Technique for performing bench presses.
The bench press is one of the most popular competitive movements. Athletes of many sports in the preparatory period use the bench press in their training.
The bench press is the second competitive exercise, so it is very important that the athlete in this exercise is able to further develop the success begun in the squats. If he manages to successfully solve this problem, then as a rule this is the key to victory in triathlon.
Let's start looking at the technique of performing the second competitive exercise of the bench press in the same way as in the squat by familiarizing yourself with the technical rules.
Bench press (rules and order of execution).
Reasons why weight lifted on a bench press does not count.
Bench press phases.
| Author | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4 | Phase 5 | Phase 6 | Phase 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Jamison (USA) | Position on the bench and eat pcs. from racks | Lowering the bar to the chest | Actually the bench press | ||||
| John Lear (Canada) | Position on the bench | Removing the bar from the racks | Preparing for the bench press | Lowering the bar to the chest | Actually the bench press | ||
| Theodor Arcidi (USA) | Position on the bench | Removing the bar from the racks | Preparing for the bench press | Lowering the bar to the chest | Actually the bench press | ||
| Charles Poliguin (USA) | Position on the bench | Removing the bar from the racks | Lowering the bar to the chest | The actual press Fixation of the apparatus | |||
| Rick Well(USA) /21/ | Preparatory part | Overclocking | Actually the bench press | We'll put the pressure on | |||
| Ostapenko Leonid (Russia) | Position on the bench, grip of the barbell | Removing the bar from the racks | Preparing for the bench press | Lowering the barbell to the chest | Fixing a pause | The actual barbell press | |
| Tsedov Roman (Russia) | Removing the bar from the racks | Waiting for the "Start" command | Lowering | Maintaining a “noticeable” pause | Squeezing | Waiting for the command to "stand" | Lowering the bar onto the racks |
| Sheiko Boris (Russia) | Acceptance of pre-launch position | Starting position (fixing the barbell with straight arms) | Lowering the barbell to the chest | Fixing a pause with a barbell on the chest | The actual bench press | Fixing the projectile in the final position | Returning the projectile to the racks |
As can be seen from the table, Russian powerlifting specialists, unlike foreign ones, break down the bench press technique into phases in more detail.
Below is a description of the phases of performing the bench press technique proposed by Honored Trainer of Russia B.I. Sheiko.
First phase- The pre-launch position technique consists of:
A) the athlete’s position on the bench (back arch, leg placement);
When positioned on a bench, the athlete should try to arch his back as much as possible, keeping his shoulders and buttocks in contact with the bench. (see photos 1,2,3) Since January 2001, technical rules have allowed lifting your head off the bench.
The more the athlete arches his back, the shorter the distance of the barbell, the less physical effort the athlete will have. Moreover, the height of the bridge can only be limited by flexibility in the lumbar and thoracic regions athlete, since the height of the bridge is not limited by the competition rules. In this case, you should try to “pull” your shoulders as close to the pelvis as possible. The athlete’s first point of support in this position is the neck and trapezius, the shoulder blades should be brought together and should not touch the bench, the shoulders should be lowered as far as possible. The muscles of the legs and back are in a tense state, the pelvis should touch the bench but not rest on it ( see photo 3), the second fulcrum is the athlete’s legs. At this moment, it is very important at what height the bar is located; it should lie on the racks at such a height at which the athlete could accept the bar from the assistant without breaking the bridge. If the barbell lies high on the racks, the athlete will have to reach for it and the deflection in his lower back will decrease, which will increase the length of the press. If the barbell is in a low position on the racks, the athlete will not be able to bend to its full extent and will have difficulty removing the barbell from the racks.
b) barbell grip;
The fingers should wrap around the bar lying on the racks, with the thumbs positioned “locked” around the bar.
Athletes mainly use two grips: wide 81 cm, the maximum allowed by the competition rules, in which the main load falls on pectoral muscles s and medium grip 70-75 cm wide, which more strongly involves the triceps and deltoid muscles, depending on the length of the arms and the strength potential of the athlete’s pectoral muscles. Because people have different body measurements, limb lengths, and strength areas, the ideal grip width may be different for everyone. But nevertheless, the axiom is the same for everyone: the wider the grip of the hands (but not more than 81 cm), the shorter the path of movement of the barbell from the chest and, as a result, the weight produced by the athlete physical labor will be smaller and vice versa, the narrower the grip of the hands, the longer the path of movement of the barbell, and the physical work performed will be greater.
We also must not forget that the wider the grip of the hands, the greater the load placed on the pectoral muscles, and the narrower the grip, the more the triceps and deltoid muscles are loaded. Anterior lobe deltoid muscles should be below the line of the pectoral muscles.
Due to the fact that athletes have different body parameters, limb lengths and strength areas, the ideal grip width is strictly individual and may be different for everyone.
V) remove the bar from the racks.
The lifting of the barbell is carried out by the athlete independently or with the help of assistants. IN Lately for everyone international competitions in 99.9% of cases, one assistant in the center helps to remove the barbell. Receiving the barbell from the assistant from the racks, the athlete slightly raises the pelvis, brings the barbell forward and lowers it as far as possible with straight arms, by bringing the shoulder blades together and lowering the shoulders down, then lowers the pelvis until it touches the bench.
G) position of the legs.
