"Can you do a lot of benching, bro?" During your gym sessions, you've most likely been asked this question. Are you, on the other hand, content with your bench press strength? If you haven't already, check out our piece on the best bench press strategies you can use right now to enhance your bench press.
Weightlifting's apex is the bench press. "How much can you bench?" is a question that any man who has ever entered a gym has certainly been asked. Sadly, few of them are satisfied with their responses to that question. How does one, on the other hand, increase their bench press?
Because the bench press stimulates numerous essential muscular groups, you'll need a lot more than just a strong chest to be a formidable bench presser. These muscle groups include the pecs, triceps, deltoids, and, indirectly, the lats and legs.
Let's look at some scientifically proven strategies for boosting your bench press and rapidly gaining lean body mass.
How To Increase Bench Press?
MASTERING BENCH PRESS TECHNIQUES
• Try to pull the bar apart
When getting ready for the bench, pull your shoulder blades together and squeeze the bar as if you're trying to pull it apart. For the duration of the lift, stay in this position. You may generate more force by engaging your lats and activating more muscle fibers. You will also gain from this posture because it will keep you in a stronger position.
• Body position on the bench
As previously, pull your shoulder blades together and push your back into the bench. Keep your feet placed directly beneath or in front of your knees while squeezing the bar as hard as you can. Keep your lower back in a small arch and your muscles stiff throughout the action. No one should be able to push you off the bench if you are properly secured.
• Tuck your elbows (don’t flare them outward)
Benching with your elbows extended outward is not only dangerous, but also reduces the explosiveness of your bench press. As you lower the bar, your elbows should be 30 - 45 degrees from parallel to your body. "Tuck" your elbows into your hips). Flinging your elbows outside increases your chances of tearing your pecs. This is one of the most common and potentially deadly weightlifting injuries.
• Pump Up Your Adrenaline
This is one of those "outside-the-box" mentality hacks that can help you bench press up to 10% more weight in no time. According to a study conducted by A.U.T. University, people who psyched themselves up before a bench press were able to improve the amount lifted by 8%. 1.
So, how do you prepare yourself? To each his own, but one simple method is to listen to high-intensity music that increases the release of adrenaline throughout the body. Choose your favorite high-octane tune, stock the bar, and go to work!
• Power of Visualization
Another technique to improve your bench press is to visualize yourself doing a successful lift with a hefty weight. The majority of gym-goers are unaware of how effective this psychological tactic is. You're more likely to lift a certain amount of weight if you believe you can (within reason).
TRAINING FOR A BIGGER BENCH PRESS
• Bench Press First
One of the simplest ways to enhance your bench press is to make sure you do it before any other workout. If you're bench pressing near the end of your workout, you won't be able to generate the most force. This is linked to muscular and neurological system fatigue, making it more difficult to increase your bench press. Even though it seems self-evident, many gym-goers ignore this easy rule: Always begin with compound lifts.
REP-RANGE CONFUSION
Most men who are attempting to improve their bench press keep to the same repetition range each workout. Remember that to progress and grow, your muscles require new stimuli and overload. Changing your rep ranges will stimulate different muscle fibers and "shock" your chest into increasing its size and strength.
You might be doing hard sets in the 1–3 repetition range during some workouts. Other routines that vary from 8 to 12 reps. Try varying your workouts, but make sure to include at least one hard (1-5 reps, 90% or higher of your one-rep max) exercise per week. If you continually complete 8 to 12 reps with the same weights, you won't be able to increase your bench press stats.
You expose your body to multiple sorts of overload when you train at maximum intensity with a wide variety of rep ranges. Your body is forced to adapt and become stronger as a result of this.
BUILD YOUR LOWER CHEST
Many gym-goers make the mistake of concentrating on their middle and upper chests while ignoring their lower chests. By mixing a variety of decline chest workouts, you can strengthen adjacent muscular groups. A decline bench press and a decline dumbbell fly are two exercises that help develop the clavicular pectoralis and anterior deltoids. These muscle groups are necessary for bench press strength and stability.
INCREASE YOUR TRICEPS STRENGTH
The triceps are another essential muscle group to work with during the bench press. If you're having trouble "locking out" on heavy bench press sets, work on triceps strength. All triceps-strengthening exercises will help you increase your bench press. These workouts include weighted dips, skull crushers, and tricep extensions, to name a few. Bench press with a firmer grip to incorporate the triceps more fully into the exercise.
Related article: Old-School Chest Workout For Mass and Strength
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