How to Warm Up for Bench Pressing
The bench press is a staple of weight lifting. It's the exercise that men like to compare most around the gym the most. "How much do you bench" is a common question around the gym. But before you just go load-up the bar and pull a few discs in your back, here are some tips on how to warm-up before performing the bench press.
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Instructions
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Stretch the shoulders. While bench pressing is primarily targeting the pectoral muscles, your shoulders and more specifically rotator cuffs are the parts of your arm that need to be tended to when warming up. This is due to the fact the muscles in your chest are quite large in comparison to those in your shoulders. Therefore it stands to reason that the smaller muscles that will be supporting a large amount of weight need more of a warm-up. To do this, perform shoulder lateral raises at a low weight. Stand, facing forward, take two dumbbells, usually no more than 10 pounds, and slowly raise your arms to the side for 10 to 15 reps. Complete two sets of this exercise.
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Perform incline presses. Sitting on an incline bench (one that supports your back at about a 45 degree angle), take two dumbbells, probably in the vicinity of 20 pounds and slowly raise them up over your chest until the dumbbells are touching. Perform two sets of this exercise.
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Begin bench press. Lay on the bench press, and simply raise and lower the bar without any additional weight. You should be able to perform twenty reps easily. Complete two sets.
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Increase weight. On the bench press, begin to slowly add weight to each set of reps. If you completed twenty reps on the bar without weight, add enough weight so that you can complete fifteen reps, then twelve reps and then ultimately eight reps. Congratulations, you have now successfully learned how to warm-up for the bench press.
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Tips & Warnings
This is a very basic warm-up. This is designed for the average weight lifter who is simply looking to tone. If your goals are to power-lift or circuit train, your warm-up may be different.
Always consult your physician before beginning a new workout routine.
Weight amounts in this article are approximate. When completing a warm-up, the amount of weight you are using should not fatigue you until about twenty reps. For each person this will be a trial and error process.
