The Role of Bench Press in Strength Training Flashcards
Oh presses risk
For the record, it was never proven that overhead presses were, in fact, risky to the lower back.
Sloppy Bp technique
Excessive bridging, rebounding the bar off the chest, squirming, twisting … all
are game. Many coaches and parents actually encourage this sloppy technique, even to the point where an athlete is almost standing on his head to move the weight through the sticking point.
If the lifter bangs the bar off his chest in order to get a jump-start
If the lifter bangs the bar off his chest in order to get a jump-start on the exercise, eventually he will do damage to his pecs and most likely also irritate his elbows and shoulders in the process.
Delicate joitns
. It needs to be understood that the wrists, elbows and shoulder joints are rather delicate, and whenever they are repeatedly abused with improper technique, often with heavy weights, those areas will become traumatized.
grip
While a wide grip may indeed result in a higher bench, it also has a higher risk factor.
-Those athletes who had the bar slip from their grasp were all using a false grip. I know the argument exists that the false grip helps the lifter get more upward thrust, but the risk factor is much too great to even consider that type of grip. Besides, with a secure grip, the lifter is able to guide a bar back slightly to keep it in the correct groove much better than with the false grip. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
-Where to grip the bar depends to some degree on your shoulder width, but the best guideline that I have found is this: grip the bar so that your wrists are directly above your elbows. This means that your forearms will always be vertical. The reasoning behind this is basic. If your grip is too close or too wide, you’re giving away some power because you’re pressing the weight laterally rather than vertically.
Wrist
Should you find you’re cocking your wrists or they are moving around when you bench, start taping them. Trainer’s tape works well. Make the tape tight enough to hold your wrists firmly but not so tight that you cut off circulation. A bit of trial and error will allow you to figure out just how to tape your own wrists. The tape will help keep your wrists from moving about and protect them from being hurt.
Spotter
“All-You Syndrome.” Whenever I hear someone shouting, “It’s all you! All you!” in a gym, I know for certain that the lifter is getting help. To me, it’s like helping a runner make it to the finish line in a footrace. My rule in a weight room is this: if the spotter touches the bar, no matter how slightly, before it’s completely locked out, that rep does not count. It’s as simple as that. Strength training is not a team sport.
Set up
n this same vein, instead of just lying back down on the bench, squirm down into the bench until you become part of it. Lock your shoulder blades and glutes into the fabric, and squeeze your feet tightly to the floor. And keep them that way throughout the exercise.
Lower, Pause, Explode
With your wrists locked, lower the bar in a controlled manner until it touches a point right at the end of your breastbone. When the bar touches your chest, pause for a 1-second count. If you learn to do this from the very beginning, you’ll be way, way ahead when you start handling demanding poundages or decide to enter a powerlifting contest.
-When you coordinate the start with the middle in a dynamic fashion, it will climb right to the finish. Never let up the pressure on the bar until it’s completely locked out, then signal to your spotter to take it.
Breathing
You need to hold your breath during the execution of the bench press. Inhaling or exhaling while the bar is in motion forces your rib cage to relax, thereby preventing you from maintaining a rock-solid foundation. Here’s the correct breathing procedure: take the bar from the rack, lock your arms, set yourself and take a deep breath. Lower the bar to your chest, pause, drive the bar to lockout and exhale. If you exhale too soon, that rep is going to be much harder to complete. Do the same thing for all the reps.
Sets reps
I have football players bench twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. Mondays are heavy days, so they alternate 5 sets of 5 with a back-off set of 10 with 3 sets of 5, followed by 2 sets of 3 plus another back-off set of 10. On Fridays, I use this formula: 4 sets of 8, then 2 sets of 2.
Bench press increases which lift
When I first started doing bench presses, I noticed an instant improvement in my overhead lifts: press and jerk. It makes sense. The bench press works the deltoids and triceps, and those muscle groups are certainly utilized in pressing and jerking. And the different angle hits all the muscles involved in a slightly different manner.
