By Nick Nilsson
The Flat Barbell Bench Press is
one of the most popular exercises in the gym, yet how many people know
the most important techniques for maximizing strength and power during
each rep?
In this article, you will find
solid tips without the fluff. These tips will instantly help you to
improve your bench press RIGHT NOW! You don't need any special equipment
to use these techniques, just a willingness to learn.
1. The perfect bench press rep
starts without any weight on the bar. Why no weight? The first thing you
need to do is determine your proper hand spacing on the bar.
Lie down on the bench and
un-rack the bar as you normally would. Lower the bar to your chest and
have a partner take note of the orientation of your forearms. For
optimal power, your forearms should be as close to vertical at the
bottom of the rep as possible.
Adjust your grip accordingly and take note of where your hands are in relation to the smooth rings on the Olympic bar.
The reason for this is simple:
if your hands are placed wider, some of your pushing power will be
expended pushing outwards rather than upwards. If your hands are placed
closer, power is expended pushing inwards. When your forearms are
vertical, the vast majority of your power goes to pushing the bar
directly up.
2. Now that you have your grip
properly positioned, put some weight on the bar. Lay back on the bench
and plant your feet firmly on the floor. Your knees should bent at about
an 80-degree angle (I will explain the reason for this later).
DO NOT place your feet up on the bench. You will lose stability and potential power by doing this.
Place your hands on the bar in the grip width that you determined previously.
A technique that I like to use to lock my shoulders into the position for maximum strength and stability is as follows:
Instead of placing your palms on the bottom of the bar, place them on the back of the bar.
Now, without removing your grip,
rotate the bar down so that your palms are now directly under the bar.
This has the effect of placing your shoulders into their most stable and
strong position. It will almost feel as though you are "locking down"
your shoulders.
As you are rotating the bar and
locking down your shoulders, lift your torso slightly off the bench and
force your shoulder blades together tightly underneath your torso.
This will force your shoulders
back and puff your chest out, placing the pectorals in a position where
they have a more effective line of pull. It also has the added bonus of
making your torso thicker, reducing the distance you need to press the
weight.
Keep your shoulder blades squeezed tightly behind you for the duration of the set.
3. Remove the bar from the racks
and tighten up the muscles of your torso. Begin lowering the bar under
complete control to a point at the bottom of your sternum (about even
with the bottom of your sternum, a.k.a. the breastbone).
Imagine as though your muscles
are springs storing up all the energy of the weight lowering and getting
ready to explode it all back out. Inhale as you lower the bar and feel
it tightening up your chest.
Lightly touch the weight to your
chest. -- DO NOT bounce the weight off your chest! This can cause
injury in the form of cracked ribs or even snapping the tip of the
sternum (a little bony protrusion known as the Xiphoid Process). It also
diffuses the tension you've built up in the pectorals, reducing the
effectiveness of the exercise for building strength and muscle mass.
4. As you start to change the
direction of the bar and begin the press up, drive with the legs. This
is a technique that most trainers do not know about. It's strange to
think about it, but your leg power can actually help you bench press
more weight!
This technique should be
practiced with an empty bar before attempting it during a regular set.
Start by planting your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent about
80 degrees. This angle is very important as it is what allows you to
push with your legs.
Lower the empty bar to your
chest. The moment you start to push the bar back up, push hard with your
legs as though you are trying to slide your body up the bench.
With an empty bar you probably
will be able to slide yourself up the bench. When you have a loaded bar,
however, the weight will keep you from sliding and the pushing power
from your legs will get transferred through your body and into pushing
the bar up.
This is what's known as driving with your legs. It can really beef up your power out of the bottom of the rep.
5. Exhale forcefully through
pursed lips as you continue to push the weight up. This will help
maintain your torso stability better than simply exhaling all at once.
Keep your feet firmly planted on
the floor even if you start to struggle with the weight. The moment you
lift your feet off the floor, you break your base of power and the odds
of you completing the lift diminish greatly.
If you have a tendency to shift
your feet around, try placing 2.5-pound plates on your feet. This is not
to weigh your feet down but to help you be more aware of what is
happening with your feet. If a plate falls, your foot has moved. Strive
to keep those plates in place.
The bar should follow a slight
backwards arc as you press it up, moving from your lower rib cage to
over your face at the end of the rep.
Be aware of your sticking point and try to drive the bar through it rather than letting the bar slow down as you come up to it.
6. Power the weight up to lockout. You have just completed the perfect rep! Now do it again!!
Using these techniques can add immediate poundage to your bench press. Your chest will thank you for it!
Source: physicalfitnessarticles.net
