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How to Bench Press – Powerlifting Tips
The bench press is an open-chained form of free-weightlifting. The physical exercise is one of the three powerlifting events (with deadlift and squat), and also used in bodybuilding as a chest and triceps exercise requiring a great deal of stabilizers. The lifter lies on his/her back on a bench, raising and lowering the bar directly above the chest. It is intended for the development of the chest, or pectoral muscles, anterior deltoids, and serratus anterior, but a variation exists for the triceps. In powerlifting, however, where the focus is to achieve a single very heavy repetition, the differing technique ensures the force for a bench press is exerted by the triceps, anterior deltoids and the latissimus dorsi – the pectorals have a greatly reduced role.
Bench press technique video
Form
Bench press is properly performed while lying on one’s back with one’s shoulder blades pinched together on a specially designed bench with a weighted barbell suspended on a rack. Not pinching one’s shoulder blades together causes the anterior deltoids (frontal shoulders) to take over. The feet are kept flat on the ground at all times. Use your feet placement to reduce the slight arch in one’s lower back as much as possible.
Don’t let your buttocks lift off the bench. Using a closed grip the hands should be equally spaced on the bar so that the forearms are vertical (90°) to the ground looking at them from the side, feet or head. The elbows should be under the wrists when looking down (a spotter or mirror can be used to correct this form). The hand placement should be noted for future record. While keeping one’s feet planted on the ground, one then takes the barbell, inhales, lifts it off the rack, and lowers it to the chest on the pectoral line, which is usually the middle half of one’s sternum.
Never lower the bar onto the upper chest area. After a pause the weight is then raised back up vertically, exhaling, with the arms extended out as much as possible, never allowing the bar to drift away from you towards your feet over the pectorals. This exercise should always be performed with a spotter to catch the bar in case it is dropped on the chest. Other variations on this exercise can be performed on an incline, on a decline, or on a stabilizer ball. Incline-version shifts some of the stress from the pectorals to the anterior deltoids and gives a greater stimulus to the “upper” pectorals, whereas decline is more demanding for the “lower” pectorals.
Varying width grips can be used to shift stress between pectorals and triceps.
The bench press can also be performed with dumbbells, which incorporate more use of stabilizer muscles. However, the barbell bench press is a better exercise for strength, whereas the dumbell bench press isolates the pectoralis.
Each variation is intended to work different subgroups of muscles, or work the same muscles in slightly different ways. In the short term, the working of these different muscles may not necessarily promote a significant performance increase for the traditional bench press, but rather serve as a long term foundation to achieving an increase to an individual’s “one rep max”.
World records
The previous world record for the heaviest bench press at 1005 lb (456 kg) was set by Gene Rychlak under International Powerlifting Association rules in November 2004. This record was slightly broken. Scot Mendelson pressed 1,008 pounds on his first attempt at the Fit Expo at the 2006 Iron Man Bodybuilding contest on February 18, 2006. It must be noted that the different federations have subtly different rules on technique, the equipment that is allowed and whether performance enhancing drugs are tested for.
The heaviest “raw” bench press (without equipment such as denim shirts) is 713 lb (325 kg) by Scot Mendelson.
The world record for women’s bench press is 551 lb (250 kg), set on August 26 2006 in Daytona Beach at the APF/WPO Debbie Kruck Bench Press Contest.
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