Bench Press More Weight Instantly!
By
Sean Barker
How many people do you see in the gym trying to make an exercise more difficult,
believing the more difficult it is, the more effective the exercise will be? All
they’re really doing is putting their body in an unnatural position, which
limits muscular overload and increases the chances of an injury.
The bench press is a perfect example. You see people crossing their feet in the
air, using a thumbless grip, or only lowering the bar halfway to their chest.
All of this causes you to handle less weight because you can’t generate maximum
power due to your body’s position. Many guys make the big mistake of zapping
their strength even before they start their working sets.
Be sure to warm up without tiring the muscles. No matter how strong you are, I
still recommend starting with the 45-lb Olympic bar to get the feel of the
movement and assess your orthopedic status. A good rule of thumb for warm ups is
to reduce the reps for each warm up set by half. For example, start with 12 and
then move to six, three, and one or eight, four, and two. Then move on to your
working set weight.
Your number of warm-up sets all depends on how much weight you can use during
your muscle building work sets. Don’t move up in weight based on using different
weight plates like 25, 35, and 45. The same rules apply for increasing your
working weight over time. Use the smallest plates available, which are usually
1.5–2.5-lb plates, to ensure steady progress.
When you execute the bench press, you should maintain three contact points—feet
on the ground, butt and upper back on the bench, and hands and thumbs wrapped
around the bar. Keep these points set while maintaining a natural arch in your
lower back. This will put you into a strong and sturdy position, allowing you to
achieve maximum power and overload.
It also helps to have a spotter lift the loaded bar off the rack and gently hand
it out to you. Reaching back to unrack the bar takes your body out of the strong
and tight position you need to be in to press maximum weights. Remember to
squeeze your shoulder blades together and stick your chest up. If you don’t have
a spotter, try to set the rack so you only have to slide or slightly elevate the
bar off the rack.
When bench pressing, think of your body as a coiled spring and explode using the
position of your entire body at the bottom of each rep. Remember, the more power
you can generate, the more weight you can lift. The more weight you can lift,
the more overload you create. The more overload you create, the more muscle you
put on! Try these tips the next time you bench. I guarantee that you will bench
press more weight the very first day.
Sean Barker is a certified personal trainer and a proud and busy dad. He has
been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years and has
appeared in High Performance Muscle magazine. He has been on health and fitness
radio shows and was selected as a sponsored athlete by one of the top supplement
nutrition companies in the world. His popular Dad Fitness fat loss workouts have
helped thousands of dads around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in
less than three hours per week. For more information on the Dad Fitness workouts
that will help you burn fat without spending hours in the gym, visit
http://www.dadfitness.com.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com.
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