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One thing all gyms have in common other than sweaty, fit or muscular men is bench presses. Bench presses are the epitome of upper-body strength equipment. It is a mainstay that is favoured by both novices, powerlifters, bodybuilders, gym bros, and gym rats alike.
No matter what your fitness goal is, it is undeniable that at some point; you have or will incorporate the bench press into your full-body fitness routine or chest day workout. This is probably because they have quite a reputation when it comes to having shoulders like boulders and a massive chest span for a v-taper.
Bench presses are one of the most popular exercise choices for toning and building upper body strength. Also known as the chest press, bench presses involve the lifting of weighted bars while laying on a bench in a supine or supinated position.
For the gym noobs, you have probably encountered many gym rats benching their faces off and maxing out. As you spend more time in the gym, you would probably grow to understand why these grown men are obsessed with doing bench presses.
Bench presses are one of many weight-training and weight lifting exercises that help to build strength in the upper body. It is no doubt a mainstay in any pro-wrestler’s v-shape workout routine.
When done correctly and in proper form, bench presses are a full body exercise that also activates muscles of the lower body. It also helps to give your endurance a boost, help in general strength gain, and gives you bulky musculature. It is a compound exercise that not only focuses on isolating the muscles of your arms and chest but also activates other muscles that assist in the range of motion.
While benching alone would get you nowhere to be a pro heavyweight champion, it is a great addition to your workout routines.The traditional or standard bench press set up is made of a weighted barbell and a specialized bench. The ergonomic design of the bench assists with holding form.
The weights on the barbell can be adjusted with weighted plates to suit the weight limit of people who choose to use them. These plates are the regular gym sizes that range from 2.5 to 45lbs.In the absence of a specialized bench, a standard flat bench is a valid makeshift option.Although there are various ways you can carry out bench presses, the standard method remains the most popular method.
Like many other gym exercises, when doing bench presses, it is important to focus on holding proper form. This would enable you to target the necessary muscles while avoiding injuries.
To do bench presses:
Bench presses are holistic to getting shredded ad it primarily works the chest muscles and the frontal deltoid. It also aims for the triceps, pecs, and shoulder muscle groups.Bench press works the pecs or pectoral major of the chest, assisting you to reach your peak in the muscle-tension contraction. It activates the posterior, lateral, and anterior deltoids of the shoulders, contributing to the bulking of the upper body.
Bench presses also engage the lateral and medial head of the tricep muscle group.The muscles isolated depends on the variation of bench press you engage in. These variations differ in the way you hold the bar or the angle at which you incline your body when lifting the bar. It also activates the rotator cuff muscles, lats, and the serratus anterior of the upper ribs.All in all, bench presses contribute to the activation of major muscles of the upper body to build strength and achieve massive gains.
Bench presses are extremely good for stripping the muscle. Because the presses activate a lot of the muscles of the chest and upper back, it is one of the perfect exercises for muscle sculpture, muscle hypertrophy, strength training, and endurance training. Along the way, the more weights you can bench press, the more results you see on your upper body.
Increasing your bench presses simply means being able to lift more weights in progressive overload. How long this might take varies widely with your workout regimen, your diet macro constituents, and how fast your muscles can adapt to the plates you stack.Increasing your bench press doesn’t happen overnight. It isn’t a big jump, but a slow process. Here are some tips on the fastest way to improve your bench press;
The tip to preparing yourself to lift more weights is getting your body ready for the pump. Although warm-ups are essential to the body and should be done before every workout routine if possible, warming up before bench presses gets your heart rate up for that much-needed cardio and “wakes” your muscles. Think about it as preparing strength and stability in your upper body in order to tackle the monstrous weights of a bench press.
There are various warm up or body weight exercises for the upper body, but you should engage in dynamic warm-up and not restrict your horizon to simple exercises. Stretches and cardio are as important as any bodyweight exercises. Warming yourself up to take on bench presses goes past, making yourself do light exercises.
Studies show that verbal self-hype is just as effective as getting you to do better.
It improves concentration, helps you look forward to exercising, and in the long run, along with the necessary input, presents you with excellent muscle gain feedback. Simply create time before bench pressing to psych yourself up and put yourself in the mood. Give yourself a ted talk, practice deep-breathing, do a bit of yoga, or simply anything that makes you feel better.
Another trick to being able to increase your bench press is setting up your equipment properly. You have higher chances of growing into heavier weights if you learn to set up properly for lightweight exercises.Proper set up helps to put you in proper form. Good form is directly associated with targeting the right muscle groups to stimulate growth of the muscle mass.
Targeting the right muscle groups would help you build strength and prepare you for goodbyes to lightweight bench presses. It is simple bro science. When setting up the bar, it is important that your eyes are directly under the bar, and the bar is at arm’s length. If the position of the bar is off even by a few inches, chances are you are going to grip it wrongly and waste a perfectly good chance to target the right muscles.
