How to Bench Press
Begin by lying flat on the bench, with your body in a natural and relaxed position., Put your arms straight out to either side of you, and then bend your elbows, bringing your hands up to touch the bar., Begin with just the bar weight to warm up...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Begin by lying flat on the bench
Make sure that you are not holding your shoulders in an awkward position.
Be sure to have a natural spinal curve.
You do not want to have your lower back flat on the bench, but you do not want to force it to curve too much either.
Instead, opt for a comfortable and natural position.
You should have your feet flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart, and your shoulders touching the bench.
Do not lift on a "cushiony bench" if you are a heavy lifter.
When the bar and plates weigh more than 200 pounds plus the weight of your upper body, your shoulders will disappear into the bench and cause neck strain.
Choose a proper bench that fits your shoulder width.
A narrow bench is unstable and a wide bench prevents the upper arm from bending back. -
Step 2: with your body in a natural and relaxed position.
This is where you should position your hands.
They should be about shoulder-width apart.
Use the smooth rings in the bar as a reference for even hand placement.
Where you position your hands will affect which muscle group you work most.
Widen your grip slightly to increase the amount of pectoral muscles involved in this exercise, and bring your grip in slightly to increase your triceps involvement.
For a standard bench press, opt for the normal grip. , Lift the bar off the rack and position it directly above the middle of your chest.
Inhale as you lower it down, gently touching your chest — the middle of the sternum — with the bar.
Do not bounce the bar off your chest, as this can cause serious injury and promotes bad form.
Begin to exhale as you push the bar up and away from your body.
Extend your arms to just under full extension.
Repeat this for eight repetitions as your first set.
Lift with a bar that has a little flex but is not "whippy".
A stiff bar can be uncomfortable to lift with.
All bars are made of metal and relatively stiff, but a bar with some flex feels better on the joints.
The salesperson at the store will give you the right bar for your bodyweight, based on the formula for bodyweight and bench press.
Generally, a beginning or intermediate lifter is not going to lift over his bodyweight plus 50%.
Examine your goals when choosing a bar.
For setting a personal record or a state record and above, use a bar with a standard diameter of 1 1⁄16 inches (2.7 cm).
If not concerned with records, a thicker bar does not dig into the palms and is more comfortable.
A thicker bar increases the distance of the lift and decreases the amount that can be lifted.
A 1/8 (or 1/16) inch increase in bar diameter has a noticeable difference in feel and stability. , Always use weight clips to prevent the weights from sliding off the bar in the event that you lift unevenly, do not lift without them.
The bar by itself weighs 45 pounds.
You will want to increase by five to ten pounds at a time until you find a comfortable weight.
Practice extra caution if tall.
Tall lifters with wide grips should use care not to crush their hands when racking the bar.
Weight benches were made for someone tall (6 feet tall and not for a lifter 6 feet 8 inches tall).
Tall lifters should not use an extra wide grip.
An extra wide grip strains the wrist with excessive radial flexion.
Close and wide grips can make the wrist more prone to injury.
Avoid using the thumbless grip.
If the bar slips off your hands, it would be disastrous.
When being spotted by spotters and by a spotting device the thumbless grip is not as dangerous, but the spotting device has to be very, very solid.
The thumbless grips is easier on the wrist and conducts power to the bar more directly (you can lift more).
Use chalk with both grips.
There are lifters who will use the thumbless grips despite the possible danger. , You never want to drop the bar on yourself.
You also want to be able to max out and be able to recover when you no longer can lift the bar.
A spotter will be able to help you recover from your final press. , It's easier to bend your wrists, bounce the weight off your chest, and exhibit other "no-nos" when trying to lift big.
You'll gain more muscle and strength lifting the right form and lower weight than you will lifting with higher weight and the wrong form.
Lifters generally do between 8 and 12 reps (also called "repetitions") and 3 to six sets (one set is the maximum numbers of reps you give yourself). , Water will help you stay hydrated and allow your muscles to function at high capacity, giving you an overall better workout. , Some guides say the ideal rest time between sets is 90 to 120 seconds.While this is perhaps a good general guide for increasing muscle mass, it may not be ideal for you as an individual.
You probably don't want to overshoot the 2-3 minute range, but you don't want to rush yourself into lifting thin.
If your ultimate goal is gaining muscle and mass, you're going to want to shock your body.
How you do this is up to you.
It can mean cutting down on rest time, increasing poundage on lifts, supersetting, etc.
As long as you manage to keep pushing your body physically, you will notice a difference. -
Step 3: Put your arms straight out to either side of you
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Step 4: and then bend your elbows
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Step 5: bringing your hands up to touch the bar.
-
Step 6: Begin with just the bar weight to warm up before heavy lifting.
