Bench press is certainly one of the most popular exercises in gyms. Whether you’re a serious exerciser or a recreational athlete this was certainly one of the first exercises you tried when you first stepped into the gym. Bench press is one of the best exercises when it comes to the upper body, because it affects a huge number of muscles of the upper body, especially the pectoralis muscle (muscular pectoralis), deltoid muscle (musculus deltoideus), triceps (musculustriceps brachii), widest dorsal muscle (musculus latissimus dorsi). Although a large number of exercisers are very interested in this exercise, very few of them perform it properly. That's why below are the most important tips to help you improve your bench press.
Tip 1 - The feet must be firmly on the ground
This advice may seem unnecessary to you, but if you pay attention to the exercisers while performing this exercise, you will notice that a small number of them can barely keep their feet on the ground. When it comes to heavy weights, this practice is very counterproductive. It would be best to place your feet firmly on the ground while you are still in a sitting position, fix them and do not move. This will allow you to help yourself with the strength of your legs when the bar reaches a critical position.
Tip 2 - Lean your body firmly on the bench
Just as it was for the feet, it is also true for the position of the body on the bench. A large number of exercisers do just the opposite of what they should be. First of all, they lie relaxed on the bench and move from left to right when the weight is already in the hands and lowers towards the chest. What needs to be done is to tighten the whole body firmly, from the legs, gluteus to the shoulders and back. Stay in that position firmly fixed to the bench during the entire series of this exercise.
Tip 3 - Use a secure grip
A secure grip is a position in which the thumb encloses the bar and is in opposition to the other fingers. A large number of exercisers believe that they will lift more from the bench if they catch the bar so that all the fingers are on one side of the bar and the fist is not completely closed. You must constantly keep in mind the fact that such a grip can lead to injuries to the head and chest, because the bar can very easily slip out of the hand. This grip should never be used by beginners and exercisers who perform the exercise on their own, without the help of a partner. Secure grip allows much better control over the bar, especially in maximum series when the bar is moving towards the abdomen.
Tip 4 - Wrists must be straight and firm
A mistake that beginners often make is bending their wrists. This mistake must be avoided. Keeping your wrists straight will allow for an ideal transfer of force from the muscles to the barbell, and you will avoid injuring the sensitive tendons in your wrist.
Tip 5 - Forearms must be vertical
What confuses exercisers the most when it comes to bench press is the width of the grip. Because people differ in the height and length of their arms, there is no universal grip. Some people use a narrow grip and thus include more shoulders than the pectoralis major muscle, while those who want a larger pectoral muscle use a very wide grip. However, there is one model for determining the grip that is universal for all. Take a grip width that will allow your forearms to be vertical throughout the entire radius of movement. This way, you will make the best use of the force that develops your chest, shoulders and triceps.
Tip 6 - Take care of proper breathing during lifting
A large number of exercisers exhale when lifting weights, which is very good when it comes to lower weights and more repetitions. However, if it is about the maximum series, holding your breath is necessary.In this way, you enable the contraction of the diaphragm and create a positive pressure in the chest, which results in greater force and stronger contraction. When you exhale, the opposite procedure occurs, making you much weaker. So, when you start the exercise and the first repetition, take a breath and hold it while lifting the load, and when you finish the repetition, exhale and repeat the procedure.
Tip 7 - Keep the bar on your chest
When you put the bar on your chest, the break until the next repetition does not have to be long, a second is enough. This style of lifting helps people get rid of the habit of bouncing the bar off their chest. Keeping the bar on the chest will greatly strain the muscle fibers but will also greatly remove the elastic property of the muscles.
Tip 8 - Keep control of the bar
When performing lifting and lowering movements, make sure that the bar constantly travels the same path and always touches the chest in the same place, of course, depending on which part you want to hit. You can lower the bar to your upper, middle or lower chest. Keep in mind that the forearms must be vertical at all times.
Tip 9 - Lift your chest (stretch)
When you say squat, you don't mean to lift your hips off the bench, as many people do. So, just lift your chest up a few inches. As the bar goes down your chest must be tightened. Hold the bar on your chest for a second and then push it up while maintaining the same raised chest position. You need to use your pectoralis when performing this exercise because they are the largest and strongest muscle involved in lifting. Most people use their triceps and deltoids the most, but if you follow this advice and eject your breasts when lifting, you will be more engaged in your pectoralis, and thus you will be stronger.
Tip 10 - Explosively lift loads
The technique is performed as follows: lower the bar very slowly, hold it on your chest for a second, and then raise it explosively. It takes a little more time to practice the technique, but very good results are achieved. When it comes to light weight, it is quite normal for the bar to be lifted very slowly, almost passively, but if it is a heavy weight, you have to lift the load more explosively or you will not lift it at all.
Try to follow these 10 tips and it is quite certain that you will achieve exceptional and visible results and you will lift heavy weights in perfect shape very quickly.
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