04.20.11
Benching: The Right Way
It’s disheartening to see many people in the gym these days, especially with the bench press. Because it is the exercise most often attributed to showcasing one’s strength, almost every guy even slightly interesting in getting in shape will attempt bench pressing.
Bad bench press form will make you look like this.
What not to do:
- Pointing your elbows outward.
- leaving your back relaxed throughout the exercise.
- adding more weight than you can lift (this is seriously too common).
- lowering the bar incorrectly.
When you point your elbows outward while benching, you put an increased amount of strain on your joints. If you are trying to max, this could potentially lead to injury (not good).
With your back muscles relaxed, all of the tension going through your chest is put on your triceps and your pectoral muscles. This is bad, since much of your strength and power in bench pressing comes from the stabilizing factor of your back and shoulders.
If you cannot press the amount of weight you have on the bar without crushing yourself under the bar or flopping the weights off – LOWER THE WEIGHT!
Form over weight.
Doing it correctly:
- keep your elbows close to your body through the motion.
- lower the bar till it touches your chest (right about where your nipples are).
- Clench and tighten your back and shoulders throughout the entire set.
Once you can bench press with the form this guy uses, you are set.