SECRETS FOR A BETTER BENCH

First of all, I apologize for my long absence, I was really swamped by academic work. It's really funny how difficult it is to get used to the academic grind after leaving the four walls of a university. 

Good news, I was just selected to join the University weightlifting society. This means I will start training as an Olympic weightlifter from this Saturday. I initially wanted to join the powerlifting team, but according to the coaches, it's rare to find a person who combines muscle mass, strength, power, and flexibility in one package. Therefore it was the weightlifting team for me. This is proof that I practice what I preach, and if you follow the Legally Muscled way of life, you are destined to live your life at your best.

The Bench Press is the popularly accepted test of Muscle strength, stability and endurance. It's not an uncommon sight to see many guys in the gym spending the bulk of their time on the bench trying to build their pectoral and allied muscles.

For today's article, I lifted a particularly interesting post I found on Men's Fitness website. In this article, Charles Poliquin gives advise on how to improve your bench press in order to gain that impressive chest and shoulder that many of us seek.

The bench press is an invaluable exercise for developing strength and size in the chest, shoulders and arms. Because it uses so many muscle groups, it allows you to use a lot of weight – elite powerlifters have bench pressed over 320kg without assistive gear and 450kg with it.

In most gyms you’ll perform the standard bench press on a flat bench, but for maximum muscle size and strength you should do several variations of this exercise. First, let me make it clear what I consider the proper grip for a standard bench press: placing the hands so the index fingers are at biacromial width (the proper name for a shoulder-width grip). Wider or narrower grips are not worth considering because they place too much stress on the shoulders.

You’ll notice that there’s no place for Smith machine bench presses in my recommendations. These are also too stressful on your joints thanks to the restriction on how the bar moves, and neither do they work any of your small but important stabilising muscles. Besides this, numerous studies have found they don’t work the target muscles as thoroughly as barbell benching. The only thing I ever use a Smith machine for is for hanging up my jacket on the way to the weights.

 Reverse-grip bench press
This variation is performed with a supinated grip (palms facing you). It is generally easier on the shoulder joints and increases the emphasis on the triceps. However, it can feel a bit awkward at first so start with a lighter weight than you’d usually expect to lift. You will also require a spotter to hand you the bar and help return it to the rack.

California press
This move is called something different every place I go, but the movement stays the same. It’s a hybrid move – a cross between a close-grip bench press and a lying triceps extension, so you lower the bar towards your Adam’s apple rather than over your nipples. It’s a great move to increase triceps mass, but again you may need to start with a lighter weight to get used to the new movement pattern.

Partial-range bench press
I don’t prescribe this often but it has its value, especially in powerlifting or in grappling sports such as judo, when you need to keep an opponent at arm’s length. Limiting the range of motion by using pins in a power rack allows to lift heavier where you 
are strongest – at the top of the move.

Bench press with chains
Chains provide an even increase in resistance as the barbell is pressed off the chest, which enables the resistance curve to more closely match an individual’s strength curve. Chains are great for squats too and can help you smash a strength plateau. If your gym does not have chains, it’s time to change gyms.