This article was co-authored by Michele Dolan. Grab the bar shoulder width to just outside. The bench press is a compound exercise that involves the pectoralis major of the chest, the anterior deltoids of the shoulder, and the triceps brachii of the upper arm. If you want to build strength or muscle, start with 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps with a weight that feels challenging but doable for the last 3 to 5 reps. Be sure to avoid these errors. Your head, upper back, and butt should touch the bench, and your feet should be flat on the floor. How many times a week should I do bench presses? Make sure you have a stable surface to lift from. Make sure that you rotate your elbows in as you bring the weight down to limit shoulder strain, then flare your elbows out as you press for a stronger lift. Choose a proper bench that fits your shoulder width. You can use it regularly as part of an upper body workout for strength and muscle development. This will help keep your wrist relatively straight. The bench press builds the muscles of the chest as well as the triceps of the back of the arms and the front deltoid shoulder muscles. To do a bench press, lie on your back on the bench with your feet flat on the ground. If you want to learn more from our Personal Trainer co-author, like how to have someone spot for you while you're lifting, keep reading the article! Select the appropriate weights. Just keep in mind that you won't likely build much until you hit puberty. By BJ Gaddour, MH Fitness Director. The hand grip should be overhand and feature the thumbs placed under the bar and across the top of the fingers. A narrow bench is unstable and a wide bench prevents the upper arm from bending back. This prevents your lower back from inadvertently arching while you bench press. Widen your grip slightly to increase the amount of pectoral muscles involved in this exercise, and bring your grip in slightly to increase your triceps involvement. Lift your hips and squeeze your glutes, driving your torso upwards so it’s parallel to the ground. https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/how-to-bench-press-layne-norton-complete-guide.html, https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/the-right-way-to-fail-a-bench-press-w493237/, https://www.active.com/nutrition/articles/how-to-hydrate-before-during-and-after-a-workout, http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/phano62.htm, http://www.askmen.com/top_10/fitness/top-10-tricep-exercises.html, https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-2/#footnote-1, hacer levantamiento de barra en una banca, رفع الأثقال أثناء الاستلقاء على الظهر (تمرين البنش), Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. For setting a personal record or a state record and above, use a bar with a standard diameter of. How to Bench Press with proper form: setup on the bench, grab the bar, unrack it, lower it to your mid-chest and press it back up. Try increasing the weight between sets, moving an average of 10-20 lbs per set, this will encourage muscle growth. Use your legs to create a solid base. The bench press can be started by anyone with a few dumbbells. Do you want to build up that chest of yours? Don't watch the bar; focus on the ceiling. A grip with your hands closer together targets the middle part of your pectoralis major. Make sure that you are not holding your shoulders in an awkward position. Think of yourself as driving your back and traps into the bench, giving your chest and arms a foundation to push off against. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Lift the bar up and down in a straight line. Repeat this 10 times and then take a rest before trying another set. Where you position your hands will affect which muscle group you work most. Arch your back drawing your shoulder blades back behind you to keep from pressing with rounded shoulders. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002. By raising the bench to an incline angle, you will work out your upper pectorals. Generally, a beginning or intermediate lifter is not going to lift over his bodyweight plus 50%. It can mean cutting down on rest time, increasing poundage on lifts, supersetting, etc. For your first set, warm up with a significantly lower weight or do 10 or 15 pushups, as this will ease your muscles into the workout. Keep in mind that this is only one of many body-toning exercises and that it is essential that with the bench press you work abs, back, arms, and legs to gain optimal health. Check out this link for more information: bench-pressing.com/bench-press-world-records. The barbell bench press is a competitive lift in the sport of powerlifting, with the other two being the deadlift and squat. Once you are experienced with the bench press, you can vary the grip for different effects. Bro, do not get a mass gainer. Accidents happen all the time. Tall lifters with wide grips should use care not to crush their hands when racking the bar. Step 1: Get Into Position. Last Updated: January 6, 2021 If you don't use the specialized bench press rack, a standard flat bench can be used with dumbbells or a light barbell. Do not try to hit the rack rests directly. Beginners and those lifting heavy weights should get the assistance of a "spotter" who stands behind the rack and assists with the bar when you have trouble lifting. You will often learn the bench press in a strength training program. If you are having a hard time not arching your lower back, raise your legs onto the bench. By using our site, you agree to our. Using smaller, more gradual increases has shown to give faster gains. This exercise will show results faster than using a traditional bench. Dec 16, 2015 Men's Health. Work out the back legs and abs on other days if you want. With good form, this exercise should strengthen your back significantly. Do not lift excessively heavy weights when you are starting, as they can cause injury. Beginners should try lifts without weight on the bar to warm up, get a feel for the bar, and learn to do it with good form. How can I gain forearm and bicep muscle as an 11-year-old boy? Use chalk with both grips. She also created her own online training program, the TL Method. Lift the bar with the weights and slowly bring it down to your chest. There may be some exceptions you find in your gym, but this won’t typically work in a combo rack, stand-alone bench press, or Westside Bench. Bench pressing targets both of these areas, as well as your shoulders, and you will see results quickly as long as you give yourself ample rest between your workout sessions. It is also good to use a power rack, which has bars on either side set at the level of your chest. It is possible to get enough protein from your diet through fish, eggs, meat, soy products, legumes and pulses like beans and lentils, as well as seeds and nuts. If you are not at ease with feet on the floor because of short legs, use blocks or weight plates under the feet to boost height rather than placing legs on the bench, which reduces stability. 1. Ⓒ 2021 About, Inc. (Dotdash) — All rights reserved. Take your time and focus on your form. Hold that breath and use it to brace your abdominal wall. Step #1: Place the bench on the INSIDE the four posts of the power rack, not in front of it. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002. Remove the barbell from the rack and lock the elbows out before lowering the bar to the chest at the nipple line. Return the bar to just above the chest and repeat the exercise. Using a decline bench will target the lower part of your pectoral muscle. A recommended amount of doing the bench press is 1 time per week for beginners or twice for intermediates and experts. Lay faceup on a horizontal bench, with your butt on the bench and feet flat on the … Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Take your time and focus on your form. Practice extra caution if tall. Should I eat before or after the workout? If you feel any shoulder pain during the bench press, replace the weights and end the exercise. And yet, if you do not have one, you have a lot of alternatives. Repeat. 1. If lifting causes you to wobble back and forth when you bring the bar up and down, you are probably lifting too much weight. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. If you don't use the specialized bench press rack, a standard flat bench can be used with dumbbells or a light barbell. If your lift fails, the bars will prevent the barbell from crushing your chest. Begin by lying flat on the bench, with your body in a natural and relaxed position. Bench Press Narrow-grip VS from the Classic Bench press Exercises is a great helper for a classic bench press. Lifting from an include emphasizes the anterior deltoids of the shoulder. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. Try to line the bar to the bottom of your nipple line when going down, just below your pectoral muscles. 5 Ways to Bench Press without a Bench. A narrower grip will increase the use of the triceps. But with the arrival of COVID-19, the stakes are higher than ever. Both actually. Generally speaking, the bench press responds best to higher frequency — certainly more than once a week.If I had to guess, a lot of that has to do … It depends on the person's weight, gender and age. Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. If your grip is too wide and your elbows are too flared out you risk injuring your pectoral muscles. Lift with a bar that has a little flex but is not "whippy". If the incline bench press targets the top of the chest it stands to reason that the decline bench press will hit the lower chest muscles … To tone your triceps, make your grip smaller on the bench press. Engage your glutes and quads to actively press your feet into the floor the entire time. Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. References. Twice is good and plenty if you are working to failure. The bench has long been considered an integral piece of equipment when you want to build a chiseled chest. This will press your lats into the bench. It is best to increase the weight only after you can do 3 or 4 sets of 10 reps with good form. We've been helping billions of people around the world continue to learn, adapt, grow, and thrive for over a decade. Breathe In and Lower the Bar Before you move the bar downward, take another deep breath. When you reach the top of your press with your arms fully extended, pause again for just a second. Do not emulate the powerlifter style of arching your back so much that your buttocks lift off the bench. It is a functional exercise that helps you with any daily activities that require pushing or carrying. Whether you are trying to maximize your workout in minimal space, or you are just trying to break out of the bench rut, these exercises are for you. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein has been a trusted brand for more than 15 years. Do pushups every day and use water bottles as weights. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. If you want to learn more from our Personal Trainer co-author, like how to have someone spot for you while you're lifting, keep reading the article! The bench press is only one of many exercises that will help you attain an overall level of fitness. Dumbbell Bench Press Form Tips From the bottom position, squeeze your shoulder blades together as if you were pinching a pencil between them. Each week, add 2.5 pounds to each side of the bar (5 pounds total addition per week). For a standard bench press, opt for the normal grip. To tone your upper back, try barbell rows, which happen to be the exact opposite of the bench press. How you do this is up to you. The bench press should be reserved for strength- and mass-focused workouts. Equipment Needed: Weight bench and barbell, or dumbbells. HOW TO BENCH PRESS MORE: Now, if you can bench press the bar safely, great. Switch to lower weight and practice proper form. Always have someone spot you in case your hands slip or you lift a weight that is too heavy. To perform a barbell bench press, load the bar up with the weight plates you would like to use and secure both sides with the spring collars. If you are bench pressing a heavy weight, do so only with the assistance of a spotter. Perfecting your bench press form might not happen overnight but over time you’ll be able to get better at it. Bench pressing can be dangerous. This article was co-authored by Michele Dolan. Add additional weight to your second and third sets using 2 pound increments. To set up a reverse bands bench press, you’ll need to set up your bench in a power rack. No matter how strong or good you think you are at it, a serious accident will most likely occur because all it takes