Bench Press & Powerlifting

The sport of powerlifting requires you to compete in three lifts -- the squat, bench press and deadlift. Occasionally bench press meets occur, where you do not need to squat or deadlift, but they remain the exception rather than the rule. Training to improve all three lifts strengthens your entire body, but if your bench press lags behind your other lifts you can lose to a more balanced lifter in a meet. Before competing in any sport, consult a health care professional.

The Bench Press

There are specific rules that your technique is required to conform to in competition. Your feet must remain on the floor, and your head, hips and shoulders must remain on the bench throughout the lift. You must take the bar from the rack and demonstrate control at full extension before lowering the bar to your chest, and you are not allowed to bounce the bar off of your chest. The bar must be pushed evenly to full extension, one arm cannot lock out before the other. The most difficult aspect of competition benching for those new to powerlifting is the fact that the bar is required to pause on your chest. Failing to pause the bar will result in your lift being turned down.

Musculature

The bench press recruits many of the muscles of your upper body. Your back, chest, shoulders and triceps are all active in this lift. According to a 1995 study published in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research," your triceps, or the muscles on the back of your upper arms, are the most active muscles used. Extra work for your triceps is one of the keys to building a bigger bench.

Training

While some lifters only bench press once per week, it is fairly common to train the bench more often. Many programs, including periodized programs, feature both a heavy day and a light day. The lighter day is used to work on good technique and generating force by accelerating the bar faster. You cannot continue to grind away at heavy weights week after week and expect to make progress. A basic periodized program involves starting a training cycle where you begin by training your bench press with a weight that you can lift for 10 repetitions for multiple sets and gradually reducing the repetitions and increasing the weight over a period of weeks. At the end, you try for more weight than you have previously lifted for a single repetition, having prepared yourself for the increase in intensity over the previous weeks.

Powerlifting

A powerlifter does not just bench, she squats and deadlifts as well. The squat not only builds, but tests the strength of your legs like no other lift. In powerlifting, you are required to squat below parallel, and failing to do so will result in your lift being turned down. The deadlift builds and tests the strength of your back. Both conventional and sumo-style deadlifts, where you pull a deadlift with your feet substantially wider than your shoulders, are allowed in competition. The sumo deadlift reduces some of the strain on your lower back, but requires more leg drive to move the bar.