The bench press is one of the star exercises in weight rooms around the world. Together with the squat and the deadlift, it forms the trio of movements with which powerlifting is competed, and which are used to measure the progression of our strength performance. The bench press may seem easy to execute, but when we vary some aspects and we reinforce weak points with auxiliary exercises We notice how there is a great improvement.
I barely take the bar off my chest: failure at the beginning of the movement
You stand on the bench, grip the bar tightly, take a deep breath and lower the load until it touches your chest. You start to push, but the bar barely moves a few inches up. What’s wrong? The initial acceleration force is low and our shoulders or upper chest need to improve their strength.
Bench press with long pause (2 – 3 seconds)
When we lower the bar to the chest and begin to push to raise it without making any stops, the elastic energy of our tissues participates. This event is known as the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). Pausing for about two to three seconds with the bar in contact with the chest We eliminate this elastic energy.
This stop is also necessary if we participate in a powerlifting or bench press championship, since in those cases we will have to pause as marked by the judges of the competition. So, It will help us to improve the initial force of the movement and to perform competition-specific work.
Bench press from supports
Strength cages are one of the tools that we can take the most advantage of in strength training. Count on different measures to place the safety supports that we are going to use to be our bench press starting point.
The bar will be right on that point a little above the chest, area where we failed. From there we will push at maximum speed focusing the stimulus on this main point. We can also do it at another stuck point where we fail.
Military press to strengthen the shoulders
The military press is the basic strength exercise for the shoulders, a muscle group that is heavily involved in the bench press. This exercise directly affects the anterior and middle fibers of the deltoid, which will be the ones that are also active in the bench press. That is why a shoulder weakness will cause a failure at the beginning of said movement.
Incline dumbbell bench press to strengthen the upper chest
When we perform any variant of the bench press, we activate the muscles of the entire pectoral as a whole. However, if we start from a incline bench increases upper body engagement or clavicular bundle of the pectoralis. This exercise will help us improve the weakness in that area.
I stay in the middle of the journey: the common point of stagnation
The most common sticking point on the bench press is right in the middle of the movement. In this case the chest weakness is often the main culpritabove the shoulders or the triceps: muscles that help in this exercise.
floor bench press
The bench press from the floor limits the range of motion, making match the start of the thrust of this exercise with the sticking point in the middle of the bench press exercise.
As in other exercises we use the strength cage supports, here it is our own arms that will serve as a stop. The range of movement is less, but we can affect the middle part of the movement where it is more difficult for us.
Bench press with plank (board press)
Another underutilized way to limit range of motion making the thrust coincide with the midpoint of the bench press is with the use of tables. It is not common for this material to exist in the gym, but surely you have a foam roller on hand. You can use it instead, and if you can’t execute it like that either, use another of the exercises that we suggest.
spot press
With this variation of bench press your pecs will get quite active more than if we didn’t make that stop a little below the halfway point where we got stuck. It’s similar to the pause bench press, but in this case the bar doesn’t rest on your chest, and that will make you want to finish the exercise as soon as possible.
I get past the mid-ride sticking point, but I can’t lock my elbows at the end
Another of the main failures for which we do not complete the bench press is because our triceps are weaker than our pecs, and we couldn’t complete the last part of the movement. The arms are almost extended, but we are missing those final centimeters that allow us to lock in and finish the bench press.
Close Grip Bench Press
An exercise that’s as similar to the bench press as possible and focuses more on the triceps than the pecs? The close grip bench press. Closing the grip we eliminate one of the functions of the pectoral and increase another of the triceps. In this way we will continue working the bench press in a specific way, but giving it another approach.
JM Press
At first glance it may seem the same as the close-grip bench press, but it contains a very important nuance: the bar does not go to the chest and yes to the face. Take a good look at how it runs in the video and give it a try if you haven’t already. Your triceps will thank you.
Reverse Band Bench Press
The elastic bands, together with the strength cage, provide a wide range of options for introduce variations in the bench press. The most common is to find the elastic bands exerting force from the ground, but not from the ceiling. What difference there are?
The elastic band is at its maximum extension when the bar is in contact with our chest. If the elastic band generates the greatest tension the more stretched it is, it means that it will be at the beginning of the movement when it will help us the most.
However, as the band shortens, the help it exerts is less and less, being the final moment of the movement where it gives us less help. Therefore, we can perform this variation to hit the final part of the bench press, when our elbows have to fully extend and lock the exercise.
In Vitónica | Guide to improving the deadlift: use these exercises to progress in the parts that are most difficult for you
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Pictures | iStock, Unpslash, Jump Sto