Bench Press Secrets

So you Want to Learn the TRUTH About Bench Press Secrets?

Would you be Disappointed if you were told there was no Secret to the Bench Press?

Secret is a catch phrase in the world of marketing which always gets people’s attention. To mention the word secret tells the listener that very few people know about something. It is the listener’s natural reaction to become intrigued by the idea of having an edge on the competition or the infamous easy way.

There is No easy Way When it Comes to Strength feats of the Human Body

Whether you look to add some pounds to your bench press or build your chest there is no substitute for hard work and dedication.

If you are just a beginner there are some things which may surprise you about the bench press. Even if you are an advanced weight trainer, or ex- athlete there are some pieces of knowledge which some may consider bench press secrets.

Increase Strength

If you want to increase the amount of weight that you can bench press, this page details how to do so. A heavy bench press is good for some sports, overall strength and is always good for the ego.

Tone Up Chest

This is a common goal for women with the annoying fat near the arm crease. They have the weight training myth of spot reduction in mind. The bench press cannot spot reduce fat.

It is also common for men to have the belief that the bench press will magically melt fat off of the chest area.

Some men with flabby chests try to tone the chest with high reps bench press, which is related to another weight training myth.

The good news is that the bench press utilizes a major muscle group which includes your chest, anterior deltoids, triceps and shoulder stabilizer muscles. If you look to tone up your chest or any part of your body, the bench press is one of the few essential exercises.

Build a Bigger, Better Looking Chest

This the most common goal for people seeking bench press secrets. If it seems to you that building your pecs is an impossible task you may try everything in the book for your chest. If you never got results despite a large amount of effort there must be some bench press secrets that nobody is telling you right?

Top 3 Bench Press Secrets or Facts You May not Know

1. The Bench Press is Not the Best Exercise to Build Your Chest

If the bench press is the best exercise for building the chest then the best exercise for building the biceps must be the seated row. The point is, bench press is a multi-joint movement. Much of the work is done by the triceps. If you want to build your chest chest flies are more important. This is not to say the bench press is not a good chest exercise, for building the chest the isolated, full range of motion muscle contraction of dumbbell flies is better to build the pecs.

2. The Muscles of Your Upper Middle Back may be the Reason Why you Cannot get Results

Many people suffer from a protracted shoulder girdle. Forward shoulders is a common posture problem which people do not realize causes their body to have incorrect muscle recruitment patterns. You may not be able to recruit enough muscle mass. You may develop synergistic dominance where other muscles take over for the target muscle.

In either case you will never be able to improve your bench press optimally with out strong and stable rhomboids and Trapezius muscles the muscles in your upper middle back. You must be able to stabilize your shoulders in a retracted position for a successful bench press.

3. You Do Not have to Lower the Bar All the Way To Your Chest

Many hardcore bench press aficionados claim that you must bring the bar all the way down until it touches your chest. If you are a power lifter this is 100% true because it is a rule of the competition. If you are a competitive athlete this may be true depending on what your coaches say.

If you are an average Joe or Jane who wants to build your chest, this is false. Especially if you have poor flexibility, lowering the bar all the way down can cause extra stress on your shoulder joint. If you lower the bar down to where your arms form a 90 degree angle you will work your pec muscles fully. You will also be able to do more exercises in the workout than if you lowered the bar all the way down because you avoided extra fatigue on the synergist muscles.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Bench Press Secrets

Question:

Can bench press shirts help you bench press more?

Answer:

Bench press shirts do indeed help you bench press more (compare the world record of over 1000 pounds aided with a shirt compared to the 700 pound record without a shirt) but they are essentially worthless unless you are going for a world record. Bench press shirts work by a combination of the elasticity of the material and compressing your body so they fail to add functional strength that raw (without shirt) bench press training can provide.

More Information Which you May Consider Bench Press Secrets

• Best Chest Exercises To Maximize Your Upper Body Workout
• Best Muscle Building Supplements to Improve Your Gains

About Michael Behnken

Mike Behnken is a personal trainer who holds multiple NASM certifications and a MS in Exercise Science. Mike loves fitness, travel, and photography among many other interests.