The feet should be placed as close as possible to the vertical projection of the pelvic girdle. The leg muscles are in a tense state. The athlete must stand on his feet and only touch the bench with his buttocks ( see photo3). This practice helps stabilize the entire body, and the muscles involved work more efficiently. Wide-legged positions are just as common as close-legged positions, but both positions involve elements of closing the body on the bench.
Second phase- The starting position consists of:
A) fixing the barbell on straight arms until the senior judge’s command “start” - (“stat”).
After receiving the barbell from the assistant, the athlete fixes the barbell in a stationary state with the arms fully extended. elbow joints hands and waits for the senior judge’s signal “start” (“stat”).
Third phase- lowering the barbell to the chest.
After the senior judge’s signal, the athlete lowers the barbell to his chest. Lowering the barbell to the lower edge of the pectoral muscles should be carried out relatively slowly, with full control of the tension of all muscle groups involved in the movement. In this case, the athlete makes a counter movement with his chest towards the bar, without lifting the support points of the body from the bench. The angle between the shoulder and the torso is approximately 45 degrees both when lowering the barbell and when pressing. Lowering the barbell to the chest and pressing from the chest is performed while holding the breath.
Fourth phase- fixation of the pause with the barbell on the chest.
After receiving the signal from the senior judge, the athlete must lower the barbell to his chest and hold it in a stationary position on his chest with a certain and visible pause. Standing still means stopping.
Fifth phase- The bench press itself consists of:
A) lifting the barbell from the chest;
After the barbell has visibly stopped on the chest, the athlete puts maximum effort into the muscles that directly perform the press - the pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps and lats. With the so-called "chest" style of pressing, the shoulders of the arms should be perpendicular to the body, while taking maximum advantage of the inclusion of the anterior deltoid muscles in the work. When performing a “triceps” press, the elbows should be shifted somewhat closer to the body; the initial impulse to lift the barbell from the chest is also given by the latissimus dorsi muscles, moving the athlete’s shoulder joints forward. With the “chest” style, the bar moves almost vertically with a slight deviation towards the racks, with the “triceps” style - deviating backwards from the vertical plan. A powerful exhalation is made in the upper third of the press, almost when pressing with straight arms. Some athletes, when lowering the barbell to their chest, tense their pectoral muscles and relax their arm muscles a little. They explain this by saying that this is necessary to ensure a sharp release from the chest, a small acceleration, which is achieved by relaxing and then sharply tensing the latissimus dorsi muscles with the immediate involvement of the pectoral muscles, deltoids and triceps. Other athletes, placing the barbell on the chest, do not relax the muscles of the arms, so they cannot sharply tear the barbell from the chest. When an athlete rips the barbell from the chest, the movement at this moment should go from the legs (by tensing them) towards the head, but in no case upwards, otherwise the pelvis will be torn from the chest benches. .
The bar should move approximately vertically upward, with a slight slope towards the racks. Try to ensure that the bar does not move strictly vertically upward or towards the legs, this excludes the deltas from working.
Postgraduate student at Kuban State Academy physical culture R.A. Tsedov videotaped athletes at competitions at a frequency of 25 frames per second. In the process of processing the video recording using a computer and a package of specialized programs, 12 trajectories were obtained and the frame-by-frame horizontal and vertical movements of the CTS were calculated.
As a result of a visual analysis of the resulting 12 graphs of the CTS trajectories, R.A. Tsedov chose the fact of intersection of the trajectories of the vertical lifting phase drawn through the CTS at the beginning of the lowering phase as a distinctive feature allowing to classify various bench press executions. Due to this fact, all trajectories of R.A. Tsedov divided into 3 groups.
To the first group he includes trajectories that do not intersect the vertical ( Fig.1), to the second group - trajectories that intersect the vertical once ( Fig.2), to the third group - trajectories crossing the vertical twice ( Fig.3).
The type of trajectory of the TSP when lifting the bar is significantly influenced by the trajectory of the TSP when lowering it. Group 1 trajectories are observed when the athlete is in the descending phase in the NE section ( Fig.1) places the projectile excessively forward and down. Then, due to the elasticity of additionally stretched muscles in the 3rd phase during lifting (section VA), the CTS has a relatively vertical trajectory that does not intersect the vertical of the starting position SE.
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| Fig 1. Trajectory graph of group I CTS | Fig 2. Trajectory graph of group II CTS | Fig 3. Trajectory graph of group III CTS |
Consequently, the boundary position (BP) between the 2nd and 3rd phases (C), compared to that between the 5th and 6th phases (A), is closer to the head relative to the athlete’s body.
Group II trajectories are observed in the case when the athlete has difficulty overcoming the “dead spot” in the lifting phase (section BA in Fig. 2), which is associated with the approach of the CTS trajectory to the vertical of the starting position SE and its intersection at point D. In this case The GP between the 2nd and 3rd phases is located further from the head relative to the athlete’s body, compared to the GP between the 5th and 6th phases.
The trajectories of group III, according to R.A. Tsedov, are associated with the fact that the athlete at the beginning of the lifting phase (section VA in Fig. 3) has lost the elastic impulse due to long delay at the “dead point” (section BF), energetically lifts the barbell forward and upward, which predetermines the repeated intersection of the vertical starting position CE at point D. In this case, the ratio of GP (C) and (A) coincides with group 1.
