The number one exercise seen in every commercial gym no matter where you are is the bench press. It’s always the question among the gym rats “how much you bench?” Really and truly if you took a good look around it is rare to see someone perform the bench press correctly. Most will spend the good part of their years trying to lift as much as they can and yet never achieve their true potential. The bench press is the most complicated and most difficult lift to master because it consists of the most conscious coordination. Too really to start to understand we must begin with the initial setup prior to unracking the bar. Laying down on the bench the lifter must decompress the shoulders and retract the scapulae as much as possible. This is referred to as “tucking in the shoulders” because this will create a more stable base and can transfer all the weight from the shoulders to the lats and as it is done the lats will be flexed throughout the entire lift. In this position the lats can bear the weight much better than our shoulder joints and if not done so shoulders problems will be develop and sometimes more severe injuries take place over a long period of time. Next the person must arch the back as high as possible without putting stress on the lumbar area and be detrimental to the entire lift. Furthermore enough space should exist between the lower back and bench where someone could be able to place their arm straight through. Now in following foot position is a personal choice but yet must be explored to discover where one benefits the most power from the leg drive and yes your legs do help you bench press. Let me explain this in further detail later. Now foot position can seen placed under the bench with only the balls of the feet touch the ground or feet spread out and away having the whole foot in contact pressing the floor out and away from you. For the sake of this piece we will have the feet placed out and away (my personal choice). The set up is prepped and now we’re ready to take the weight into our hands. Right before the weight is unracked the lifter is must contract every muscle in the body providing a stable foundation, especially the lats so that they can sustain the arch in the bench by pulling the lower back to the shoulders (Rippetoe, 2011). Now with your wrist straight you must grip the bar as tight as possible as if your life depended on it and exaggerate as if you’re ripping the bar in two. This action not only ignites the triceps much more but will keep the kinetic chain straight delivering all the energy vertically traveling the shortest distance (Simmons).Uunlike having bent wrist will break the energy and undermined your maximal potential output. The weight is unracked and guided to the precise position where it will travel down and touch under the imaginary line drawn across the nipples or just at the bottom edge of the chest and top portion of the abdomen. Here the bar is above you and now we must start simultaneously descending while inhaling as much air into your chest as possible. By inhaling, the chest will rise ever so slightly but it will decrease the distance the bar has to travel before it touches the chest. The bar finally reaches the chest and must be reversed immediately before all stretch reflex is lost. Here is where the leg drive comes into play, by driving your feet in the ground and away, the force will be transferred through the legs, aver the arch, and into the bench where itself is directed vertically through arms. The drive should be so powerful that the bar should explode off your chest and aid the triceps to finish the lift to the lock out. Finally the bar is racked and that is how to perform the bench press correctly.
References
Simmons, L. (n.d.). Box squating. Retrieved from http://www.westside-barbell.com/westside-articles/PDF.Files/03PDF/How to Bench Press 500 Easy.pdf
Rippetoe, M. (2011). Starting strength. (3 ed.). Witchita, Texas: The Aasgaard Company
Author contact: iansoderqvist_3@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment