Bench press is one of the most popular exercises that people do in the gym with a barbell and weights and for good reason. It’s called the “squat of the upper body” because it works so many different muscles. Unfortunately, many people come to the gym week after week and don’t really see any results from doing bench press. Whether you want to build more muscle or up the pounds you bench, use these tips to get more out of your workout time.
First, try switching up the incline of your bench. While flat bench press is a great exercise for your middle chest, doing the exercise at an incline or a decline changes the muscles that get worked. Incline bench works your upper check while decline bench works your lower chest. Working these different muscles not only gives you chest a much better overall developed look, but also strengthens more of your muscles, letting you bench more.
Just like different body positions changes the muscles worked, so does your grip on the barbell weight. The wider your grip, the more of your chest and back you will work and the narrower the grip, the more you will work your tricep and bicep muscles.
Finally, if you want to get the most out of bench, or any workout situation, vary your weights and repetitions every few weeks. If you usually do fairly heavy for twelve reps, take a week or two and work really heavy weight for six reps. Your body is inherently lazy and will grow accustomed to your workout routine, so if you don’t switch up your routine you’ll be limiting your muscle and strength growth.
If you want to get the most out of your bench press workout, there are several things that you should do, but they all essentially involve varying your lifting style Varying your routine by changing grips, body position, and the number of reps is a great way to build more muscle and strength faster.
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