The bench press may be the most iconic power lifting exercise, and the metric many weight lifters pay the most attention to. Although squats and dead lifts are more commonly used in competition, and considered more important by many trainers, the bench press has a mental hold on bodybuilders that other lifts do not. As with many other things in life, the best way to improve is to practice, and the best exercise to improve your bench press is the bench press.
Barbell vs. Dumbbell
Although most people are thinking of the barbell press when they say "bench press," dumbbell presses have their value. Although you won't lift as much weight with dumbbells, Oregon-based fitness coach Ben Cohn says they add a level of intensity to the workout. A barbell stabilizes the weight for you, while dumbbells make you do that work as well. Cohn says this doesn't mean you should do dumbbell presses alone. Alternating between both provides different, equally important benefits.
Proper Form
The right form when bench pressing will help you lift more weight when maxing out by making you work harder in training. Arnold Schwarzenegger's "The New Modern Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding" says the key to proper bench press form is to keep the work in your chest. It's easy to shift the load to your triceps and shoulders, especially as you get tired. But if you visualize your arms as pistons driven by your chest, you will have better form and more success.
Cycles of Exercise
According to Stuart McRoberts in "Brawn," cycling through three exercise phases is the most efficient way to improve your performance. McRoberts recommends a 12-week program. During phase one, perform bench-press workouts in three sets of eight repetitions each. Phase two works five sets of five repetitions each. During phase three, your workout should be a pyramid of five sets; the first set is five repetitions, with one rep fewer with each set until your final set is a single lift.
Weight
McRoberts and Schwarzenegger agree that the reps where the most progress happens are those where you fail or nearly fail with the lift. Regardless of how many repetitions you do in a set, each should be at a weight where you struggle during the second half of the set and need help with the final repetition. Tracking your workouts and perceived exertion in a journal will help you make this happen from day to day.
References
- Ben Cohn; Fitness Coach; Hillsboro, Oregon
- "The New Modern Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger, et al; 1999
- "Brawn"; Stuart McRoberts; 2007
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