to your sides. Pause, then push up to the starting position.
narrow grip bench presses
upper incline barbell bench press
doing an upper incline bench press shifts the weight of strength to the upper pecs and the weight lifted is less than in a flat barbell bench press. Lie on the upper incline plate with a positive grip on the barbell. Keep your feet firmly on the ground. Lower the barbell to the chest and push to the starting position.
upper incline barbell bench press
3. Dumbbell bench press
in the training movement of the push, the main function of the pectoral muscles is the internal shoulder contraction. In the barbell bench press, the hands cannot be brought inwards, but the dumbbells can be used to achieve an inward movement and stimulate the pectoral muscles more.
Lie flat on the bench with your feet firmly planted on the floor and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Push the dumbbells straight up until your arms are almost straight, pushing until they almost touch in front of your chest, then slowly lower them to the starting position.
dumbbell bench presses
hard pull
the bench press transfers the strength of the legs through the core to the pectoral muscles to stabilize the entire bench press.
The gluteus maximus is an important muscle in the lower body, so a large part of the strength comes from it. Keeping the gluteus maximus tight during each bench press, the gluteus maximus needs to be in a tight position for a period of time. Training hard pulls can do this.
barbell hard pull
dumbbell arm curls
in bench press training, it is easy to focus on the weak links and neglect the lack of strength in the triceps resulting in a decline in bench press performance. Start with light dumbbells, master the full range of motion and then increase the weight.
supine dumbbell arm curl
dumbbell flying bird
the flying bird is one of the few movements that isolates the pecs and allows them to do the work alone.
This targeted exercise will give a better "Feel" For how the muscles are moving, and through this exercise, the pronation during the bench press will be more consistent. This way, more muscle fibers can be involved in each bench press.
dumbbell flying bird
how to avoid shoulder injuries
the answer to avoiding shoulder injuries is to do more pulling movements - especially face pulls or elastic band abductions etc. And by constantly putting effort into adjusting the bench press, you can avoid shoulder injuries when bench pressing.
You can also try this method by lying on a foam shaft which runs along your spine. Concentrate on the sensation and feel your shoulder blades clenching the foam shaft and your body leaving the floor.
dumbbell bench press on a foam shaft
have a partner hand a pair of lighter dumbbells - about 50% of the weight of the dumbbells you normally use for bench presses. Use them to do several sets of 5 bench presses each. Doing so will cue your shoulders to maintain proper posture during the bench press exercise.
demonstration
knowing these tips, it's not too late to apply them to yourself and build that hard to break chest!