V) passing the "dead point";
When analyzing the graphs made by R.A. Tsedov in the 5th phase (see Table 2), a “stumbling threshold” (hereinafter “dead point”) was identified - the most inconvenient area for the manifestation of active muscle strength athlete This zone is one of the main factors limiting sports performance ( Fig.4). The section of the graph enclosed between verticals A and B is the indicated zone.
Correlation analysis showed that the height and time of manifestation of the “dead spot” for each athlete is purely individual. Their values depend on: the qualifications of the athlete, gender, the percentage of the weight of the equipment to the individual maximum result in the bench press. It has been established that with increasing qualifications of athletes, in competitive conditions, a more pronounced “dead point” is observed. This fact is probably due to the weight of the projectile approaching the record result of a certain athlete.
The time for the manifestation of this zone from the GP between the 4th and 5th phases (see Table 2) averages 0.4 - 1.2 s. Depending on the anthropometric characteristics of the lifter, the distance from the chest at this time is 11 - 18 cm. /14/
G) we'll put the pressure on.
During the final part of the press, approximately in the upper third of the press, it is recommended to make a powerful, sharp exhalation. Straightening your arms at the elbows should occur simultaneously.
Sixth phase- fixing the barbell in the final position with straight arms, until the senior judge’s command “on the racks” - (“rack”).
After full and simultaneous straightening of the arms, the athlete fixes the barbell in a stationary position and waits for the senior judge’s signal “on the racks” (rack).
Seventh phase- returning the bar to the racks (after the senior judge’s command “to the racks” - (“rack”).
After the signal from the senior judge, the athlete returns the barbell to the racks independently or with the help of assistants by shifting the center of gravity of the projectile, located in the straightened arms, back, behind the vertical projection of the athlete’s eyes.
A frame-by-frame breakdown of the bench press technique was done by the Honored Trainer of Russia, senior coach of the Russian junior team I. G. Derevyanko.
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Receiving the bar from an assistant. After the assistant released the barbell, Jennifer brought the barbell forward a little more and stopped it against the lower part of the pectoral muscles.
As we can see, Mile arched her back and rests on two points: the first is her neck and trapezius, and the second is her legs. The pelvis only touches the bench. The heels are maximally pulled up to the vertical projection of the pelvic girdle. The athlete fixed the barbell in a motionless state, with her arms straightened at the elbow joints, waiting for the senior judge’s “start” signal.
In frames 3 and 4 You can see how Mile, when lowering the barbell onto his chest, makes a counter movement with his chest towards the barbell, without lifting his pelvis from the bench.
The deflection of the “bridge” has reached its maximum ( see frame 5.), legs are tense, the pelvis barely touches the bench, the athlete seems to be on her feet. In this position, she made a visible stop of the barbell on her chest ( see frame 6.).
After the barbell stops on the chest, the athlete makes a maximum explosive effort with the muscles of the upper shoulder girdle. The barbell is lifted from the chest using the pectoral, deltoid, triceps and latissimus muscles ( see frames 7 and 8). The initial impulse (movement) at this moment comes from the legs towards the head.
The most difficult moment of the bench press has arrived, passing the “dead point” ( see frame 9). The athlete, by concentrating volitional and muscular efforts, successfully passed the “dead point” zone and presses the barbell until her arms are fully straightened ( see frames 10 and 11). Please note that the higher the barbell, the smaller the height of the athlete’s “bridge” becomes. This suggests that she seems to be moving her body away from the bar.
After full and simultaneous straightening of the arms, the athlete fixes the barbell in a stationary state and waits for the senior judge’s signal “to the racks.” ( see frame 12.)
Back in touch again. Welcome to the New Year! Today we will talk about the bench press wide grip.
After reading, you will learn everything about the muscle atlas, the advantages and technique of performing the exercise, and we will also find out the degree of its effectiveness and analyze some practical points.
So, make yourself comfortable, let's begin.
Bench press with a wide grip. What, why and why?
In almost any gym Monday is a bench press day for the male population there. And the locomotive exercise is the classic - bench press horizontal bench. As you know, AB resource stands for diversity training activities, and therefore quite often we offer our audience, you, non-standard exercises or various tricks/ideas on how else you can work out a muscle group. And today we will talk about the classic barbell press, but with a non-classical hand width.
Let's go find out what's what.
Note:
For better assimilation of the material, all further narration will be divided into subchapters.
Muscle atlas
The exercise belongs to the basic/compound class and is aimed at working out the chest.
The muscle ensemble includes the following units:
- targeted – large chest (sternal head);
- synergists – pectoralis major (clavicular head), front delta, triceps;
- dynamic stabilizers – biceps (short head).
Full muscle atlas presents the following picture:
Advantages
By performing the bench press exercise with a wide grip, you can expect to receive the following benefits:
- inclusion more(larger area of muscle fiber involvement) main and assisting muscles;
- shift of emphasis to the outer edges of the pectorals;
- more “deep”, but short (compared to standard, shoulder-width grip) range of motion;
- increased chest strength;
- increase in working weight compared to the classic version;
- increase muscle mass breast;
- development of chest width;
- shaping a more contoured bust (relevant for women).
Execution technique
The wide-grip bench press is an exercise of medium difficulty. Step-by-step technique execution looks like this:
Step #0.
Go to a horizontal bench and lie down on it, squeeze your shoulder blades together, bend slightly in the middle of your lower back until an arch forms, press your feet firmly into the floor and statically tense your abs. Using a wide grip (wider than shoulder width), grab the barbell on the racks. Remove the projectile and fixate at the top point.
