How To Bench Press
Learn the proper way to perform the bench press, one of the most popular exercises at the gym.
Ben Greenfield
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How To Bench Press
It’s the ultimate yardstick to measure your fitness level. It’s bragging rights for life. It’s the first question asked when you try out for the team. And although it may be slightly overrated, the bench press is a good feather to add to your exercise cap. In this episode, you’ll learn what the bench press is, its benefits, how to bench press properly, and potential hazards.
What Is A Bench Press?
As the name implies, the bench press is achieved by simply lying with your back on a bench (although you could substitute the bench with a stability ball, a bosu ball, or even the floor) and pressing a weight straight up toward the ceiling.
The weight can be a barbell, a set of dumbbells, or if practicing at home, a small child. If you’re using a traditional bench press bench equipped with a barbell, there will be a “rack” that can hold that weight for you, which is especially convenient if you’re working with heavier weights.
View the basic bench press exercise here.
How To Bench Press
While it may sound incredibly simple to just lie down on your back, bend your knees, and press a weight, here are three quick and dirty tips to ensure that you bench press properly:
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Keep your low back pressed down throughout the entire bench press movement — Unless you’re an advanced exerciser who knows how to safely arch the low back to allow for completion of a heavier bench press, you’ll be able to reduce risk of low back injury by bracing your abs and keeping your low back pressed down against the bench.
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Breathe out as you press — A significant amount of internal pressure can develop as you press, which can increase your risk of a hernia — not a pleasant way to end a day at the gym.
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Modify the range of motion for your comfort — Unless you’re in a bench press competition, you don’t necessarily have to touch the bar to your chest before you press up. Simply lower the weight as low as you can comfortably go, even if your elbows don’t quite get to 90 degrees, then press back up.
Sound simple? Congratulations, you’re ready to work up to the current world record bench press of 1,075 pounds!
Why You Should Bench Press
While pressing 1,075 pounds may not be your cup of tea, there are certainly benefits to the exercise. For example, since your back is stabilized against the bench, you can lift a heavier weight than you would normally be able to press while in a standing position or push-up position, so you can efficiently build chest and shoulder muscles.
Whether you are new to the gym or a fitness expert, the bench press is also a very effective exercise to improve upper body strength while isolating the shoulders and chest.
Finally, the bench press is a fantastically functional exercise if you are engaged in sports for which a powerful pressing motion is required — such as pushing a lineman in football, shoving to get a rebound in basketball, or getting an opponent off your back.
Risk of Bench Pressing
However, there are times when bench pressing may not be a good idea.
For example, if you have a shoulder injury, the bench pressing motion may aggravate that injury. Instead, choose exercises that place a less stressful load on the shoulder joint, like an elastic band chest press or a modified push-up in a knee position. Alternatively, you could choose to do a bench press with dumbbells instead of a barbell, which gives your shoulders more room to move, and can reduce the risk of injury.
Next, if you have limited time at the gym, an exercise that isolates just one part of your body (like the bench press) is not as time efficient as an one that requires multiple muscle groups, such as a cable chest press. While the bench press works the chest and shoulders, the cable chest press works your legs, core, chest, and shoulders.
Finally, if you don’t remember to do pulling exercises, such as pull-ups, seated rows, or pull-downs, overdoing the bench press motion can develop muscular imbalances in the chest and shoulders, causing you to hunch your upper back and eventually lead to shoulder injuries.
Do you have more questions about the bench press? Then share them on the Get-Fit Guy Facebook page!
Bench Press image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.