How to Bench Press

Ever want to build up that chest of yours? What about those skinny arms? Bench pressing targets both of those areas and you will begin to see results pretty quickly as long as you give yourself ample rest in between your workout sessions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• barbell
• weights
• a weight bench
• spotter
• h2o
• will power
• great attuide

1. If you're attempting to bench press a heavy weight, find someone to spot you. This is always a good idea in case the weight is too much to handle and will give you confidence you have someone watching your attempt.
2. Put an appropriate weight on the bar - don't start out with too much. Try benching just the bar by itself a few times to become familiar with the technique. Most bars are 45lbs. Then start with small increments (10-20lbs) until you find a weight you're comfortable with.
3. Lie down on the bench and take some deep breaths before you start. This will help relax your body.
4. Ensure that you are center with the bar, your eyes should be looking straight up at the middle of the bar. Most bars will have an obvious middle marked on them.
5. Hold onto the bar with the weights on it. A wide grip will develop chest muscles a narrow grip will develop arm muscles, and bring down to your chest, while inhaling.
6. Have 5 points of contact, your feet should be flat on the ground, your shoulders should both be resting on the bench and your lower back should be flat and pressed into the bench. Do not arch your back when doing the exercise.
7. Lift the bar up and exhale
8. Lower the bar until it is 2-3 inches above your chest - reverse the direction and lift up, making a small arc back towards the bench.
9. Continue benching. You will probably want to break it up into sets. Alternate with your spotter bench while you rest in between.
10. Drink water throughout to hydrate your muscles.

Tips & Warnings

• A recommended amount of doing the bench press is 1 time per week for beginners or twice for intermediates and experts. When performing this, it is recommended to do 3 or 4 sets of 8-14 reps. Doing more with a lighter weight gains endurance while doing less with a heavier weight gains strength, but doing that base is the most effective.
• Try to line the bar to the bottom of your breast bone when going down, just below your pectoral muscles.
• Breathing is very important in bench pressing, be sure to inhale while going down, exhale while pushing the weight up.
• Along with breathing, be sure to stretch your pectoral muscles by grabbing a stationary object with your hand, and slowly turning your body away from the object while still holding. Also stretch your back muscles, they are very important in this workout as well.
• For your first set, warm up with a significantly lower weight, this will ease your muscles into the workout.
• For more effective chest building, try an inclined bench, this puts you at a 45 degree angle on a bench, and it will isolate your upper chest better. This exercise will show results faster than using a traditional bench. Try a lower weight than you normally bench when you try this workout.
• Do dumbbell bench presses if you can't find a spotter. There's nothing worse than getting trapped under the bar at the end of a hard set.
• Try increasing the weight between sets, moving an average of 10-20 lbs per set, this will encourage muscle growth. Keep track of your progress and try to increase the weight every two weeks if you feel comfortable with it.
• Keep hydrated. Drink water or Gatorade.
• Keep in mind that this is only one of many body toning exercises and that it is essential that along with the bench press you work abs, back, arms, and legs to gain optimal health.
• The bench press is only one of many exercises that will help you attain an overall level of fitness.
• If you have a bad wrist, use wrist raps to help.
• Placing your hands too far apart on the bar will work your back, not your chest. Alternately, placing your hands closer together will work your inner pectorals more.
• Make sure you have a stable surface to lift from Do not lift excessively heavy weights when you are starting off as they can cause injury Always have someone spot you in case your hands slip or you lift something that's too heavy. Do not continue this exercise if you experience any pain. Consult your doctor if pain continues. Do not arch your back during the bench press Do Not hold your breath, this will increase chance of an ane