Five Ways To Increase Your Bench Press

The bench press requires strong triceps, shoulder and chest muscles combined with good technique. The muscles of your back stabilize you during the performance of this lift, and your biceps and forearms stabilize the bar. Instead of just grinding away at repetition after repetition and hoping for improvement, focus your training to increase your bench press. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any strength-training program.

Train Your Triceps

Your triceps are the most heavily used muscle in the bench press, according to a 1995 study published in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research." Train your triceps heavily using close-grip bench presses and dips. Extra volume for your triceps should come through the use of barbell and dumbbell extensions, including overhead extensions. Exercises such as cable pushdowns and triceps kickbacks do very little to build strength, according to Louie Simmons, author of "The Westside Barbell Book of Methods."

Train Your Shoulders

Your shoulders provide both power and stability during the bench press. The front of your shoulder helps straighten out your arm, and the back of your shoulders keep your joints in place during the lift. Overhead pressing will work your shoulders and train your triceps at the same time. You can perform overhead pressing with a barbell or dumbbells. Bent over lateral raises and face-pulls will work the back of your shoulders.

Train Your Back

The muscles of your back contract to stabilize you as you lower the bar, then generate a small amount of power to help you drive the bar off of your chest. Heavy barbell or dumbbell rows train your back, particularly the wide muscles of your back. Chinups or pulldowns work to train the same muscles, and so do various rowing machines in the gym.

Train Your Biceps and Forearms

While curls do not do all that much to help your bench, hammer curls and reverse curls help stabilize your elbows. More stable elbows allow you more control and power when benching. Hammer curls and reverse curls work your brachialis, a smaller muscle that provides stability to your elbow joint and is located above your elbow. Hammer curls and reverse curls also work your forearms, providing stability for your wrists.

Modify Your Training

Grinding away at heavy repetitions only works for so long. Bench twice a week, one day heavy, one day lighter, with at least three rest days between training sessions. On your heavy day, train using a weight that is difficult for three repetitions to promote strength. On your light day train with only 50 to 70 percent of this weight. Lower the bar under control on your light day, but when it touches your chest, explode upward, improving your ability to generate force.