This is your starting position.
Step #1.
As you inhale, slowly and under control lower the barbell down until it touches the middle of your chest. Stay at the bottom of the trajectory for 1-2 count and then, as you exhale, powerfully squeeze the projectile vertically upward, returning the bar to the IP. Repeat the specified number of times.
In picture form, all this disgrace looks like this:
In motion like this:
Variations
In addition to the standard wide bench press, there are several variations of the exercise:
- press at an angle down/up;
- lying on the floor;
- reverse grip;
- in a Smith machine.
Secrets and subtleties
To get the most out of the exercise, follow these guidelines:
- during the movement, focus on pressing the weight exclusively through the chest (large chest) muscles;
- to increase shoulder stability, squeeze the barbell as hard as possible;
- slowly and controlledly lower the projectile down and squeeze up powerfully and explosively;
- avoid inertia – the barbell bouncing off your chest;
- at the lowest point of the trajectory, pause for 1-2 counts to further stretch the pecs;
- while performing the movement, do not move your back on the bench/climb;
- Squeeze your buttocks and plant your feet firmly on the floor to stabilize your pelvis;
- remember, if you have long limbs, then your grip will be wider;
- when lifting heavy weights, resort to the help of a belay partner and the use of a weightlifting belt;
- Before working approaches, warm up the deltas and, in particular, the rotator cuff;
- breathing technique: inhale - when lowering the projectile down, exhale - when going up;
- numerical training parameters: number of approaches 3 , number of repetitions – 8-12 .
We're done with the theoretical side, now let's look at some practical points.
Is the wide grip bench press a dangerous exercise for the shoulders? Why is it worth doing?
If we compare all types of presses in terms of the grip used in them, then research published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal (USA, 2016 ) they say the following. When athletes use a wide grip barbell bench press, the amount of torque in the shoulders is 1.5 times higher compared to a standard grip. The report also states that shoulder injuries in the wide-grip press are more related to the use of excessively heavy weights and improper technique than to the use of the grip itself.
Conclusion: The closer your grip is to shoulder width, the safer the movement. However, a wide grip allows you to lift the weight by 5-7% more (data from the study "Journal of Applied Biomechanics", USA, 1992 ) than other types of presses. It can be practiced periodically, but two mandatory requirements must be observed: 1) select the correct working weight and 2) work no more than once a week (without using other pressing exercises that day) and no more 2-3 -x times in a row.
Actually, that’s all to the point, let’s move on to...
Afterword
IN New Year we come in with a technical note on the wide grip bench press. I am sure that this exercise will take its rightful place in your toolkit for changing yourself. It is so?
PS: What types of presses do you use?
PPS: did the project help? Then leave a link to it as your status social network- plus 100 points towards karma guaranteed :)
With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.
In short:
Lie down on the bench so that the bar is exactly at eye level. Arch your back - stick your chest up, squeeze your shoulder blades back. You must lie on your shoulder blades. Don't lift your butt off the bench. The back should be curved in the form of an arch - an open palm should freely pass under the lower back. Place your feet on the floor shoulder-width apart under your hips. The feet are on the floor with the entire surface of the foot. Fix your shoulder blades, butt, feet, they should not move anymore.
Grab the barbell without lifting your shoulder blades from the bench. Wrap your fingers around it in a ring - thumb must be opposed to the rest. Do not arch your hands - the fist and forearm are located in one straight line.
Remove the barbell, taking a deep breath, hold your breath and straighten your arms - the bar will rise above the rack holders at your eye level. The shoulder blades should not move from under you, they are brought together as before, and you lie on them. Now, with straight arms, slowly move it forward above you. It should be above the level shoulder joints. Your arms should be vertical when viewed from the side. From this position the barbell will lower to your chest.
Lower the bar on the chest, approximately in the middle. Do not lower the bar vertically, it should move down and slightly forward. At the lowest point, the elbows are moved away from the body at an angle of 75°. Do not spread them apart at right angles - this will injure the ligaments of the shoulder joint. At the lowest point, the forearms should be vertical.
Press the barbell up from the chest until the arms become straight. Fully extend your elbows. At the top point, the bar should be above your shoulder level. Exhale. Take a deep breath, repeat the previous point.
Now let's look at the bench press in detail, in all its nuances.
Head
Position yourself on the bench so that the barbell is at eye level. In this case, your shoulders will be at the optimal distance from the mounts on which the barbell rests: not too close to them, so that the rack does not interfere with lifting the barbell upward, and not too far away, so that the barbell does not have to be moved over your head for a long distance.
During the bench press, do not rest your head on the bench, this can lead to neck pain. Instead, tense your neck and lift your head slightly off the bench until your hair barely touches it.
Keep your head in neutral position, do not tilt it back or lift it to watch the bar go down. You should feel the bar touching your chest as it comes down.
Shoulders
Shoulders, like shoulder blades, should not come off the bench. Do not raise your shoulders at the top of the press - this will increase the distance of the barbell and reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. The shoulders, together with the shoulder blades, form a stable, stable base for performing the press. If you cannot remove the barbell from the rack without lifting your shoulders off the bench, then you should position it lower or ask a spotter to help you remove the barbell.