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Step 7: Rack the bar and add weight.
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Step 8: Be sure to have a spotter to help you whenever you lift a heavy weight.
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Step 9: Lift the bar up
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Step 10: slowly bring it down to just above your sternum
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Step 11: and explode upward for one rep. Pay attention to your form as you add more weight.
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Step 12: Drink plenty of water and take at least two minute breaks between each set.
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Step 13: Rest according to how you feel between sets.
Detailed Guide
Make sure that you are not holding your shoulders in an awkward position.
Be sure to have a natural spinal curve.
You do not want to have your lower back flat on the bench, but you do not want to force it to curve too much either.
Instead, opt for a comfortable and natural position.
You should have your feet flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart, and your shoulders touching the bench.
Do not lift on a "cushiony bench" if you are a heavy lifter.
When the bar and plates weigh more than 200 pounds plus the weight of your upper body, your shoulders will disappear into the bench and cause neck strain.
Choose a proper bench that fits your shoulder width.
A narrow bench is unstable and a wide bench prevents the upper arm from bending back.
This is where you should position your hands.
They should be about shoulder-width apart.
Use the smooth rings in the bar as a reference for even hand placement.
Where you position your hands will affect which muscle group you work most.
Widen your grip slightly to increase the amount of pectoral muscles involved in this exercise, and bring your grip in slightly to increase your triceps involvement.
For a standard bench press, opt for the normal grip. , Lift the bar off the rack and position it directly above the middle of your chest.
Inhale as you lower it down, gently touching your chest — the middle of the sternum — with the bar.
Do not bounce the bar off your chest, as this can cause serious injury and promotes bad form.
Begin to exhale as you push the bar up and away from your body.
Extend your arms to just under full extension.
Repeat this for eight repetitions as your first set.
Lift with a bar that has a little flex but is not "whippy".
A stiff bar can be uncomfortable to lift with.
All bars are made of metal and relatively stiff, but a bar with some flex feels better on the joints.
The salesperson at the store will give you the right bar for your bodyweight, based on the formula for bodyweight and bench press.
Generally, a beginning or intermediate lifter is not going to lift over his bodyweight plus 50%.
Examine your goals when choosing a bar.
For setting a personal record or a state record and above, use a bar with a standard diameter of 1 1⁄16 inches (2.7 cm).
If not concerned with records, a thicker bar does not dig into the palms and is more comfortable.
A thicker bar increases the distance of the lift and decreases the amount that can be lifted.
A 1/8 (or 1/16) inch increase in bar diameter has a noticeable difference in feel and stability. , Always use weight clips to prevent the weights from sliding off the bar in the event that you lift unevenly, do not lift without them.
The bar by itself weighs 45 pounds.
You will want to increase by five to ten pounds at a time until you find a comfortable weight.
Practice extra caution if tall.
Tall lifters with wide grips should use care not to crush their hands when racking the bar.
Weight benches were made for someone tall (6 feet tall and not for a lifter 6 feet 8 inches tall).
Tall lifters should not use an extra wide grip.
An extra wide grip strains the wrist with excessive radial flexion.
Close and wide grips can make the wrist more prone to injury.
Avoid using the thumbless grip.
If the bar slips off your hands, it would be disastrous.
When being spotted by spotters and by a spotting device the thumbless grip is not as dangerous, but the spotting device has to be very, very solid.
The thumbless grips is easier on the wrist and conducts power to the bar more directly (you can lift more).
Use chalk with both grips.
There are lifters who will use the thumbless grips despite the possible danger. , You never want to drop the bar on yourself.
You also want to be able to max out and be able to recover when you no longer can lift the bar.
A spotter will be able to help you recover from your final press. , It's easier to bend your wrists, bounce the weight off your chest, and exhibit other "no-nos" when trying to lift big.
You'll gain more muscle and strength lifting the right form and lower weight than you will lifting with higher weight and the wrong form.
Lifters generally do between 8 and 12 reps (also called "repetitions") and 3 to six sets (one set is the maximum numbers of reps you give yourself). , Water will help you stay hydrated and allow your muscles to function at high capacity, giving you an overall better workout. , Some guides say the ideal rest time between sets is 90 to 120 seconds.While this is perhaps a good general guide for increasing muscle mass, it may not be ideal for you as an individual.
You probably don't want to overshoot the 2-3 minute range, but you don't want to rush yourself into lifting thin.
If your ultimate goal is gaining muscle and mass, you're going to want to shock your body.
How you do this is up to you.
It can mean cutting down on rest time, increasing poundage on lifts, supersetting, etc.
As long as you manage to keep pushing your body physically, you will notice a difference.
About the Author
Julie Ford
Committed to making hobbies accessible and understandable for everyone.
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