Bench Press
Explanation Of Bench Press
The bench press is a fundamental exercise that primarily targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. It's a compound movement requiring coordination of various muscle groups. Having a stable shoulder girdle and strong core is essential for proper execution. Or more simply put the process of lying on a bench and using our arms to moving a weight down to our chest and back up again.
Technical Considerations
Throughout each of the lifts there will be common technical considerations, we will highlight these early on before we start to learn and embed each movement with some highlighted below:
Bar Path: Just like with the squat and deadlift, maintaining a straight bar path is crucial in the bench press. If our starting position is incorrect or if we un-rack the bar too far forward, it can lead to an inconsistent bar path. This instability can cause us to lose tension, waste energy, and make the lift more challenging to execute. Ensuring a stable start position and controlling the movement of the bar throughout the lift will help maintain a consistent and efficient bar path.
Depth: Achieving proper depth in the bench press is essential for maximising strength and muscle development. While there are variations of the bench press that involve keeping the bar above the chest, failing to bring the bar into contact with the chest limits the range of motion and may reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. However, allowing the bar to rest completely on the chest can lead to a loss of tension. It's important to find a balance by bringing the bar to the chest without letting it rest, ensuring a full range of motion while maintaining tension throughout the lift.
Bouncing the Bar off the Chest: Bouncing the bar off the chest, known as a touch-and-go rep, occurs when the bar descends too quickly and rebounds off the chest as we approach lockout. This reduces muscle activation and tension, making it more difficult to achieve a strong lockout. To avoid this, it's essential to control the descent of the bar, pause momentarily on the chest, and then push upwards with controlled force. This approach helps maintain tension and control throughout the lift, promoting muscle and strength gains while reducing the risk of injury.
Elbow and Shoulder Issues: Improper technique and inadequate warm-up increase the risk of shoulder and elbow injuries, especially as we progressively increase the weight on the bar. It's important to prioritise proper technique and warm-up routines to protect these vulnerable joints. Focusing on improving rotator cuff mobility and strength, as well as maintaining correct technique and bar path, can help prevent elbow and shoulder issues while bench pressing.
Buttocks Leaving Bench: Keeping the buttocks in contact with the bench throughout the lift is essential for stability and safety. While it's common to use leg drive to complete heavier lifts, lifting the buttocks off the bench can lead to loss of tension and increase the risk of injury. By focusing on proper setup and technique, including maintaining buttock contact with the bench, we can minimise this risk and perform the bench press safely and effectively.
In the next section we will go through, ‘how to barbell benchpress’ and then will look at a practical application. By having the above in mine we will be able to proactively rectify any technical issues earlier on and before we start progressively overloading the bar with weight.