The bench press is the top chest developer and if you can't
make chest gains from bench press you need to look at your form. If you are
struggling with barbell bench press or do not have someone to assist you then
try dumbbell bench press though dumbbell bench press is a superior power
movement.
First warm up appropriately with a very light weight that
does not strain the muscles and then choose a weight you can manage 8-12 reps
with.
Lie down on a flat bench with your legs locked apart in the
appropriate starting position. An image from Wikipedia shows the correct
starting form:
The legs should be locked apart as shown and remain in this
position throughout the exercise. I often see guys in the gym do all sorts of
funny dances with their legs. However good your dance moves are this won't help
you lift more. Locking your feet on the ground gives you the maximum power
available to push the weight.
The barbell should come all the way down and you should stop
the bar on your chest. The bar must come to a complete stop and you should hold
the bar in this position for at least 1 second. If using dumbbells they should
come down below the nipple line for the fullest range of motion and stopped at
this position for at least one second.
Then push the bar back up but do not lock it out at the top
of the movement, the weight should keep the muscles under tension throughout
the exercise. If you cannot keep the bar under control it is too heavy for
bodybuilding purposes and you should drop the weight.
The bar should come up quickly and come down slowly. The
positive part of the movement should be performed as quickly as safely possible
for maximum muscle fiber recruitment. The bar should come down slowly under
control for at least twice as long as it took to push the weight up. Imagine a
car spring, bring the weight down slowly under control counting time and
building tension then at the bottom after holding the weight for 1 second smash
it back up as fast as you can!
BMW
