Tips of the Week #1

 What You Need to Know to Improve Your Bench Press

If there is one question that we've all heard at the gym it's: "How much can you bench?" It's the most common question in the gym. No wonder why bench pressing is the most performed exercise in a gym. So let's get this out of the way; I bench 330lbs for a one-rep max.

The bench press is the most known exercise in and outside of the gym. Everybody knows what bench pressing is. Powerlifters, bodybuilders, gym rats, football players...etc., everybody trains on the bench press. It helps boosting the performance of an individual in many sports.

It's a great overall upper body exercise, to gain strength and of course to built a nice chest. Now there is one more reason for it's popularity. It's the Ego! The Squat and the Deadlift are powerful exercises too, but they're too hard, making them less popular.

The muscles involved when bench pressing are mostly the pectorals, triceps and shoulders.

Let's view several ways that will improve your bench press dramatically:

1. Do the bench press as the first workout of the week. You will be properly rested and full of energy.
2. Train heavy! Increase the weight, lower your reps to a maximum of 5 instead of your usual 8 to 12 reps. Do more sets. Between 7 to 12 sets of 3 to 5 reps each.
3. Don't work to your max too often. Once per month is enough, and make sure you have 72h of body rest before performing it.
4. Train with a partner! It would be a tremendous help have a spotter and it's good for motivation.
5. Take more rest than usual. Around 3 to 4 minutes between sets.
6. Workout the rest of your muscles! To become stronger with the bench press you need powerful shoulders, triceps, and lats.
7. Eat! You need to increase your protein and complex carbs intake. This will assist in muscle growth and recovery.
8. Rest! Train your chest no more than twice a week. Don't overtrain.
9. Set a reasonable goal. Keep a journal of your progress.
10. Work on your form! Bad form = injuries and lack of muscle growth. It's that simple.
11. Have some variety in your chest workout! You need to work every angle of your chest for best results. Experiment different exercises to assist your bench press.

The bench press is a fundamental exercise. But don't fixate on it.