One of the most commonly asked questions between men at the gym is, "How much can you bench?" Yet, for the most part, many guys are losing vital poundage from their big lifts by neglecting areas of their fitness which can be worked on very easily. Today's post will teach you how to improve your bench press in three quick moves.
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.
Believe it or not, you can easily increase your compound lifts by as much as 40 pounds if you apply a few simple strategies to your training program, including:
1. Work on your grip strength with assistance exercises focusing on forearms.
2. Reverse warm-up sets are a fantastic technique when used correctly
3. Put more focus on the negative portion of the move.
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.
Exercises such as plate grips, wrist curls, reverse wrist curls and reverse curls with an EZ bar will prove to be huge assets in improving your grip.
While it's easy to see the importance of grip strength in pulling motions such as the deadlift, you may be wondering why it is important in things like the bench press. Well, your grip can come into play here to focus on pulling the bar apart as you lift and lower to and from your chest. This is a power lifting technique which is used commonly in underground gyms.
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!
If you use this particular technique quite sparingly, you will notice it becomes a very valuable tool when you reach sticking points on your journey to building the type of body you want.
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.
Focus on using a weight heavier than you would usually go and have a spotter to help you do the concentric portion of the exercise before leaving you to do the negative phase on your own. Take your time on each rep.
While there is certainly no 'quick fix' in the gym, utilizing time tested techniques such as the three you have picked up today is a sure-fire way to boost any flagging compound lifts in the gym. Learning how to improve your bench press or squat is often a case of learning how to strengthen your brute strength rather than spending hours blasting the muscle in the hope of spurring new growth.
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.
Believe it or not, you can easily increase your compound lifts by as much as 40 pounds if you apply a few simple strategies to your training program, including:
1. Work on your grip strength with assistance exercises focusing on forearms.
2. Reverse warm-up sets are a fantastic technique when used correctly
3. Put more focus on the negative portion of the move.
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.
Exercises such as plate grips, wrist curls, reverse wrist curls and reverse curls with an EZ bar will prove to be huge assets in improving your grip.
While it's easy to see the importance of grip strength in pulling motions such as the deadlift, you may be wondering why it is important in things like the bench press. Well, your grip can come into play here to focus on pulling the bar apart as you lift and lower to and from your chest. This is a power lifting technique which is used commonly in underground gyms.
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!
If you use this particular technique quite sparingly, you will notice it becomes a very valuable tool when you reach sticking points on your journey to building the type of body you want.
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.
Focus on using a weight heavier than you would usually go and have a spotter to help you do the concentric portion of the exercise before leaving you to do the negative phase on your own. Take your time on each rep.
While there is certainly no 'quick fix' in the gym, utilizing time tested techniques such as the three you have picked up today is a sure-fire way to boost any flagging compound lifts in the gym. Learning how to improve your bench press or squat is often a case of learning how to strengthen your brute strength rather than spending hours blasting the muscle in the hope of spurring new growth.
About the Author:
More information: Successful physique coach Russ Howe PTI reveals how to improve your bench press with these cutting edge tips. Discover how to build muscle with the expert knowledge on his workout and dieting website today.
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