Bench press

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A soldier from the U.S. Army performs a 345 lb (156 kg) bench press
A soldier from the U.S. Army performs a 345 lb (156 kg) bench press

The bench press is a form of weightlifting which primarily focuses on the development of the pectoral or chest muscles. The lifter lies on his/her back on a bench while pushing up and lowering down a weighted bar directly above the chest. While the exercise is primarily intended for the development of the chest, or pectoral muscles, it also helps develop the anterior deltoids, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis, as well as the triceps.

Contents

[edit] Form

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It is properly performed while lying on one's back with one's shoulder blades pinched together on a specially designed bench with a weighted barbell suspended on a rack. Not pinching one's shoulder blades together causes the anterior deltoids (frontal shoulders) to take over. The feet are kept flat on the ground at all times. Use your feet placement to maintain a good arch in the lower back and an all around tight position on the bench. However, don't let the buttocks lift off the bench. Using a closed grip the hands should be equally spaced on the bar so that the forearms are vertical (90°) to the ground looking at them from the side, feet or head. The elbows should be under the wrists when looking down (a spotter or mirror can be used to correct this form). The hand placement should be noted for future record. While keeping one's feet planted on the ground, one then takes the barbell, inhales, lifts it off the rack, and lowers it to the lower or upper chest area. After a pause the weight is then raised back up vertically, while keeping the breath in until a sticking point is reached at which point one can exhale to help power the bar through. This exercise should always be performed with a spotter to catch the bar in case it is dropped on the chest.[1].

  • Can be performed on an incline, on a decline, or on a stabilizer ball. The incline-version shifts some of the stress from the pectorals to the anterior deltoids and gives a greater stimulus to the upper pectorals (those originating from the clavicle), whereas the decline allows more weight to be lifted while using nearly the same musculature as the traditional bench press.
  • Varying width grips can be used to shift stress between pectorals and triceps.
  • Can also be performed with dumbbells which incorporates more use of stabilizer muscles.

Each variation is intended to work different subgroups of muscles, or work the same muscles in slightly different ways. In the short term, the working of these different muscles may not necessarily promote a significant performance increase for the traditional bench press, but rather serve as a long term foundation to achieving an increase to an individual's "one rep max".

[edit] Possible injuries

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Incorrect form may lead to multiple types of injuries including:

  • back injuries: use of the bench press exercise without a corresponding back exercise (muscle imbalances)
  • elbow/wrist strains: (From using a 'monkey grip' where the thumb is located on the same side of the bar as the fingers). Or too many sets (often occurs in high volume/high frequency workout programs).
  • cracked/broken rib cage: (Usually as a result of 'bouncing the bar', this means the lifter actually bounces the bar of his/her chest to achieve momentum in the positive portion of the lift). This can also result from loss of control and the bar falls rapidly from the extended position (can be prevented by a spotter).

[edit] One-repetition fitness levels

[edit] Entry level requirements into the Hampton, New Hampshire Police Force

Multiply figure by body weight [1]:

Age Males Females
18–29 .96 .58
30–39 .86 .52
40–49 .78 .48
50–59 .70 .43
60+ .65 .41

[edit] Vermont State Police MINIMUM entry standards

Multiply figure by body weight [2]:

Age Males Females
20–29 1.061 .65
30–39 .93 .57
40–49 .84 .52
50–55 .75 .46

[edit] World records

The current world record for the heaviest bench press is at 1010 lb which was set by Gene Rychlak. It must be noted that the different federations have subtly different rules on technique, the equipment that is allowed and whether performance enhancing drugs are tested for.

The heaviest "raw" bench press (without equipment such as bench shirts) is 715 lb by Scot Mendelson.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Lifting Technique. Stuart McRobert, CS Publishing; 2nd edition, September 1999
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