BENCH PRESS BASICS - Printer Friendly

BENCH PRESS BASICS

We've got the program and tips that will get you started on your way to a stronger, more defined upper body

By Jordana Brown | Photos by Ian Logan

When was the last time someone asked you how much you bench? What do you mean, never? But you're an extremely fit, muscular woman. Surely someone must have asked you at some point about your bench totals. No? In all seriousness, we're not surprised. While any man sporting a bit of bulge in his biceps is begged for his bench digits, fit women such as ourselves don't get the same kind of grilling. We'd guess this is because the bench is in the free-weight room at just about every gym we've seen, and that room remains primarily the domain of beefy brutes and wimpy wannabes - all male.

But there are a few reasons you should consider adding the bench to your pectoral workout, or adding to your existing routine.

1 It provides a measure of your upper body strength
2 It builds your pecs like no other exercise
3 It can carve out your cleavage

Those reasons in tow, and assuming they provided enough motivation, let's move on to the program, shall we?

Your Power Plan
In a mere eight weeks, you can go from a benching beginner to a pressing pro with this program. The key is a typical powerlifting technique - which sounds a lot scarier than it is. Basically, it involves progressively increasing the weight you're lifting while decreasing the number of reps you perform each set, starting with 10 reps per set with your lightest load and going all the way down to four reps per set with your heaviest weight. Choose a weight that allows you to finish the prescribed number of reps - no more, no less.

Weeks	Exercise			Sets/Reps	Rest Time
1-2	Bench Press			4/10		2-3 min.
        Incline Bench Press		3/10		2-3 min.
	Incline Dumbbell Flye	        3/10		1-2 min.
3-4	Bench Press			4/8		2-3 min.
	Incline Bench Press		3/8		2-3 min.
	Cable Crossover		        3/12		1-2 min.
5-6	Bench Press			4/6		2-3 min.
	Incline Bench Press		3/6		2-3 min.
	Machine Flye			3/15		1-2 min.
7-8	Bench Press			4/4		2-3 min.
	Incline Bench Press		3/4		2-3 min.
	Incline Dumbbell Flye	        3/20		1-2 min.

ANGLING FOR GAINS
>> Incline: Set the backpad at a roughly 45-degree angle. This focuses on your upper chest.
>> Flat: The angles of the back and seat are zero. This targets the lower pecs more and is the most natural-feeling and therefore easiest of the three bench positions.
>> Decline: The angle of the backpad is at a decline of about 30 or 40 degrees. Although this press is the most awkward for beginners to master, you'll actually be stronger on the decline because it demands a shorter range of motion and the large lat muscles are more involved.

FORM COUNTS
>> These instructions apply to a bench or a Smith machine:
1) Lie faceup on the bench with your knees at a 90-degree angle and feet flat on the floor, wider than shoulder-width apart. This helps stabilize your body on the bench.
2) Arch your back slightly, keeping your shoulders and glutes pressed into the bench, and grasp the bar so that your hands are just outside shoulder width. You'll know your grip is correct if both elbows form 90-degree angles when you lower the bar.
3) Make sure you wrap your thumbs around the bar (which will prevent you from flexing your wrists) and squeeze tightly. This ensures that the force exerted by your pecs, delts and triceps travels more efficiently to the bar.
4) Unrack the bar and hold it, arms fully extended, at the starting position that corresponds to the exercise you're doing: over your upper chest on an incline bench, over your middle chest for flat bench, over your lower chest for decline.
5) Inhale deeply and hold your breath. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and slowly lower the bar toward your chest. At the lowest position, it should touch the level of your chest that corresponds with the angle of the bench (upper for incline, mid for flat, lower for decline).
6) To fully recruit all those meaty muscle fibers, you need to force the bar back up as powerfully as possible. Imagine it's as light as a feather and press it straight back up in as quick, strong and fluid a movement as possible. Exhale at the top. HERS

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