The bench press is one of the most popular weight room exercises for the upper body. But the exercise can be frustrating, especially when you hit a plateau. The most effective bench press programs work on improving technique and strengthening the chest muscles -- along with secondary and stabilizing muscles needed to break through bench press plateaus.
Technique
Practicing and implementing proper technique is essential in any bench press program. Grip the bar with your hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, causing your back to arch up slightly. Your butt should remain on the bench and feet flat on the floor throughout the movement. Lower the bar down to your lower chest, and then press your arms up until fully extended. A good bench presser will push with the legs, as if trying to slide back up the bench, notes Lee Hayward of Total Fitness Body Building.
Bench Pressing Programs
Bench pressing programs typically follow a periodization schedule in which programs are designed with varied intensities and volumes that change periodically to enhance performance. Programs begin with a lightweight and higher repetition, then gradually increasing the weight and decreasing the repetitions. A sample bench pressing program for eight weeks might begin with week one by completing sets consisting of 12 repetitions at 60 percent of your predicted one rep maximum or 1RM. On week two, 10 repetitions at 65 percent 1RM -- then on week three, eight repetitions at 70 percent 1RM. This pattern would continue for eight weeks until you are at one or two repetitions of your 1RM.
Light/Heavy Training
Using light/heavy training in your bench press routine is a way to continue to achieve strength gains. Trainees have shown to make greater progress with light/heavy workouts compared to workouts with a single repetition range, notes the ExRx website. Light/heavy training involves one day a week of heavy bench press exercises using low repetitions such as four to eight repetitions per set. Three or four days later, complete another chest training day, but this time use a light to moderate weight and complete eight to 12 repetitions per set. Choose different exercises on the light day to target your chest muscle from different angles -- dumbbell or cable exercises instead of barbell exercises are effective, for example.
Training Other Muscle Groups
Work on strengthening important secondary and stabilizing muscles on days you are not bench pressing. Although the pectorals are the primary muscles utilized during the bench press, the secondary muscles play a valuable role in continued strength gains. The shoulders, triceps, back, quadriceps, glutes and core are all used in heavy bench press and, therefore, should not be neglected in your training program. Train each of these muscle areas at least once a week. Furthermore, the rotator cuff in the shoulder consists of four small muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint during pressing exercises, and is a common site for bench press injuries to occur. Regular rotator cuff training with exercises such as internal and external rotations may help increase your bench press and decrease your risk for injuries, says Mike Westerdal of Bodybuilding.com.
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