Bench Press is one of the most popular exercise performed in the gym. It is a lifting exercise which is used for building upper body. There are mainly three types of bench press, all are performed in same way but at different angles. These are:
- Flat bench press
- Incline bench press
- Decline bench press
Bench press can also be performed by varying hand position like Close grip bench press.
How to perform Bench Press – Correct Form:
Follow the following steps below in order to perform Bench press exercise correctly:
- Lay flat on the bench.
- Hold the bar with some distance between the arms (To get better results on the pectoral muscles you have to increase the distance between your arms).
- Lift the bar above your chest.
- Bring the bar slowly towards your chest and push it back until your arms are locked.
- Inhale while going down and exhale while pushing up the bar.
This video shows the proper or correct form and techniques to do a bench press:
Benefits of Bench Press:
Bench Press is an excellent exercise which has a lot of benefits like:
- Development of chest muscles
- Increase in body strength
- Improvement in the body structure
- Stimulates pectoral, deltiods and triceps also
As it is used to build chest, variation in angle of bench works on chest muscles in different ways.
Safety/Precautions While Performing Bench Press:
If you are a beginner then you have to pay full attention to this exercise i.e you have to perform it very carefully and correctly otherwise you may have some serious injuries. As a beginner you must keep the following points in your mind while performing bench press:
- Start Bench Press with lighter weight => Use just the bar weight i.e do not add any additional weights in the beginning. Increase the weight on the bar slowly and according to your limit
- Be Slow => Do not push back the bar suddenly or in a very fast motion as it may cause injuries
- Perfect Position => While performing bench press, your hips must be on the bench and feet properly on the floor
- Proper Gap Between Hands => Maintain some gap between your hands to have good results because too short gap will benefit your triceps muscles and there will be no benefit on chest muscles.
- Maintain Balance => Maintain balance of the bar above your body. Do not overload at one side as it may have negative impact on the body.
- Use Your Thumbs => Grip the bar with your thumbs i.e never use thumbless grips as the bar may slip from your hands and fall on your chest, face or even neck.
- Straight Wrists => Do not bend your wrists while performing it otherwise you may have wrist pain. If you have problem in holding your wrists then use wrist bands while performing bench press.
- Take Sufficient Rest => Take atleast 1 – 2 minutes rest after each set. Do not overoad yourself.
- Use Spotters => Always ask for spotter while performing bench press as it reduces the chance of injuries.
For other body building exercises and health tips ==>Click Here
