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The ALMIGHTY bench press…

One of THE most frequently performed exercises around the world.

It’s also perhaps the most overused exercise by trainees trying to build an impressive chest… not because it’s necessarily a poor exercise to aid in chest development, but because most people perform it so suboptimally that it may as well be considered an exercise for the front delts, the hips, and the EGO!   

Let’s not even get started on the array of all too common shoulder injuries caused and aggravated by improper benching.

The purpose of this article is not to sh*t all over the bench press, the bench press can be an excellent addition to your chest-building repertoire… when done right!

For those of you interested in parading well developed pecs, more so than you are showing your buds how much weight you can bounce off your chest (if the bar even makes it that far down!), then you’ll find this article a VERY valuable read, so pay CLOSE attention!

So where do we start?  With many experts promoting the ‘right’ way to bench, how do we determine what’s ‘right’ for us?

Well, it’s important to consider what our primary goals are when approaching an exercise.  Training to maximise the weight one can lift while benching versus using the bench press as a tool to maximize chest development, will each require a different approach to execution.

“But Ben… the more weight you can lift on a bench press, the more your chest will grow, right?”…

Well, that depends… are you executing the movement in such a way that you’re overloading the ‘target muscle’ (the chest) with tension?

If you’re not, than NO!!

Guaranteed you’ll be able to max out the weight you lift by executing the movement like a powerlifter, but you will NOT be maximally stimulating the pecs!

The BIG question asked in gyms around the world, “how much do you bench?”, rings in my ear as I write this.  The truth is, I really couldn’t care less about how much I bench… give me the biggest CHEST in the room over the biggest bench press any day of the week.

 I can easily bench over 500lbs by adjusting my body position for optimal leverages, however, AS A BODYBUILDER, I choose to approach and perform every exercise with my focus on maximally stimulating my chosen target muscle(s) with TENSION!

Therefore, when benching, my primary goal is to generate as much muscle-building tension as I can WITHIN THE CHEST… not to maximize the weight I can lift.

READ THAT AGAIN! – this is important to understand and apply in practise.

This logic should not only be applied to the bench press, but to ANY exercise you ever perform if maximum hypertrophy is your focus at a given point in time.

My purpose in writing this article is to provide you with the instructions you need to optimize your execution of the bench press from the perspective of a bodybuilder looking for maximum chest growth… NOT as powerlifter or strength-oriented athlete.  If you want to be a powerlifter, train like a powerlifter.  If you want to be a bodybuilder, train like a bodybuilder.  I’m obviously trying to be the best bodybuilder in the world, so I aim to train as optimally as possible for my intended goal.  

So, here is the bench press broken down BPak-style for OPTIMAL eye-catching chest development…

 Getting Set-Up

Place your hands just outside of shoulder-width to ensure the chest takes the majority of the load and not the triceps.  Your forearms should remain vertical throughout, perpendicular to the ground where you’re strongest in the range (even at the bottom), with your wrists directly above your elbows.

The line of movement should be straight up and down perpendicular to the ground where you’ll be strongest in the range, around nipple-line or very slightly below (when flat benching).  This will also help to ensure that your elbows remain in a somewhat neutral position, not tucked, or flared 

Pull your shoulders back and depress them (by pulling them towards your hips), and retract your scapulae (shoulder blades).  Allow no internal or external rotation of your shoulders throughout the movement.

Keep your head neutral, inline with your spine, relative to your torso, and keep your chest ‘proud’, torso tall, and abs / core tight (spine stable) at all times – lock that lower back firmly against the bench… NO arching, people! 

Take a wide foot stance for balance and stability, especially during heavy working sets – do NOT put your feet up on the bench or hold them in the air, this is likely to lead to balance issues compromising the load you can handle, and your form.  If you have trouble placing your feet flat on the ground without arching your back in this position however, stretch your hip flexors before benching, and / or, if your legs simply aren’t long enough to make it work, elevate your feet (as little as needed) by planting each on a platform, e.g; a “masculine” aerobic step 😉 or weight plates (use non-slippery plates if needing to stack!).

Execution

To begin the movement, pull your shoulders back, then let your elbows follow (almost two separate movements).

Lower the weight until you reach a position of full scapular retraction / back contraction to ensure you reach the extreme of the range in the bottom position.

In order to help fully activate the pecs, as well as increasing and keeping constant tension during the descent, ‘shove’ your hands inwards throughout (inward ‘intent’).  If shoving hard enough, your tempo should naturally be a little on the slower side and completely controlled.

(for an understanding of ‘intent’ and how to apply it to many other exercises for greater muscle activation and targeted growth, see MI40-Foundation).

From the bottom position, pause MOMENTARILY before beginning the concentric; engage / re-engage the pecs to ensure that they’re the first mover, then CONTRACT through to bring the weight back up to the top (once you’ve mastered initiating with the chest from the bottom, you can skip the slight pause and move straight to the concentric, but ONLY once this is mastered and no sooner Mr. Macho!).  Squeeeeze the pecs HARD through the ENTIRE ascent.

As you raise the bar, it’s also useful to focus on driving your elbows towards each other across the midline, and your trunk into the bench (as opposed to pushing the weight away from you).  Try your best to also apply inward ‘intent’ here as well, though you’ll find it much more difficult on the concentric, just focus and make sure at no point do you lose tension! 

…BOOM!

There you have it boys and girls.

Optimal bench press execution for optimal chest development.

 Note everything, take to the gym, and apply one or two tips at a time until you’ve got them all NAILED… now get to work building that badass chest, and for the love of… stop worrying about how much you bench! 😉

B-Pak Out!