Learning how to improve your bench press is a tricky and often over complicated affair for most gym members. Many of them spend time focusing on endless sets of cable crossovers and other assistance exercises in a bid to pack on more poundage when they hit the bench but, as you will discover in today's article, the answers to getting bigger compound lifts are actually quite simple.
It is important to understand that while you may consider the figure you can bench or squat to be of huge importance, you can still build a great physique without ever notching up a world record of Olympic standards.
Increasing the three big lifts (chest press, deadlift and back squat) is often a game of working muscles that most guys neglect, such a forearms. The following three techniques will help you to get maximum results in minimum time:
1. Designate some time in your arm workouts for grip work and forearm based work.
2. Utilize time-served techniques such as Hulk warm-ups.
3. Perform negative reps with a spotter on any lift you wish to increase.
The main problem with men who encounter issues with their big lifts is that the rest of their program is built around looking good, rather than being strong. As a result, they completely overlook the importance of training their forearms and grip strength. Your grip will always be the first thing to tire out on an exercise like Romanian deadlifts, long before your lower back and glutes, so it makes sense to incorporate grip-based work into your routine.
Try to get a good mixture of exercises to test your grip. Moves like reverse curls, handshake curls and even something simple like clasping two weight plates together for as long as possible have been shown to improve grip strength dramatically.
Of course, your grip also plays a hugely underestimated role on exercises like chest press. Learn how to focus on 'pulling the bar apart' as you do the exercise and you will begin to notice how much more you can derive from every repetition.
Reverse warm-ups are also fantastic when used correctly. This involves getting yourself warmed up before performing one set with a weight which is actually heavier than you plan to go in your working sets of the exercise ahead. So, for instance, perform a set of just a few reps with 100 kg if you plan to squat 80-90 kg in your working sets. Obviously, it pays to have a spotter at hand when using this technique. The body recruits many more muscle fibers than it usually would for this technique, meaning when you drop the weight and perform your normal working sets you will suddenly find your 80-90 kg lifts feeling rather easy!
Naturally, this technique works best when you use it as an occasional tool rather than using it all the time.
The final technique for increasing your compound lifts in the gym comes in the form of negative repetitions. The negative section of a repetition is the portion where your muscle isn't working, i.e. the phase of a bench press where you are lowering the bar towards your chest. Believe it or not, that is the phase which most people have the greatest difficulty with, not the lifting phase. It is also the phase where most people go wrong, lowering the bar too quickly. At least 50% of the benefits to a compound move can be found in correctly performing the negative phase of the move, so stop dropping down so fast on your squats and deadlifts.
You should use a weight heavier than you would usually use, due to the fact you are only performing half of the repetition on your own.
Many people falsely believe endless chest exercises are the best way to learn how to improve your bench press but the truth is you need to focus on the often overlooked aspects. Grip strength and your ability to handle the eccentric phase of a lift play a massive role in determining how much weight you will ultimately be able to squat, deadlift or chest press. =
It is important to understand that while you may consider the figure you can bench or squat to be of huge importance, you can still build a great physique without ever notching up a world record of Olympic standards.
Increasing the three big lifts (chest press, deadlift and back squat) is often a game of working muscles that most guys neglect, such a forearms. The following three techniques will help you to get maximum results in minimum time:
1. Designate some time in your arm workouts for grip work and forearm based work.
2. Utilize time-served techniques such as Hulk warm-ups.
3. Perform negative reps with a spotter on any lift you wish to increase.
The main problem with men who encounter issues with their big lifts is that the rest of their program is built around looking good, rather than being strong. As a result, they completely overlook the importance of training their forearms and grip strength. Your grip will always be the first thing to tire out on an exercise like Romanian deadlifts, long before your lower back and glutes, so it makes sense to incorporate grip-based work into your routine.
Try to get a good mixture of exercises to test your grip. Moves like reverse curls, handshake curls and even something simple like clasping two weight plates together for as long as possible have been shown to improve grip strength dramatically.
Of course, your grip also plays a hugely underestimated role on exercises like chest press. Learn how to focus on 'pulling the bar apart' as you do the exercise and you will begin to notice how much more you can derive from every repetition.
Reverse warm-ups are also fantastic when used correctly. This involves getting yourself warmed up before performing one set with a weight which is actually heavier than you plan to go in your working sets of the exercise ahead. So, for instance, perform a set of just a few reps with 100 kg if you plan to squat 80-90 kg in your working sets. Obviously, it pays to have a spotter at hand when using this technique. The body recruits many more muscle fibers than it usually would for this technique, meaning when you drop the weight and perform your normal working sets you will suddenly find your 80-90 kg lifts feeling rather easy!
Naturally, this technique works best when you use it as an occasional tool rather than using it all the time.
The final technique for increasing your compound lifts in the gym comes in the form of negative repetitions. The negative section of a repetition is the portion where your muscle isn't working, i.e. the phase of a bench press where you are lowering the bar towards your chest. Believe it or not, that is the phase which most people have the greatest difficulty with, not the lifting phase. It is also the phase where most people go wrong, lowering the bar too quickly. At least 50% of the benefits to a compound move can be found in correctly performing the negative phase of the move, so stop dropping down so fast on your squats and deadlifts.
You should use a weight heavier than you would usually use, due to the fact you are only performing half of the repetition on your own.
Many people falsely believe endless chest exercises are the best way to learn how to improve your bench press but the truth is you need to focus on the often overlooked aspects. Grip strength and your ability to handle the eccentric phase of a lift play a massive role in determining how much weight you will ultimately be able to squat, deadlift or chest press. =
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More information: Top personal trainer Russ Howe PTI reveals how to improve your bench press with these brand new tips. Discover how to build muscle with the expert knowledge on his workout and dieting website today.
