bence press

[jerry1967]

what part of my bodyshould i work on so i can bench press more weight? i quess i am weak in this area and it is kind of embrassing.

[Troy1982]

That would be your chest and triceps.Edited by: Troy1982

[indianballer]

u need strong stabilizers so u should work on shoulders too

[RoaringMad Mac]

Brench press is just not a Chest and tris exercise. Back shoulders tris and chest all play a major role in a good solid Bench press.


A good rounded exercise program will definately help you attain those goals.


What does your program look like now.

[jerry1967]

I work on everthing from the waist up. But for my sizeI can not do a very good bence press. Smaller guys that look weaker than me can lift a lot more .

[kickboy]

I wanted to get my bench up and this worked for me. I’m one of the lean guys who does lots of reps. This is great for most of my goals but my bench was stuck. I complained to a friend who has been lifting for 15 years and is 52 years old. He told me if I wanted to increase strength to lift in the 4-6 rep range. He also recommended to warm up, and then go right to weight while my energy was high. He said if you can’t lift it 4 times it’s too heavy if I can get more than 6 go up.
Give us some details of your routine, which exercises and how many sets and reps you are used to. Working your whole body will help too when you hit legs you release natural stuff in your body that will help you get strong, you will also burn calories and tone the whole body.
Use correct form and get a spotter. A spotter can make or break a good set. You don’t want someone lifting the weight for you but just to be there if you are at the limit of what you can lift. Hope this will help. KICKBOY

[jerry1967]

how low do i go when i do a press? are my elbows supposed to go below my body or even with my body on the down cycle?

[kickboy]

I try to get my triceps parallel to the floor, but body type and size may affect this. If you go beyond parallel you may hyperextend the shoulder. For my size I bring the bar just below my nipples and just touch my chest with the bar. Avoid bouncing the bar off your chest; we cheat ourselves when we do this. My focus is on protecting my old shoulders and keeping the strain on my chest when I work bench. KICKBOY

[RoaringMad Mac]

Here is a link to the proper form on Bench Press


http://www.athleticadvisor.com/Weight_Room/bench_press.htm


Remeber to keep your upperbody tight throughout the movement. We all cheat ourselves of a good lift on Bench press because most people do it wrong. The let their feet fly everywhere and roll all over the bench.


The press is a combination of using the Pectoralis Major in conjunction with the front deltoids and back along with using the triceps and a finishing off and upward movement.


Actually grip the bar really tight like you are trying to strangle it. You will be surprised at how this helps in the lift. It forces you to keep everything tight and secure. Try this and let us know.

[n2jss]

That is an excellent post Mac. Really detailed.

[RoaringMad Mac]

Thanks I try were I am needed most of the time.

[sebastiank]

isnt it also bad to but ur elbows past 90 degrees because of ur joint??

[RoaringMad Mac]

Not sure I follow what you are saying. In the bench press your upward push and downward reisitance your elbows will always be at 90 degrees at some point in the movement.

[ss2handyman]

just do more bench work, i do once chest once a week, but do bench in the power rack, doing lock outs 5x5, then half bench 5x3, then full bench 4 x 10....Edited by: ss2handyman