The shoulders should not move at all, they are glued to the bench. If you lift your shoulders off the bench, you relieve tension from the pectoral muscles. By doing this, you reduce the effectiveness of the bench press and it loses its meaning. Moreover, the mobility of the shoulders during the press will sooner or later inevitably lead to injury and shoulder pain.
shoulder blades
Correct fixation of the shoulder blades is 50% of success in the bench press. The shoulder blades should be forcefully drawn together and pushed down. You have to lie on them. When removing the barbell, you press your shoulder blades and shoulders tightly into the bench and they should not move anywhere. They are pressed against the bench by a barbell. This is very important, without bringing together and fixing the shoulder blades correct bench press It won’t work with an emphasis on the pectoral muscles. Insufficient fixation of the shoulder blades also leads to elevation of the shoulders above the bench
Throughout the bench press, your shoulder blades should be firmly drawn together. Imagine trying to squeeze a pencil between them. Don't lie on a bench like a sofa. The shoulder blades, like the entire back, should be in constant tension.
Poor scapular support is one of the two main causes of shoulder pain after bench pressing. The second is raising the elbows to the sides, which we will discuss below.
Breast
Lying on a bench, lift your chest up towards the ceiling. You should kind of stick it out, make your chest a “wheel”. This will shorten the vertical path of the barbell - by bringing the chest (bottom point) closer to the top point of the exercise. This will also shorten the horizontal path of the barbell - by bringing the chest closer to the shoulder joints. The chest lift activates the maximum muscle fibers of the pectoral muscles, because... they begin to be positioned more vertically.
The flat chest bench press increases the distance the barbell travels. This reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. This can also lead to injury to the shoulder joints due to an increase in the horizontal stroke of the barbell.
Lifting your chest and arching your back is not cheating, but don't lift your butt off the bench.
Back
Lying on a bench, arch your back in an arch, a bridge. Lean on the bench with your shoulder blades and gluteal muscles. Don't get off your butt! The lower back is raised above the bench so that you can place your palm under it on the bench. When bench pressing, the spine does not experience a vertical axial load, as during squats or deadlifts, during which it is strictly forbidden to change the physiological curves of the spine, so arching the back during the bench press is completely safe.
The pictures in this article and most of the text are taken from the bench press manual from stronglifts.com
At the same time, there is no need to overextend. This can cause lower back pain; those who are especially diligent can even dislodge the intervertebral disc. Your task is to lift your chest up and press your shoulder blades into the bench, arch your back just enough to achieve this, but no more.
Back
During the bench press, your butt must be firmly pressed against the bench, otherwise the repetition will not count. Lifting your butt off the bench is cheating because it pushes your chest beyond the limit and significantly reduces the bar's range of motion. Also, raising your butt can lead to dangerous hyperextension of the spine.
Legs
The bench press is performed with your feet on the floor. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, placing your full foot on the floor. Don't lift your heel. The entire foot should be on the floor. The heel is located under the knee or slightly behind the knee. The shins should be vertical, perpendicular to the floor.
With your feet in place, place them on the floor as if you were trying to move the bench back. The weight of the bar pressing your shoulder blades and shoulders into the bench will prevent you from moving backward. During the bench press, your legs don’t just stand on the floor, you actively rest on them, they are constantly tense. Once your feet are in place, don't move them any more, don't move them during the press.
Grip
You need to wrap all your fingers around the barbell in a ring. That is, the thumb must be opposed to the rest. When bench pressing, it is strictly forbidden to use a monkey grip (when the thumb is on the same side of the bar with the rest). With a monkey grip, nothing prevents the barbell from sliding down; no one is safe from this.
The bench press is the only barbell exercise that can kill you on the spot if safety precautions are not followed. Every year in the United States, several deaths are reported as a result of using a monkey grip when bench pressing (you can Google “Bench Press accident”). People are really dying. Straight to death, no joke. Dozens of others remain deeply disabled. Imagine what happens to a person when a barbell with a working weight falls on his neck or nose. Not a single belayer will have time to react. By the time the ambulance arrives, the body will already have cooled down. Never use a monkey grip on the bench press.
The opposing thumb effectively prevents the bar from slipping. Grasp the barbell tightly in the ring with all your fingers, and it will not move anywhere.
In order for the bench press to be effective, you need to squeeze the barbell very tightly, with all your strength. Imagine that you want to leave a clear imprint of every millimeter of the skin of your hands and fingers. Squeeze the barbell as you would a dynamometer.
When bench pressing, it is recommended to use a “bulldog grip”. It is so called because of the oblique position of the hands, similar to the clubfoot position of the front paws of a bulldog. With this grip, the barbell is located low in the palm, at its base. The bar crosses the palm not perpendicularly, but at an angle. See the picture.
The bulldog grip on the bench press has several benefits. The low position of the bar in the palm ensures that the hand does not bend back under the weight of the barbell. Axial load falls directly on the bones of the forearm, this relieves tension from the hand and prevents its hyperextension. The bulldog grip “straightens” the hands, placing them in line with the forearm. At the bottom of the exercise, this grip allows you to keep your forearms vertical without experiencing discomfort.
Most cases of hand and wrist pain when bench pressing go away when using the bulldog grip.
Grip width
Grip width will vary from person to person. It should be such that at the bottom of the exercise, when the bar touches the chest, the forearms are vertical when viewed from behind.
In order to determine the optimal grip width for you, take an empty bar (or any straight stick, plastic pipe PVC, mop, bodybar). Lie down on the bench and lower the bar to your chest. Now look to the right and left, at the position of your forearms. Adjust your grip width so that your forearms are vertical at the bottom of the exercise (perpendicular to the floor). Always use this grip width when bench pressing.
