Mastering The Bench Press
The Fundamentals
A big bench press is built by a few things
- Chest and Tricep development
- Technical Ability
- Calorie intake
- Bodyweight to height
lets dive into each area and fully break this down.
Chest And Tricep Development
Firstly we all know muscle is the foundation of any strength. You cannot leave muscle behind when it comes to building your bench.
So here's what I recommend, increase focus on Tricep isolations mainly two handed movements, these consist of
- Any two handed pushdown
- Skullcrushers
- Heavy close grip benches
- Overhead two handed extensions
Many people go light on these movements but I believe that they have the capability of being heavier even from 6 reps to 10 is a great range to really increase the extension strength and build muscle in the Tricep.
When it comes to chest Dumbbells are a fantastic way if done properly to build muscle in the chest while also crossing over to the standard bench press. Flyes are okay however they do not serve much functional purpose to the press except from building extra muscle tissue.
Your main focus here should be bringing up Dumbbell accessory movements along with other pressing variations, such as
- Larsen Press
- Incline Bench
- Dumbbell Presses
- Pause Bench
- Tempo Bench
Technical Ability
In my opinion, technical ability is the number one factor in how much you bench. The lack of technical ability will keep you far under your full potential. Here's what you need to know
Hand Position
Keeping to a solid grip position over hundreds and hundreds of sets will teach you how to be more efficient with that same grip. If you always change and mix up your grip you'll never truly master that position. If you can take them as wide as you can go without breaking elbow depth laws or efficiency in your ability to push. limiting your range of motion is a massive factor here.
Arching
Arching is something unfortunately we all have to do. Now for bigger lifters this may not be feasible. However a few factors still remain, you must...
- Keep shoulder blades fixed back as much as you can
- lift your chest to the bar to decrease bar travel
- Fill your ribcage with as much air as possible in order to keep a rigid structure
The better your arch the more power you'll be able to produce due to an advantage in leverage, however this comes at a cost of breaking IPF rules if you are not careful or aware of your elbow depth. The best lifters have mastered the ability to push this technique to its maximum
Foot Position
Its very overlooked but this can make or break your bench, many people just put feet down and let it rip, however have you ever thought how much more rigid of a frame you could press off if your feet were almost glued to the floor?
Wether you put your feet out wide or close and narrow make sure you're pushing them away from you and creating tension. Your legs should not be able to move.
Food Intake
You may not know it but your upper body lifts are the first to fall if your calorie intake for that day or even the day before is low. This does apply to all training however its far more noticeable. Make sure to keep in maintenance or 5% surplus to keep your strength levels up.
Bodyweight To Height
In powerlifting you will notice most weight classes are height classes in disguise. The shorter and heavier you are (lean) the better you will perform on the bench press. You will have shorter ranges of motions compared to your opponents and a higher muscle ratio in comparison to your counterparts.
Do not be afraid to get big, the right way obviously. Fat doesn't move weight.
Thanks for reading