The bench should be at the proper height. With this done, it will ensure that your feet are firmly on the ground and your upper body is on the bench. If setting up is a challenge, ask for help from an experienced gym buddy or a spotter. It is equally important to note that setting up properly goes past your bench press. Setting up involves how well your form is as you unrack the bar and during the rest of your exercise.It is no secret that two heads are better than one, yet most people are averse to the help of a spotter. Spotters are simply those individuals that assist, especially in weightlifting exercises for beginners and experts alike. Their job is to ensure that you not only do your exercises but also them correctly.Spotters are quite helpful in helping you increase your bench presses but also in helping you avoid injuries.
They help to set up your equipment, watch your form, and often even push you to keep up the pace by spurting words of encouragement. Working with a spotter can help you focus on increasing your bench presses by assisting you with literally spotting and taking out any challenge that stands in your way. Besides, you can lift more and be confident about not tearing a muscle with someone literally watching over you.
Your best bet to increasing your benching is to practice HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training would help you practice with intense bursts. As an added plus, it would keep your heart rate up and help you burn calories faster. It might also be beneficial to practice lifting from another point of view. For instance, instead of thinking about bringing the bar down to your chest, try thinking of bringing your chest up to the bar.
This would enable you to get used to engaging your chest and back into the exercise as opposed to simply lying flat on the bench. Other prompts would enable you to “glue your butt to the bench” to work the glutes and “fasten your elbows at an angle” to grip the bar properly. This way, you are not just working out, but also putting in enough concentration to target the right muscles to increase muscle mass.
You have better chances of increasing your bench presses when you take time out to learn the proper range of motion and lifting techniques. If you have been doing it wrong, it is okay to ask for help and advice. Getting help is better than tearing a muscle.Learning the secrets to lifting properly would help you breeze through additional plates in less time.
You have more chances of increasing your bench press when you prioritize doing bench presses. The mastery of any skill requires more practice. That being said, it is no point being a weekend warrior when you are aiming to get shredded.Increasing your benching frequency means splitting your benching exercise into more routines in your weekly chest day routines. Spread out your bench press exercises into the week and strive to add 1 or 2 extra sets into your schedule.
High frequency training would increase the volume of bench press you do in a week and eventually help you get used to weights much quickly.
Research shows that the more you focus on working out weekly, the faster you gain muscle strength.This goes on to show that the faster you get used to lifting a size, the faster you can upgrade that size to something that weighs more.
Instead of focusing on doing the same amount of repetitions each time you do bench presses, increase your rep max instead by varying the rep range. For instance, if you choose to do 5-6 reps per set today, increase it to about 8-10 rep per set the day after.This is excellent for getting your muscles used to recovery. To do this, simply do pyramid training by starting out with light weights and high reps and move on to heavier weights with lower reps.
You cannot increase your bench press if you do not increase the amount of weights. A good way to do this is to incorporate progressive overload into your bench routine. about 5 additional lbs into your bench press. This would help you get used to lifting more in less time. It is advisable to go slowly with the weights. Do not attempt to stack more than you can lift. You do not want to risk an injury. The trick to incorporating more weight is to prepare your muscles. One way to do this is to start with a warm-up using the same weight from your previous session. Once you plateau, you should start increasing the weights of the plates on the bar.
To increase your bench press, you need strength. Take time off to help your muscles recover. It’s not just important to have rest days but also more testing time in between each set to ensure that you are not snapped up.Eating right is equally important. Your macros are as important as the amounts you bench when it comes to getting that gym bod. Along with a good diet plan, invest in a pick-me-up nutrition to get you started at the gym.
ADABOLIC is a brilliant investment if you are looking to increase your performance.
Add alternative or accessory exercises to your workout regimen. Accessory exercises like the incline barbell bench press, close grip bench press, shoulder press, barbell row, and flat dumbbell press will help you get used to benching faster. Since these exercises help you go through a similar concentric range of motion, practice similar forms, and employ the use of heavy weights, they are your best bet to getting stronger and increasing muscle mass.
The state of your triceps is a big part of how well you can bench press. It is no surprise then that your ability to scale up weights depends on how strong your triceps are. Bigger arms are a not-so-secret cheat to being able to bench more. If you are looking to get arms even The Rock would throw a fit for, you simply need to build your arms. Engage in tricep exercises like tricep extensions to better your chances of increasing your bench press.
Supplements can improve your muscle resistance, and muscle groups grow through hypertrophy. They are also great for repair muscles after strenuous exercises, ensuring that your body gets all the protein it needs to perform your regimen while also making sure that your muscles recover well. Increasing your bench press is not a walk in the park. It requires dedication, planning, and consistency to achieve the results you want. Now armed with the right tips and a 3-day bench press strength training program as a bonus, you are on your way to bench pressing like a pro in no time.