With such a grip width, when viewed from behind, at the top point of the exercise, the straightened arms will seem to diverge to the sides at an angle from the shoulders. This is normal, this is how it should be. To prevent this position of your forearms from “breaking out” your hands, use a bulldog grip.
Elbows
As you lower the barbell from the top position onto your chest, bring your elbows toward your body. At the lowest point they should not stick out to the sides at an angle of 90°. This perpendicular position of the elbows leads to damage to the ligaments of the shoulder joint. This poor technique is a common cause of shoulder pain after bench pressing. If a person complains of shoulder pain after bench pressing, I'm willing to bet that he flared his elbows too far out to the sides.
At the bottom of the bench press, your elbows should be moved away from your body so that between humerus and the body formed an angle of approximately 75°. This position of the hands is ideal for distributing the force of the pectoral muscles and completely eliminates injury to the shoulder joint.
At the same time, do not press your arms too close to your body, as this will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.
To determine the angle of your elbows that is ideal for you, focus on the position of your forearms. At the bottom of the exercise, your forearms should be vertical (plumb/perpendicular to the floor) both when viewed from behind and from the side. Record yourself on video from behind and from the side, watch, draw conclusions, correct mistakes.
The barbell is lifted from the chest until the arms are fully extended at the elbows. Otherwise, the repetition does not count.
Forearms
At the lowest point of the exercise, the forearms are positioned vertically (perpendicular to the floor) when viewed from behind (from the head of the bench). Forearms tucked toward the head indicate a narrow grip and a redistribution of the load from the pectoral muscles to the triceps. Forearms that slope to the sides indicate an overly wide grip, which can hurt your shoulders and be painful on your hands.
If you look from the side, then at the bottom point of the press the forearms should be relaxed in the same way - perpendicular to the floor, vertically. Moreover, the brush should be on the same line with them, be their continuation. This takes the load off the hands and prevents them from hyperextending backwards.
Removing the bar from the rack
Take the correct position on the bench, arch your back, squeeze your shoulder blades tightly together, grab the barbell, take a deep breath, hold your breath - and you are ready to remove the barbell.
Straighten your elbows. The bar will rise above the rack holders. Now slowly, with straight arms, move it a little forward so that it is exactly above your shoulders. You will feel the desired position - in this position it is very easy to hold the barbell, because your arms are straightened, and the weight is not held by static (isometric) muscle contraction, but simply lies passively on your bones, installed vertically in a column (forearm bones and humerus).
This position of the barbell—exactly above your shoulder joints—is the starting and ending point of the barbell's trajectory. Find some landmark on the ceiling that corresponds to this position of the rod. From here the barbell begins to move downwards and here it returns at the end of the lift. This position of the bar will allow you to take short breaks between repetitions to exhale and inhale.
When removing the barbell, the shoulder blades should not diverge, and the shoulders should not come off the bench. If you cannot reach the bar without lifting your shoulder blades, set it lower.
When you grab the barbell before removing it, your arms should be slightly bent at the elbows. If your arms are straight even before you remove the bar, then it is located high, set it lower.
Moving Down
Start the downward movement by bending your elbows. As you lower the barbell to your chest, bring your elbows toward your body. Do not spread them apart at right angles, but do not touch your body with your elbows.
At the bottom of the exercise, the elbows should be moved away from the body to the sides at an angle of approximately 75°.
The barbell should go through the full range of motion - from the top point with straight arms to touching the chest. If at the bottom of the bench press the bar does not touch the chest, the repetition does not count. Reducing the amplitude reduces the effectiveness of the exercise and turns off most of the fibers from work. If you cannot perform the full range of motion, take less weight.
Low point of the exercise
For most people, the lowest point of range of motion on the bench press will be around the middle of the chest (sternum). This will depend on your build, grip, etc.
To determine the place on the chest where the barbell should fall specifically in your case, use your forearms as a guide. At the bottom of the exercise, when the elbows are abducted to 75°, the forearms should be vertical both when viewed from behind and from the side. Take a video of yourself from behind and from the side, determine the desired position of your forearms. The place where the barbell is located on the chest when the forearms are vertical is the optimal position of the barbell at the lowest point. This is the point where the barbell should be lowered on every rep.
There is no need to pause at the bottom point, try to use the muscle stretch reflex (). Touch the barbell to your chest and immediately push it up.
At the same time, make sure that the bar does not bounce off your chest. If it hits your chest and bounces up due to shock absorption from the chest, then you are lowering it too quickly. This is dangerous and ineffective.
Rod movement trajectory
An important point that many people don't understand, which leads to most bench press problems.
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So, the inclined trajectory of the barbell is the safest and most effective from the point of view of anatomy and physiology. Therefore, you cannot do the bench press on a Smith machine. The rigidly fixed vertical stroke of the bar forces the shoulder joint to work in a pathological, unnatural manner for it, and, moreover, under load. This leads to constant trauma to the ligaments of the shoulder joint, chronic inflammation, pain in the shoulder, and sharply increases the risk of shoulder injuries when performing other exercises. Never bench press on a Smith machine. Just like any other bench press or deadlift.
