Contents
The bench press is one of the strength exercises that you can do if you want to improve your appearance and health, as well as build muscle strength.
There are many types of strength building workouts, but no other strength training exercise improves upper body strength as effectively as the bench press. This is a basic physical exercise that uses free weights. It is performed on a bench in a prone position with a barbell. The bar is lowered, touching the chest, and raised until the elbows are fully extended.
There are bench presses on a horizontal and vertical bench, with a wide and narrow grip.
Benefits of bench press
An analysis of more than 20 scientific articles and studies is provided to demonstrate the benefits of the bench press. This exercise has a number of advantages:
- increases the strength of the chest and arms;
- forms relief muscles;
- increases the overall strength of the press;
- improves overall health, fitness and functional strength;
- great for both men and women;
- easily modified to work with specific muscle groups;
- burns fat;
- There are several variations for any skill level.
Thus, bench press training is one of the strength exercises that you can do if you want to improve your appearance and build muscle strength. The bench press can be done on a flat bench, and it can also be tilted. Changing the angle of the bench and the width of the grip can affect which muscles are involved.
Bench press athletes participated in a study on muscle activation during exercise, and it showed that:
- triceps activation was 58,5 to 62,6%, regardless of bench press position;
- biceps brachii activation ranged from 48,3% to 68,7% on the incline bench press;
- narrow grip use can reduce biceps brachii activation by 25,9–30,5%.
Based on studies of people doing strength training, including bench presses, 3 times a week for a period of 6 months to 10 years, it can be concluded that this exercise provides:
- reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes by 34–65%;
- increase in bone density by 26,8–30,4%.
The bench press is beneficial for improving overall health because:
- strengthens the heart muscle;
- increases the intensity of the deposition of healthy fats;
- reduces the level of cholesterol in the body;
- reduces the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes;
- Regulates blood sugar levels by burning glucose without the need to release insulin.
Injuries and contraindications to training
- One of the most common bench press injuries occurs at the rotator cuff. To prevent shoulder pain, make sure your posture is correct.
- If your shoulders are not on the bench or stretched back, regardless of the incline, this will put a lot of pressure on the rotator cuffs. By pulling your shoulders back, you relieve pressure.
- Also try narrowing your grip, as studies have shown that the force on your shoulders is 1,5 times greater when you press with a wider grip than with a narrow grip.
- Basketball players have longer arms, which means they need a wider grip for a proper bench press. This position puts more stress on the muscles and joints. Longer arms mean you need to lift the bar higher to get the full effect of the bench press. And this means that a person bears the load for a longer period.
Performing a bench press exercise
- Lie down on a bench with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent.
- Keep your back straight, head up.
- Hold the bar in front of your chest.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Lower the bar down until it touches your upper chest.
- Pause, then lift the bar again.
- Repeat this movement until you reach your desired goal, rest and repeat again for the desired number of sets.