The BFS perspective on these important upper body exercises
Bench Press and Variations The BFS perspective on these important upper body exercises nquestionably, the bench press has become the most popular weight training exercise ever. Sure, the squat is rightfully called the king of lifts and will do more for athletic performance than any upper body exercise. And certainly you can’t beat the power clean or other Olympic lifting movements for developing power. But the standard that everyone seems to use to measure the strength of an athlete is the bench press; thus the perennial question “How much can you bench?”
Umakes it impractical in the high school grip carries with it a higher risk, as the At BFS we recognize that the bar can easily slip off the hands. That’s environment. bench press can be a valuable exercise. It must be stressed that the bench why we cannot recommend a thumbWant stronger arms, chest and shoulless grip in a high school environment. press is the most dangerous exercise ders? The bench press is a must. And that can be performed in the weightSecondly, in an attempt to lift although there are bodybuilders who room – in fact, many individuals have more weight, athletes often will use have gotten away with not performdied performing the lift.
Serious injua wider grip, bounce the bar off their ing the traditional bench press or have ries can result when spotters are not chest or use an extreme arch in their reached such levels of muscle that used or if they are improperly trained lower back. All these techniques carry they need to focus on other exercises, or are simply not paying attention. a higher risk of injury, and as such we the bench press is great for buildA strength coach ing size. At BFS, we should not assume have a little different that an athlete perspective.
knows how to spot The BFS pro– coaches should gram is not a workout have all athletes designed for powerdemonstrate to lifters but rather for their coaches the athletes who compete proper spotting in multiple sports. techniques before Certainly we encourthey are allowed age making steady to lift. Although improvements in a single spotter is this lift, but not at usually sufficient, the expense of other BFS recommends exercises. To perform The incline press is a great variation of the bench press. From L to R: Melissa three spotters (one a dozen or more Leakehe, Taulaai Maea, Shanece Leausa, Coach Heather Sonne.
behind the lifter sets of bench presses and one on each several times a week, side) whenever possible, especially discourage their use. And although as is often the case with competitive when very heavy weights are used. powerlifters, would detract from work- we do recommend a slight arch in the If an athlete is lifting by himself or lower back, athletes with back pain ing on other lifts or additional aspects herself, which we do not recommend, or a history of back pain may have to of athletic conditioning such as agility then the exercise should be performed perform the exercise with the back in or speed.
Plus, focusing on just one inside a power rack with safety pins set exercise performed in the same manner a more neutral position with minimal at an appropriate height to catch the arch. increases the risk of overuse injuries. weight in case the athlete loses control Next, we are aware that thanks Besides, any athlete who wants to be of the lift or cannot complete a repetiin part to assistive gear such as bench strong at all angles needs a larger selecpress shirts, enormous poundages have tion. Again, we do not recommend tion of pressing exercises. been lifted in this exercise – at the time an athlete perform this lift without a The technique of properly perproperly trained spotter.
of this writing several men have lifted forming the bench press is described Equipment should have firm over 1,000 pounds and two women and shown in our instructional video upholstery to prevent the athlete from have benched over 500. However, we series, but several points need to be slipping, and the supports should have see little reason, other than possibly to made. First, a thumbless grip is often a wide yoke so the bar can be easily accommodate an injury that is being used by top powerlifters. Such a grip returned to the support upon completreated, to use such equipment, as it positions the bar more in line with the tion.
If an athlete is of a height that is not making the athletes stronger or lower arm bone, and the improved does not allow their feet to touch the improving their technique. Plus, the leverage is believed to help one lift floor without excessive arching, then more weight. The downside is that this time it takes to use such equipment BFS PROGRAM weight plates or some other small platform should be placed under the feet so that the body is stable during the lift. Also, the barbell should have sufficient knurling to allow a firm grip, and chalk should be made available to prevent slipping. Dumbbells can be used instead of a barbell for most bench press exercises.
The advantages are a greater range of motion and the fact that the muscles that stabilize the shoulder must work harder. Also, because the dumbbells allow the hands to rotate during the lifts, there may be less stress on the shoulder (such as by rotating the hands so that at the bottom of the exercise they are in a neutral position: hands facing each other). However, this instability also means that less weight can be used; therefore, the effect on strength and muscle development is decreased.
Bench Press Variations At BFS we believe that an athlete should use a variety of bench pressing types of exercises, including the towel bench press, incline bench press, decline bench press and unilateral bench press. Using these variations helps prevent overuse injuries by stressing the joints at different angles, and also can provide resistance in positions that more closely approximate those that occur in a specific sport. Towel Bench Press. One of the criticisms of the bench press is that placing the bar on the chest places high levels of stress on the connective tissues of the shoulder, especially if performed several times a week.
By limiting the range of motion of the lift by placing a rolled-up towel under the shirt, or using a round towel bench pad, the stress is minimized. As such, the lift can be performed more frequently – in the BFS off-season program one common workout design is to perform the standard bench press on Monday and the towel bench press on Friday; another advantage is this sequence can often be performed year-round. Further, as with the restricted range of motion of the box squat, the lift places less stress on the recovery ability and thus you could perform it the day before or even the day of a competition without adverse effects. Incline and Decline Bench Press.
An incline press can be specific for putting the shot, and the decline press can be specific for certain swimming strokes. Because more weight can be used in the decline press than in the incline press and the conventional bench press, performing the decline press can build confidence. It’s important, however, when using the decline press that the bench be designed with an anchoring apparatus for the legs so that the athlete does not slide during the lift. Close-Grip and Reverse-Grip Bench Press. Moving in the grip when performing the bench press focuses more on development of the triceps.
The reverse-grip bench press involves performing the lift with the palms facing the athlete (supinated grip). Made popular by Anthony Clark, a super heavyweight powerlifter who broke the world record with this style, the reverse grip focuses more on development of the triceps. When an athlete performs this style, it is especially important for the spotters to be careful about removing the barbell from the supports and returning it, because the change in leverage makes it difficult for the athlete to do this by himself or herself. Unilateral Press.
This type of bench press, popular among football players, is performed on a special The BFS Olympic 4-in-1 bench enables this valuable exercise to be safely performed from three angles. apparatus that enables the exercise to be performed from a standing position and also with one arm at a time. Because the shoulder blades are not pinned against the bench, the motion is more natural and places less stress on the upper body. And because it is performed from a standing position, more muscle groups are involved. The bench press is a great upper body exercise to develop the chest, shoulders and triceps.
The risk of injury and accidents can be minimized by paying special attention to using correct form, proper equipment and well-trained and alert spotters. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 Flat Bench WITH Incline $ 319 Starting Price X ALL Benches Shown in custom, Optional Plate Holders XAll BFS Benches Have a Lifetime Frame Warranty 'HJUHHV X+HDY\GXW\ %XLOWWRODVW X(DV\WRPRYHZLWK KDQGOHDQGZKHHOV DEDICATED TO HELPING ATHLETES SUCCEED SINCE 1976
From BFS Magazine — January/February 2010. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