Secrets of an effective bench press
Many people have problems with the growth of their pectoral muscles, they complain that the muscles do not respond to training. In order for the muscle to be maximally involved in the work, you need to not just try to push the barbell up, but do it with the pectoral muscles. There are several tricks for this.
Think about what pushing yourself into the bench, not the barbell up. Imagine that you need to move a cabinet that is next to the wall. You lean your back against the closet and push yourself away from the wall with your hands. Do the same thing during the bench press. This will help keep your shoulder blades retracted and your shoulders from lifting off the bench.
There is a very old and very effective trick for activating the pectoral muscles. When you push a barbell, imagine that you are trying bend it into an arc, how to make an arch out of it, like strongmen in a circus bending rods. Squeeze the bar as hard as you can and try to sort of turn your fists with the bones facing outwards, imagine that you are bending the barbell. It is clear that the bar will not bend, but this action will immediately involve the entire volume of the pectoral muscles in the work.
At the same time, try to bring your hands together above the chest. Naturally, your hands should not move a millimeter on the barbell, but you should transfer this force to your fists when holding the barbell. To understand what I'm talking about, raise your hands, bring your open palms together in front of you and try to squeeze them with all your might. Can you feel your pectoral muscles working?
When you push the barbell up, spread your elbows, they must remain under the bar. If you don't flare your elbows out to the sides during the upward movement, they will be in front of the bar, which will shift the emphasis to the triceps. The triceps cannot effectively press the working weight designed for the pectoral muscles.
Installing the rod on the rack
Do not rush. At the end of the last repetition, fully straighten your elbows. Pause while holding the barbell above your shoulders.
After making sure that you hold the barbell firmly and confidently above your shoulders with straight arms, slowly move it horizontally back until it rests against the rack. The bar rests against the rack, it is located directly above the rack holders. Now bend your elbows and lower the barbell onto the mounts.
Some people try to rack the barbell at the end of the last rep, immediately moving it back in an arc. This is a gross violation of safety regulations. At the end of the set, your arms are tired and cannot support the weight of the barbell if your elbows are bent. Straighten your arms completely - this will take the load off the arm muscles, the weight will rest on the bones placed in a column, and you can easily and safely move it back to the rack. As soon as you feel that the bar has rested against the rack, bend your elbows and lower the barbell onto the mounts.
Breath
Take a deep breath at the top of the exercise with the barbell held straight above your shoulders. Squeeze your shoulder blades tightly together, arch your back, press your butt, hold your breath. Lower the bar. Don't exhale on the way down or at the bottom of the press, otherwise rib cage“deflates”, the chest goes down, the effectiveness of the exercise decreases.
As you lift the barbell back to the starting position above your shoulders, exhale and inhale again. You can do this several times before the next repetition if necessary. Try to breathe as if halfway, so that the air does not come out completely, and the rigidity of the structure does not decrease.
Over time, when you start doing bench presses with heavier weights, you will find it more convenient to do several repetitions on one inhalation, without exhaling during a pause. Experienced athletes often use this technique, doing the first 2-3 repetitions in one breath. But while you are just starting to train with a barbell, learn the correct and safe technique - breathe between repetitions.
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The barbell grip has a lot of nuances that allow you to load different areas of the same muscles. The wide grip bench press, for example, is considered basic exercise, since it involves a large number of muscle groups, allowing you to lift Weight Limit in this position. But it is not the only and correct one.
Effect of arm length
Roughly speaking, there is no such thing as a single correct grip for the bench press, since it will differ depending on your goals and individual characteristics.
For example, the width of your grip depends in part on the length of your arms.
The longer a person's arms, the more work he will have to do to move the bar from the chest to straight arms. The length of the arms also affects the distance between the palms when gripping. The relationship here is direct - the longer the arm, the farther the hands on the bar will be from each other.
This is explained simply: when a person presses a barbell in the classic version, he must bend his elbows 90 degrees in the starting position. It turns out that the distance between the palms clearly depends on the length of the arms from shoulder to elbow. The width of the chest also affects what the grip will be, but only slightly.
Width of brush placement
The best known exercises are the wide-grip barbell bench press, the medium-grip bench press, and the last option with a narrow grip.
Let us remember that the basic bench press with an emphasis on the pectoral muscles is done with a wide grip, an intermediate version in which the load is distributed between the chest and arms is done with a medium grip, and the triceps or inner chest is pumped with a narrow grip.
On a classic bar weighing 20 kg there are grooves (marks) that determine the place of the index or any other fingers.
The width of the grip in the bench press is determined, firstly, by the goal (which muscles you are pumping), and secondly, by the length of your arms. To get the barbell you really need, use an empty bar first.
With the classic bench press. Lie down under the apparatus, position yourself on the bench so that your eyes are exactly under the bar. Now place your hands on the barbell in the area of the marks. Do the bench press several times and determine the most comfortable position for your hands. Remember which fingers are at risk. This will allow you to start working with the projectile right away next time.
The index finger, ring finger, or any other finger may be at risk. Your task is to grasp it so that your arms do not move apart, but it is also comfortable for your elbows to move apart. For example, with a height of 187 cm, I’m at risk with my middle finger. When I'm tired - nameless. For those who are shorter, the risk is located under the ring finger or little finger. In general, see for yourself.
When bench pressing with a close grip, it is important to grip the bar so that the bar maintains balance and does not fall to either side. The approximate distance between the hands is 20–30 cm. During the movement, your elbows will be brought towards the body. In this position, the triceps work effectively, and with them shoulder muscles(deltoids), namely the anterior bundles. And the lower you lower the bar from neck level, the more the deltoids will be loaded.
