Powerlifting and Olympic training routines often contain bench presses. These upper body exercises involve a pushing motion that translates to sporting activities and daily functions. For example, offensive linemen in football simulate bench presses when they extend their arms and block defenders. If you want to use bench presses to work your muscles and pectorals, you first need to know how they function.
Chest Anatomy
The pectoralis major gets activated when you move your upper arms inward. The pectoralis minor gets worked when you shrug your shoulders forward. Being that you perform both of these motions with bench presses, they do in fact work the pecs.
Compound Exercises
The pecs are not the only muscles that get targeted with bench presses. Being that you activate more than one joint, you also activate more than one muscle. Compound exercises are those that work more than one muscle at a time. When doing bench presses, you work your pecs as well as your triceps and deltoids. The triceps sit on the back of the upper arms, and the deltoids give your shoulders a rounded look. In a bench press, you also have to contract your abs to help produce force and stabilize your spine.
Proper Technique
Proper technique is paramount when you do bench presses. If you use sloppy form, you will compromise your muscle gains and open yourself up for injury. Begin by lying face up on a flat bench and grasp the barbell with your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Steadily push the bar off the supports and suspend it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended. Slowly lower the bar down by bending your elbows and stop when it lightly touches your chest. Push the bar back up in a steady motion and repeat. Breathing is also important with bench presses. Take a big inhale as you lower the bar and exhale as you raise it.
Variations
The basic bench press is performed on a flat bench, but including bench presses from different angles work additional muscles. For example, incline bench presses performed on an incline bench will shift more of the focus to your upper chest and anterior delts. Decline presses performed on a decline bench will stimulate more of the lower pec region. Performing all three exercises in a workout will increase overall muscle fiber recruitment.
Using Free Weights
Using a barbell is only one way to do a bench press. You also have the option of using dumbbells or a machine. Although machines will help you develop more strength, free weights like dumbbells and barbells recruit more overall muscle fiber, which in turn, will boost your progress.
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