Getting Better Results with the Bench Press
March 9, 2010 by admin
Filed under Body Building Featured, Body Building Tips
A bench press is a very basic and especially well-known strength building exercise. The real reason for practicing a bench press – besides simply the bragging rights – is to build strength in your pectoral muscles in addition to your triceps. A number of various stabilizing muscles get involved in the course of this movement, but those two sections benefit the most as a result of this one exercise. A great bench to look into is the Powertec WB-LS Workbench Leverage Gym.
The recommended technique for accomplishing a bench press depends on several simple motions, yet there are a few more details which the weightlifter will want to be aware of so as to avoid injury. You should start by lying supine on a bench, while keeping your feet firmly on the ground. The barbell must be hanging on pins directly overhead. You should press your shoulder blades together so as to use only the intended muscles during this exercise. After that, take hold of the bar with the hands equidistant from the center, and keep your elbows directly below your wrists. Unhook the barbell, bring it down steadily to your chest, then stop a moment and lift it back up. Move the bar up until your arms are straight and locked, then lower the bar again. Repeat as intended, then re-rack the barbell on the pins with your elbows locked.
The equipment called for to carry out bench presses is as simple as the method itself. A barbell combined with the normal collection of steel discs is a good starting point. Next, you should get a combination bench and support rack. A weight bench alone won’t do, since you will need a sturdy rack on which to hang a heavy barbell. Possibly the most important part of equipment to employ for bench pressing would be a spotter. A spotter is a person who is there to make sure you don’t drop several hundred pounds of weight on your face. You can get great results on the Powertec WB-LS Workbench Leverage Gym.
While we’re discussing safety, you should employ three main methods to avoid hurting yourself as you are doing a bench press. The first way is simply to be reasonable. Don’t ever lift more pounds than you are capable of. You’ll pick up on it rather quickly if you are about to do that, and at that point your spotter becomes incredibly useful. The second point is to be certain your position is stable. No area of your body needs to be unsupported, and there ought to be no potential for tilting sideways. Keeping your feet flat on the floor, your bottom against the bench and lifting a barbell rather than two dumbbells should keep you out of trouble. Finally, never “bounce” the bar off of your body at the base of the motion. Your rib cage is not designed for that sort of excitement.
A bench press has become a very common gym exercise, and it is also the exercise that produces many injuries. Bench presses permit your chest and arms to lift the biggest load of weight, so a bench press could be a effective body sculpting exercise in addition to a great incentive. Bragging rights could be a fairly effective motivator, too.