The medium grip is a kind of intermediate option. The elbows are slightly away from the body when moving.
Open and closed grip
Typically, when doing a bench press, athletes hold the bar in a ring, wrapping 4 fingers on one side and the thumb facing them. This grip is safe - the bar will not roll off your hands and onto your chest.
There is another interesting option that can help you press more weight. And it consists in not placing your thumb towards the rest. That is, the bar is wrapped around all 5 fingers and lies on the palm.
However, if used improperly, the bar can slip off your palms and fall onto your chest - after all, it is not fixed in any way except by the bends of your palm. Therefore, if you are a beginner, you do not need to use an open grip. Dumbbells should not be held like this under any circumstances.
Another serious disadvantage of such an open grip is the large load on wrist joint, which bends strongly back so that the bar does not roll off the palm. With a normal grip, the bar lies in the palm of your hand, covered with your fingers on both sides. There is nowhere for him to roll, and there is no point in bending his wrist either. And in this case, the position of the bar depends on the bend of your hand.
The hands experience a similar unpleasant load, in particular, when it is more convenient for a person to cross his arms, but he still keeps his elbows parallel to each other.
Direct and reverse grip
Some coaches claim that reverse grip when doing the bench press, it’s a very cool thing; it allows you to load some top-secret areas of the pectoral muscles.
However, practice shows that athletes who use classic bench press straight grip, press incline bench and dumbbell raises different angles, and without this they achieve significant success. That is, there are no secrets.
When using a reverse grip on the barbell during the press, a significant load is placed on the front deltoids. These muscles are not the strongest and most resilient, so to speak, due to the high mobility of the shoulder joint. And then there’s the stress – you can easily fall into the risk group for shoulder diseases. And this will deprive you of the opportunity to fully train.
So, is it worth practicing? It’s better to grab the bar with a classic straight grip. Safe and effective.
Thickness and relief of the fingerboard
Practice shows that a thicker bar (up to certain limits) allows you to work with greater weights than a thin one. A classic 28 mm bar is much more convenient in terms of basic bench press than a 25 mm thick bar. This difference is quite noticeable when we're talking about about 100 or more kg.
It's a matter of simple physics - a smaller area exerts more pressure under gravity. The thinner the bar, the more it will put pressure on the palm with the same weight, and it will get tired faster. That is, the triceps and chest do not care about the thickness of the bar. But for brushes this parameter will be very important.
At horizontal presses Grip strength doesn't really affect the efficiency of your press. The comfort of the neck matters more.
A bar that you can grip firmly will be comfortable. Typically, vultures have a textured surface alternating with smooth areas. Smooth areas are needed for deadlifts or other exercises where sharp terrain can damage the skin. For the bench press, relief is a very good thing.
The smaller the relief, the stronger you need to grip the barbell so that it does not slip in your hands. This wastes additional strength, which could help during the bench press. The working weight immediately drops by a couple of kg. Perhaps some of you had no idea about this.
If the bar is old and worn, use talcum powder, magnesium, or athletic gloves. There should be excellent grip between the skin of the palm and the surface of the fingerboard.
Still wondering what your grip width should be every time you climb under a barbell? Choose a grip that suits your goals. Let's look at the basic rules.
You may never have given much thought to how far apart your hands are on the bench press, but simply moving them across the bar toward the center or toward the plates can produce amazing results. In this way, it is possible to redirect training stimuli from the upper to the lower or from the internal to the external parts of the pectoral muscles. Grip width even affects your range of motion and how much weight you can lift.
A distance between the hands of 25-30 cm is suitable for close grip bench press during arm training. It ideally loads the triceps, and at the same time the internal fibers of the pectoral muscles. The forearms in this position are not strictly perpendicular to the floor; they form a slightly acute angle (less than 90 degrees). For most people, this grip corresponds to a distance that is slightly less than shoulder width.
When you place your hands as close to the plates as possible, the angle of your forearms becomes obtuse, and they are again not perpendicular to the floor. The emphasis shifts to the pectoral muscles, especially their external sections: the load on the shoulders increases. In this position, the triceps do much less work, but you can lift more weight because you are more actively loading the chest and shortening the trajectory of the barbell. However, many people notice that this increase in strength comes at the cost of shoulder pain.
The standard choice for the bench press is somewhere between a narrow and wide grip. When the bar is at its lowest point, your forearms are almost perpendicular to the floor. For most athletes, this is the most comfortable width. A best grip For general development pectoral muscles- one in which you can train comfortably day after day, right?
The fourth option is a reverse grip on the barbell. For such a grip to be effective, your forearms must be strictly perpendicular to the floor, and your elbows must be as close to your sides as possible. This modification actively recruits the triceps, but also loads the upper pectoral muscles.
The eternal question - What grip should you use?
There is a time and place for each option, depending on your goals. Don’t think that only the standard grip is suitable for the main sets, and the rest are only suitable as an addition. You can use reverse or narrow grip for one or two cycles. For example, you can use grip variations in your training programs:
- For triceps: close or reverse grip
- For the upper chest: reverse grip
- For the lower chest: narrow grip
- To work with maximum weight: wide grip
- For the outer breasts: wide grip
- Gentle on the shoulder joints: standard or narrow grip