is one slip. Try a lower weight than you normally bench when you try this workout. Muscle growth is not only desired by bodybuilders, but also for anybody as muscle mass typically declines with age. By using Verywell Fit, you accept our, These Exercises Give You the Best Bang for Your Buck, A Functional Fitness Workout to Challenge Your Upper Body, Machines and Workstations for Better Weight Training at the Gym, Try These Great Exercises for Arm Strength and Muscle, A Beginner's Guide to Weights and Strength Training, How to Perform the Close Grip Bench Press, Try This Upper Body Strength and Endurance Challenge with Supersets, Challenging, Intense, and Unique Upper Body Pyramid Workout, Get Strong With This Intense Upper Body Workout, How to Build Stronger Back and Shoulder Muscles, Pump it Up with This Upper Body Tri-Set Challenge Workout, Study Shows Weight Training Is Better Than Cardio for Back Pain, Compound exercises for strength and muscle. The bench press can help restore muscle balance for athletes that primarily use pulling muscles, such as in wrestling, rock climbing, and swimming. Keep the bar balanced. Keep your head flat on the bench and feet flat on the floor for stability, but don't push your head into the bench to assist the lift; firm up the neck muscles instead. Do not add more weight until you are able to lift that weight with good form. Keep hydrated. You do not want to have your lower back flat on the bench, but you do not want to force it to curve too much either. Pause at your peak range of motion, then lower the weights back to chest level. Your eyes should be approximately aligned with the front of th… Focus on your diet - eat more and eat healthy. You should become familiar with each of these 5 steps before actually getting under the bar and attempting to bench press. Drink water or Gatorade, not soda. If you're training for competition powerlifting, you should contact a professional coach for personal instruction. Train like a bodybuilder: If you're looking to maximize muscle size, target 8-12 reps per set (on average) and choose multijoint movements like the bench press, squat, overhead press, bent-over row, and deadlift, which recruit more total muscle mass than single-joint moves, thus allowing you to lift heavier weights. As long as you manage to keep pushing your body physically, you will notice a difference. How to Do a Dumbbell Bench Press With Perfect Form Lie on a flat bench holding a pair of dumbbells directly above your chest with your palms facing forward. Your buttocks should remain flat on the bench. The angle of the upper arms should be at about 45 degrees to the body. Activating your triceps will ultimately help you lift more. As you do this, think about bending the bar into a U-shape with your hands. Lifting from a decline emphasizes the pectoralis major. Breathe out and press up. Ideally, the bar should rest across your palm, in line with the base of your thumb and the base of your palm. Along with breathing, be sure to stretch your pectoral muscles by grabbing a stationary object with your hand, and slowly turning your body away from the object while still holding. If you have a bad wrist, use wrist wraps to help. Hit the floor to press bigger numbers and build a bigger upper body. The salesperson at the store will give you the right bar for your bodyweight, based on the formula for bodyweight and bench press. Put your arms straight out to your sides, then bend your elbows up towards the ceiling and grab the bar. Your best option is to go to a supplement retail store and speak with the staff, who are generally very knowledgeable. Butt, shoulders, and head should be flat on the bench with a slight (neutral) bend in the spine. To finish, replace the bar on the rack from the locked out position. Set the safety pins at the proper height so they catch the weight if you fail to lift it. It’s a good way to work on weaknesses in your regular bench press, or just get a bit more work in on arms day. Avoid using the thumbless grip. The bench press should be reserved for strength- and mass-focused workouts. Soy, hemp and other vegetable-based protein powders are the ones to look for. Feet should be flat on the floor and relatively wide apart. Incorporate this move and similar ones into one of these popular workouts: Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. How To Do A Barbell Bench Press Properly. Then push it upward again, being sure to avoid bending your wrists or bouncing the weight off your chest. There are too many proteins on the market to suggest one. You should have your feet flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart, and your shoulders touching the bench. Find a good grip. Weight benches were made for someone tall (6 feet tall and not for a lifter 6 feet 8 inches tall). Bench Press in the Power Rack for maximum safety. Exercise. For the bench press, you should always use a full grip and NOT the False Grip. If you have any injury to your shoulders, you should avoid the bench press. When learning how to do a barbell bench press, it helps to break things down into a series of basic steps. How to: Lie with only your shoulder blades on a bench, feet planted firmly on the ground. Also try to work out the triceps with dips, skull-crushers, and overhand cable extensions. Placing your hands closer together will work your inner pectorals more. If your ultimate goal is gaining muscle and mass, you're going to want to shock your body. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 831,385 times. Once you are able to perform the bench press safely with good form for three sets of 10 reps, you can begin to add weight. Close grip and wide grip are good exercises to use in addition to a standard bench press, but shoulder width to just outside will put you in a strong position. Do not continue this exercise if you experience any pain. You can "lock-out" your elbows, contrary to some safety advice that is generally misguided. When performing this, it is recommended to do 3 or 4 sets of 5-8 reps. [1] X Res… {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c0\/Bench-Press-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Bench-Press-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c0\/Bench-Press-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/aid34273-v4-728px-Bench-Press-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"