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Bench better now: your favorite lift, made safer and more effective

Men’s Fitness, Nov, 2009 by Matt McGorry

The biggest guy in the gym doesn’t always bench the most weight. It’s the guy who knows how to bench. Great technique allows you to press more poundage without injuring your shoulders. Take these tips with you every time you get beneath that bar.

Breathe

Take a deep breath before you lower the bar to begin each rep. Let the air fill up your belly and hold it. This increases intra-abdominal pressure, stabilizing the spine and creating a tight feeling throughout the body that Breathe will make you instantly stronger. You’ll get a springlike effect when the bar reaches your chest. Attempting to take the breath while lowering the bar (as most of us do) will cause you herbalife to lose some tightness. Note, however, that you may not want to hold the breath if you have high blood pressure.

Pull

Don’t let gravity lower the bar for you. Pull it downward by engaging your lets. Think about leading with your elbows and keep them tucked close to your sides. Your upper arms should form a 45-degree angle to your torso when the bar is at your lower chest (don’t bring it down to your mid pecs, but to the sternum).

Press

Lift in an arching motion. As you press the bar up, think about pushing it from your sternum toward your face. This brings the triceps more into play. You’ll need to find your body’s own “groove” so that, at the top of the movement, the bar is in a direct line above your shoulders, where it should feel almost weightless.

3 REASONS WHY YOUR BENCH BITES

1| You let the bar sit in the middle of your hand. This allows the wrists to fold backward, creating the potential for injury, as well as weakening your lift. The bar should sit in the lower part of your hand. across the meatiest area, and your wrist should be in line with your forearm.

2| You lift too slowly. Practice lowering the bar under control, but always explode upward with it. Even when lifting heavy weights, you must at least attempt to accelerate the bar as fast as possible. Doing so increases your chances of blasting through any stubborn sticking points.

3| You let your spotter touch the bar. A good spotter helps you take the bar off the rack so you don’t lose your tight position. That’s it. If your buddy is helping you lift the bar back up, even slightly, he’s doing what your muscles should be doing, and that’s costing you size and strength.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

[check] Grip the bar at a distance just outside the width of your shoulders, squeezing it as hard as possible.

[check] Keep your shoulder blades squeezed together and pressed down throughout the lift. (The more they move, the worse it is on your shoulder joints.)

[check] Push your legs hard into the floor when pressing