Bench press is an exercise tool to help you gain some muscles in your arms or if you want to build up your chest. This is usually done by men especially those who wish to have a toned and nice body. In this article, you will be able to find information on how to bench press. Follow the quick simple steps and you will surely get the perfect chest or toned arms loaded with muscles.
- Lie flat on the bench in a relaxed position. Make sure that as you lay flat on your back, your body is in a natural state as you need your shoulders to be relaxed. The curve of your back should be balanced. Your feet should be flat on the ground and your shoulders should be touching the bench.
- Now it’s time to put both arms at both sides, elbows must be bent and then touch the bar. Go for the normal grip but if you wish to increase the amount of muscles and to increase the involvement of triceps, go for a wider grip.
- Lift the bar and position it above the middle of your chest. Inhale and exhale during lifting the bar is the best technique. So, inhale as you lower down the bar and exhale as you push the bar up. Do not bounce the bar in your chest because this can cause a major injury. The right thing is that the bar should ONLY gently touch your chest and then push the bar up again.
- Once you have done 1, 2, and 3 it is time that you add more weight to the bar. The bar weighs 45 lbs. Try increasing 5 or 10lbs. Find a comfortable weight which will suit you best.
- A spotter should help whenever you lift a heavy weight. This is to avoid dropping the bar on yourself or straining yourself too much.
- Drink lots of water and a 2-minute break every the end of each set should be done. This is to avoid straining yourself and to keep you well-hydrated as well.
Listed above are the quick and simple steps on how to bench press. However, the tough part of this particular exercise is you will need to provide the right amount of strength and determination to get the results you want. A well-conditioned body before working on a bench press is a-must. Also, remember that if you wish to build muscles on your chest or on your arms, a well-balanced diet should be observed too. The exercise will result to nothing if you eat fatty foods that can only make you fat. Discipline and motivate yourself. The right attitude and the right diet will give you accurate results.
I have found it very helpful to squeeze your legs together when bench pressing. It helps keep your feet on the ground and simply seems to allow me to push a little harder when i am struggling.