Who doesn't want their bust to keep breaking through and progressing, often it's the little things that don't think we're progressing that get in the way!
You may have been able to plan your training but your chest never went up, was the movement not standard enough? Or have you been doing the bench press incorrectly. Let standard form be your nature, what exactly are the pitfalls to avoid when bench pressing?
Here, a comprehensive introduction to the bench press, the classic way to train your pecs, is provided, along with some effective training advice. Walk into any gym, no matter how big or small it is, where it is located and what kind of enthusiast it is, and you will find one thing in common: There must be a bench press rack.
It should come as no surprise that the bench press is a movement that measures the level of training. With basic technique, you can get strong quickly and the circumference of the three main muscle groups - chest, front shoulder and triceps - will increase.
But if you are a fitness novice, do you have a sufficient bench press foundation? What mistakes can you easily make with the bench press?
What are the minimum conditions to be considered as doing the bench press?
Firstly, lie on your back on a bench and make sure you have enough strength in your pecs, frontal bunch and triceps to control the barbell. The standard barbell normally used for bench presses in the gym is the olympic barbell, weighing 20kg. Go by strength training experience to determine if this is too heavy or too light for you. If it is heavy then grab a training push-up first.
Start in a push-up position, under your shoulders, tighten your abs, keep your toes together and form a straight line from your body from your head to your heels. Bend your elbows and lower your chest to the floor, pause for a second at the lowest position, then push up hard to the starting position (do not pause at the highest position).
If you have never done push-ups before, then start with one standard push-up at a time and gradually build up strength until you can do ten in one breath. Basically, if you can do ten, you can push up to an empty barbell, and the prerequisite is that it is recommended to have a partner next to you to help you lift when it is difficult to power up.
how to do the bench press?
Before discussing the bench press, it is useful to review the movements of the bench press.
1. Lie on the bench press bench.
2. Hold the barbell in both hands, slightly wider than shoulder width apart, with the hands directly above the elbows as the barbell is lowered to its lowest point. This allows for maximum force.
3. Slowly lower the barbell to your chest and inhale at the same time. 4.
4. Exhale as you push up, gripping the barbell hard and looking somewhere on the ceiling, not at the bar, which will ensure that the bar follows the same path each time.
what could be the problem? The fact is that the stabilising muscles around the shoulder joint can be easily injured and are very difficult to repair. Prevention is far better than cure, so don't do it to save face, learn how to do the movements safely first.
In strength training, the guys will practice the bench press at different angles of inclination. The muscles of the upper pectoral muscles move more when the upper incline bench is inclined at 30° or 45°, while the muscles of the pectoralis major move more when the bench is flat.
in one study, trainers were asked to bench press at 65% of their maximum bench press load for one set of 6 and repeat for several sets. It was found that the muscles were more stimulated when performing the flat bench press than at 15°, 30° or 45° with an upward slope. Therefore, chest training should be based on the flat bench press with the addition of an upward incline variation to stimulate the upper chest and anterior deltoid bundle.
Common problems with the bench press
to get the most out of your bench press training, you need to make sure you don't commit some common problems.
1. Too much weight
don't lift more than you can handle, the body will realise it can't handle the weight and at the same time unconsciously lift the hips, thus putting the pecs in a more favourable position to complete the push, this can distort the posture of the movement, the best way to correct this is to lighten the load.
2. Not tightening the scapulae
unlike push-ups, it is important to keep the scapulae tight when bench pressing to stabilise the barbell and to prevent injury to the shoulders when pushing up.
Tighten the scapulae down before you lift the bar. When the bar is raised, keep your scapulae stable and imagine that you are getting into a bench press position rather than just pushing the bar up."
3. Unstable feet on the bench press
as with tightening the scapulae, the feet should remain stable throughout the workout; unstable feet mean that the body is not being tightened up. Make sure that your feet are flat on the floor and that you are pushing your feet hard throughout the movement, as if you were pushing yourself up towards the bench.
4. Change your grip distance from time to time
where should i hold the barbell when bench pressing? The same distance from the threads every time, or do you grab the barbell in a smooth position every time? If neither, then it's best to start holding the same place every time from now on.
Changing the grip distance can have a huge impact on the way your muscles fire and the amount of weight you can lift. Changing to a wide or narrow grip can make the whole movement unstable and make it harder for you to accurately measure the effect of your training.
5. Access to the pecs
barbell bench presses can have bounced off the pecs or be too far from the chest, or the barbell is not touching the pecs. These are all related to the movement of the barbell near the lowest point of the pecs. Make sure that the pecs are touched on each repetition, if this is not possible then reduce the weight of the barbell.
When the barbell touches the pecs, don't bounce it off the sternum, push it upwards once it lightly touches the pecs - keep the movement under control throughout.
finally, make sure the barbell touches the pectoralis muscle and not the clavicle position. Unlike most barbell movements, the barbell should not be moved in a vertical direction. Start directly above the shoulders and move down the diagonal to touch the pecs.
6. Empty grip
when holding the barbell, your thumbs should be wrapped around the barbell, especially during the bench press. An empty grip, or suicide grip, does no good and risks dropping the barbell onto your face, neck or chest. Wrap your thumbs around the bar and clench them as tightly as possible, this will help generate more power and engage more muscles in the workout.
mastering the details of training is not difficult at all, it takes repetition for the body to learn and adapt to avoid the 6 faults above and allow the bench press to really stimulate the growth of the pecs.