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How Much Ya Bench?
By:
Charles Staley
Director/CEO,
Integrated Sport Solutions, Inc.
The bench press has achieved
almost cult status, reaching even into popular culture. It wasn’t always this
way— prior to the 1960’s the most popular upper body lift was the military
press— at that time, one of the three lifts contested in the sport of
weightlifting (the press was removed from competition in the early 1970’s due to
fears that lifters were using dangerous lifting postures in the attempt to press
larger and larger weights).
Despite the fact that men tend to turn this lift into a demonstration event, and
that women tend to shy away from the lift altogether, bench pressing (and it’s
variations) remain the premier upper body development tool for physique and
strength enthusiasts. Like any tool, used properly, you’ll get a great result;
done improperly, then bench press can tear up shoulders like nobody’s business.
here are my suggestions for safe and effective bench pressing:
Bench presses may be performed with a bar or with dumbbells. The bench may be
flat (overall pectoral stress), inclined (more stress to the clavicular
pectorals), or declined (more stress to the lower pectorals). Lay on the bench,
placing both feet flat on the floor (if this causes the curvature of your low
back to increase, find a lower bench or place your feet on solid blocks to
elevate them). Grasp the bar such that both hands are equidistant to the center,
and make sure your thumbs are wrapped around the bar, rather than on the same
side as your other fingers. You only have to drop a big weight on your chest one
time to become convinced that a thumbless grip is a big mistake (assuming you
survive it).
Although it is difficult to articulate this concept in writing, the shoulder
blades should be tucked together prior to unracking the bar. Do this while your
hands are on the bar— lean to your right side and pull the left scapula inward,
and then put your weight down on it. Then, leaning on your left scapula, tuck
your right side in and then center your bodyweight. When the scapulae are tucked
(retracted), the shoulder joints will be afforded additional range of motion as
the bar descends, thus adding a measure of safety to the lift.
Immediately prior to unracking, the bar should be directly over your nose—if it
isn’t, slide yourself up or down on the bench until it is. Inhale and unrack the
bar from the supports. Pause in the top position for a brief moment, rather than
making a “B-line” from the supports to your chest. At this time, take in as much
air into your lungs as possible and hold until the bar has ascended through the
sticking point. Why? Ever notice that great bench pressers have “barrel” chests?
This gives the pecs better leverage. You can give yourself a temporary,
artificial barrel chest by inhaling as deeply as possible and holding throughout
the lift.
As you lower the bar to your chest, keep your elbows directly under the bar,
rather than in front of, or ahead of the bar. At the bottom of the movement, the
bar lightly touches your chest at nipple level. Return the bar to the starting
position (it should actually travel up, as well as slightly back) by contracting
your pectorals.
(Note: there are in fact many different variations regarding grip width, elbow
position, and contact area on the chest. The variation I’m describing here is
intended for muscular development more so than maximum bench press strength.
Competitive powerlifters use an array of techniques designed to maximize
leverage, but I assume readers who are also competitive powerlifters will
already be familiar with these techniques).
Grip Width
Viewed from the head of the bench, your forearms should be perpendicular to the
floor at the bottom position.
Torso
Keep your torso flat on the bench at all times— the bench press is not intended
to be a hamstring exercise, despite my sarcastic article called Bench
Pressing: The Forgotten Hamstring Exercise
which brings me
torrents of hate e-mail every month.
Speed
Although a variety of speeds can be employed, the eccentric phase should always
be “tight and controlled.” If in doubt, allow two seconds to lower the bar. If
you wish to eliminate the stretch shortening aspect of the lift, you can pause
for two seconds at the chest, but don’t relax while doing so.
Depth
Although the most common variant is to bring the bar down until it touches the
chest, for some athletes with poor shoulder flexibility, this position may be
too deep. As a rule of thumb, the bottom position you choose should not use up
all the shoulder flexibility you have—you should be able to go deeper with no
discomfort if you had to. For novice athletes with adequate shoulder
flexibility, you can use depth as a method of progression, by using a constant
weight over several workouts, slightly increasing the depth every session.
Transition Position
Most bench press injuries occur during the transition between the eccentric and
concentric phase, according to Dr. Sal Arria, Executive Director of the
International Sports Sciences Association. A common technique flaw involves the
fatigued lifter allowing the bar to “bounce” or “chop” down onto the chest,
which subjects the pectoral attachments to sudden loads, which is often the
stimulus for injury. A 200 pound bar lowered very slowly exerts about 200 pounds
of pressure. But this same bar lowered quickly, may put many hundreds of pounds
of tension on the target muscles and their attachments.
Bench Press Standards
According to Strength and Speed (Dale Harder, © 2000 Education Plus),
a man who weighs 181 pounds is World
class if he can bench 435, National class at 420, College star at 330, College
letter at 275, and HS star at 215. Anthony Clark, weighing 372, bench pressed
780 in 1996, and I recall hearing that he did 800x2 in the gym recently. Chuck
Ahrens, weighing 280, benched 400 for 28 reps. Chris Confessore was the heaviest
man to bench press triple bodyweight— 741 pounds. Tamara Rainwater was the first
woman to bench 400 pounds. The heaviest woman’s bench press may have been an
unofficial 440 by Fibingerova, a Chech shot putter.
Safety
ALWAYS employ (or become!) a competent spotter when performing any bench press
variation.
About the Author: Charles Staley is known as the “Secret
Weapon” by his Olympic and Professional athletes for his ability to see what
other coaches miss. When the elite of the sports world want innovative,
“out-of-the-box” solutions in their quest to reach World-class levels of
performance, they come to Charles.
Coach Staley also publishes a free online newsletter featuring the latest in
advanced training techniques as well as a private coaching group of physicians,
sport coaches, personal trainers, athletes, and everyday people seeking enhanced
physical performance and physique transformation. For more information, please
visit www.EDTSecrets.com or call 800.519.2492.
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