Get Muscle Fast: How to Properly Perform the Bench Press for Maximum Results

Written by Jeff Behar, MS, MBA

The bench press is a strength trainingexercise in which, while lying on his or her back, the personperforming the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest,then pushes it back up until the arm is straight and the elbows locked (or close to this position). The bench press focuses on the development of the pectoralis major muscle (chest or pecs) as well as other supporting muscles including the anterior deltoids, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis, and the triceps.

The bench press is one of the three lifts in the sport of powerlifting and is used extensively in weight training, bodybuilding and other types of fitness training to develop the chest.

You have several ways to Bench Press by varying grip, grip width, bench angle, etc. Some Bench Press variations are:Incline Bench Press. From an incline bench. Emphasis shoulders and upper chest.Decline Bench Press. From a decline bench. Allows more weight. Emphasizes more of the lower chest.
Floor Press. Bench Press while lying on the floor. More triceps.Close Grip Bench Press. Shoulder width grip. Emphasis triceps.Reverse Grip Bench Press. Palms facing you. Also emphasis triceps.Bench Press Form

There is a specific form to the bench presswhich reduces the chance of injury and maximally challenges the musclesof the chest.

A barbell bench press' starting position is to be lying on a bench,with the shoulder blades pinched together to avoid recruiting theanterior deltoid during the lift.Feet are kept flat onthe floor, weight on the heels, lower leg perpendicular to the floor, with the buttocks always in contact with the bench.This prevents extreme arching of your lower back. Feet are kept flat on the ground orend of the bench a wide foot stance to increase stability on the bench.
Theweight is gripped with hands equidistant from the center of the bar,shoulder width (or slightly farther) apart, with the elbows bent to 90°and the elbows beneath the wrists. The bar is placed in the palm of thehand, close to your wrist. If you put the bar close to your fingers,you’ll get wrist pain.Keep your chest up atall time. Don’t allow your chest to go flat orshoulders to roll forward. You’ll lose upper-back tightness, losingpower & increasing risk of shoulder injury.
Shoulder-blades are kept back, down and tight at all times. This gives your body a solid base to press the bar from.Movement starts by lifting the bar off of the pins, breathing in, and lowering ituntil it touches the chest. The weight is then pushed off of the chest in a straight line,while breathing out, terminating when the arms are straight, at which point the weight canbe lowered again.After the desired number of repetitions (reps), the bar isreturned to the pins.

Because of the heavy weight that can be used andthe position of the bar, a 'spotting partner' increases the safety ofthe movement at heavier weights.

Common Errors when Performing a Bench Press

The following Bench Press errors are eitherinefficient or potentially dangerous and can result in injury. Avoidthem at all costs.

Lifting the Bar Off the Rack with Bent Arms. Don’t risk the barfalling on your face. Your arms are strongest when your elbows arelocked. Unrack & bring the bar above your chest with locked elbows.Glutes off the Bench. This makes the distance thebar travels shorter & thus the Bench Press easier. However it putspressure on your back, especially when the weight gets heavy. You’remore stable when your glutes are on the bench. Keep them there.Bouncing the Bar off the Chest. This is one of the most common errors. Bouncing the bar reduces tension on the pectoralis (chest) muscles and can cause severe injury to your rib cage. To prevent this error, use less weight and stop the bar for a two-count at the bottom of every rep.Pushing Your Head into the Bench. You’ll injure your neck. Tighten your neck muscles, without pushing your head into the bench.Pressing to Your Face. The shortest distancebetween 2 points is a straight line. Press in a straight line. Fix apoint at the ceiling where you want the bar to go. Don’t look at thebar.Bending Your Wrists.This will get you wrist pain. Put the bar in the palm of your hand.Close to your wrists, not close to your fingers. Squeeze the bar so itdoesn’t move.Elbows. Too high is bad for your shoulders. Toolow is inefficient. Put your elbows between perpendicular to ¶llel with your torso.Shoulders Forward. Don’t let your shoulders rollforward. It’s bad posture, bad technique & a guaranteed way to getshoulder injuries. Keep your chest up, shoulder-blades back & down and upper-back tight.Moving Your Feet. If your feet shuffle around or lift off the floor when you are bench pressing, you are breaking your base of power, reducing the amount of power you will be able to generate. Essentially, you will be weaker if you move your feet.Variations

Variations are intended to work different subgroups of muscles, or work the same muscles in slightly different ways:

Angle - a bench press can be performed on an incline, on a decline,or on a stabilizer ball. The incline-version shifts some of the stressfrom the pectorals to the anterior deltoids and gives a greaterstimulus to the upper pectorals, whereas the decline allows more weightto be lifted while using nearly the same musculature as the traditionalbench press.Hand position - Varying width grips can be used to shift stressbetween pectorals and triceps. A wide grip will focus on the pectorals.A narrow, shoulder width grip will focus more on the triceps.Type of weight - Instead of a bar, the bench press can also be performed with dumbbellswhich incorporate more use of stabilizer muscles. Dumbbells may besafer to use without a spotting partner, as they may be dropped to theside with less risk of injury.Possible Injuries

Incorrect form may lead to multiple types of injuries including:

torn ligaments/tendons in shoulders.back injuriesdue to bridging, which is the arching of the lower back turning thebench press into the decline press. To prevent bridging, compress thestomach muscles to force the lower back down, or bring legs up and flatonto the bench.injuries to the trapezius muscle.elbow/wrist strains.cracked or broken ribs,usually the result of bouncing the bar off of the chest to add momentumto the lift or a loss of strength causing the bar to fall onto thechest.
About the Author

Jeff Behar, MS, MBAJeffBehar, MS, MBA is a recognized health, fitness and nutrition expert, regularly writing about hot topics in the areas ofhealth, fitness, disease prevention, nutrition, anti aging and alternative medicine. His work also often appears inseveral of the major health and fitness newsletters, health and fitness magazines, and on major health, andfitness websites. Behar is also a well sought after personal trainer, motivational speaker, and weight loss expert.

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Get Muscle Fast

Thursday, February 23, 2012

How to Properly Perform the Bench Press for Maximum Results

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