barbell for bench press

The barbell bench press is a classic exercise for the pectoral muscles. It is a free-weight bench press and has a better effect than fixed equipment. Therefore, after the pectoralis major and upper arm strength reach a certain level, it is best to use a barbell or dumbbell to perform the bench press, so as to get the perfect Pectoral muscles.

 

Pectoralis

 

The barbell bench press can increase the thickness of the pectoralis major muscle. There are three types of barbell bench press: bench barbell press, incline bench press, and decline bench press. They focus on different parts of the pectoralis major muscle. Others also involve the triceps and deltoids.

Not everyone is built to perform the traditional barbell bench press, so several variations have been created to ensure people can train this crucial movement pattern in a safe and comfortable way.

Some of these variations include:

Barbell Bench Press

Incline Barbell Press

Decline Barbell Press

Dumbbell Bench Press

 

How do you do a barbell bench press?

Bench Barbell Press

 

Bench Barbell Press

 

Action steps:

Standard action 1: Clamp the scapula

When many people do barbell bench presses, they think that they only need to raise and lower the barbell repeatedly, ignoring the standard nature of the exercise. As far as lifting is concerned, the standard method is to tighten the shoulder blades, that is, to sink the shoulders to better feel the strength of the chest muscles. The specific operation is to press the upper part of the back tightly. Bench press, and keep the shoulder blades tightened, don't relax for a moment, otherwise, it is easy to practice more round shoulders.

Standard action 2: Wrist neutral

How to hold a barbell with your wrist is also a problem that many people tend to ignore. Some people feel particularly uncomfortable in their wrists after doing a barbell bench press. This is because the action is not standard enough. The correct way is that when we hold the pole, the wrist is neutral, instead of the buckle in or out. This will damage the wrist joints over time. The worst grip is The way is to bend backward, which can easily cause sports injuries.

Standard action 3: The elbow is lower than the shoulder

Many people think that it is a straight-up and straight-down exercise when doing barbell bench presses. In fact, when we are falling, if we are completely straight up and down, the shoulders will definitely be abducted, which can easily cause damage to the shoulder joints. In order to avoid this situation, the standard action is that the elbow is slightly lower than the shoulder, and the barbell falls below the chest, which can protect the shoulder joint to the greatest extent.

Incline Barbell Press

 

Incline Barbell Press

 

 

The incline bench press has a very good effect on the upper pectoralis major and the deltoid anterior bundle of the pectoralis major, and it is also an indispensable exercise in the bench press.

Action steps:

  1. Lie on your back on a 30°-40° inclined board, with your feet on the ground, your entire back against the bench, and your chest and abdomen raised.
  2. palm up, hold the barbell with both hands, the grip can be wider.
  3. straighten up to support the barbell, slowly put it on the top of the chest (near the collarbone) and inhale at this time.
  4. When the barbell touches the chest, you can do a push-up movement, and exhale at this time.

Decline Barbell Press

 

Decline Barbell Press

 

The oblique barbell bench press can make the groove of the lower edge of the pectoralis major muscle more obvious. A small load press that lowers the barbell to the neck can properly stretch the pectoralis major muscle. The angle of descent determines the trajectory of movement. When the chair is head down, the inclination becomes larger, and the training focus gradually shifts down to the pectoral muscles.

Action steps:

  1. Lie on your back on a training chair tilted down by 20-40 degrees, with your head tilted down, your feet fixed to prevent your body from sliding down, your hands are slightly wider, and your forehand grip the barbell
  2. Slowly move the barbell down until it touches the lower chest;
  3. Lift the barbell vertically upwards until the elbows are tight.

 

What does the barbell bench press work?

The bench press can exercise our arm muscles, shoulder muscles, chest muscles, back muscles, and core muscles.

  1. Arm muscles: wrist, forearm, triceps, etc.
  2. Shoulder muscles: deltoid muscle, trapezius muscle, etc.
  3. Chest muscles: pectoralis major, serratus anterior, etc.
  4. Back muscles: latissimus dorsi, rhomboid muscles, etc.
  5. Core muscles: erector spinae, transverse abdominis, etc.

Training the barbell bench press can increase the muscle mass of the chest, stimulate the muscle mass of the chest, and have a stronger practical effect of muscle fitness, creating a perfect body of a trendy man.

Barbell Bench Press Tips

 

Barbell Bench Press IFAST

 

  • Skill first, weight second-if you are injured, no one cares how many stools you sit on.
  • Keep the barbell in line with your wrists and elbows and make sure it moves in a straight line. To keep your wrists straight, try to place the barbell as low as possible on the palm of your hand while still being able to wrap your thumb.
  • If you want to maintain more tension through the triceps and chest, stop each repetition before the top locks.
  • Don't worry about tightening your elbows too much. Most of these suggestions come from gear lifters who use suits. For some weightlifters, it may be advisable to retract slightly during the descent, but other weightlifters can use a great tip from Greg Nuckols to accomplish the same thing: "open and push."
  • Depending on your goals, arching may be desirable, but make sure that most of the arching comes from the upper middle back and not the lower back. If you cramp in your lower back while preparing to lift weights, you will be out of position and put yourself at risk of potential injury.
  • With each repetition, the barbell should touch your chest. If you want to overload a certain range of exercise, please study the board pressure or adjust the resistance with a chain or belt.
  • When the barbell is lowered, aim at your breastbone (sternum) or slightly below the length of your upper arm to promote a linear barbell path.
  • Intermediate and advanced weightlifters may use thumbless or "suicidal" grips, but for most weightlifters, it is wiser to first learn how to wrap their thumbs around a barbell and perform bench presses.
  • Overcome the urge to roll your wrist back and consider rolling your knuckles toward the ceiling.
  • Try the grip width-if you have longer arms, you may need to use a slightly wider grip. However, if you feel pressure on the front of your shoulders during the exercise, you may need to expand your grip, improve the contraction of the scapula, or slightly reduce the range of motion through exercises such as floor or board press.
  • Squeeze the barbell as tightly as possible to help increase shoulder stability.
  • Some weightlifters like to keep their toes retracted, while others like to keep their feet flat to optimize leg drive-experiment with both to see which one feels and allows more power.
  • Make sure that the shoulder blades remain contracted and do not allow them to change position when you press.
  • The barbell should descend under control and touch the lifter's chest without bouncing or excessive momentum.
  • Consider trying to push yourself away from the barbell instead of pushing the barbell away from you.
  • Throughout the weightlifting process, tightening your upper back should be one of your main priorities.
  • Ideally, use an observer to help lift up to maintain tension in the upper back.
  • Keep your feet quiet during the entire lifting process and use the leg drive by pushing your feet into the floor and squeezing your hips to stabilize your pelvis.
  • Focus on pulling the barbell away or try to "bend the barbell" to activate some of the internal stabilizers in the shoulders.
  • During the entire movement, the hips and shoulder blades should remain in contact with the bench.

Read More: How to do dumbbell bench press

IFAST Fitness many strength training equipment products, such as Olympic weight bumper platesweight lifting bar and adjustable weight bench. These equipments can meet your bench press needs!

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published.

This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.