Welcome to all of you, over the next few lines we will comment on everything we need to know about such an important exercise in the world of strength as Bench Press is.
We can define it as an exercise of upper body, of open kinetic chain (when we speak of free weight), in which a push of the bar is made from the height of the chest up to the complete extension of the elbows, with direct implication of the gleno-humeral and humero-ubital articulations, being an exercise of key push to develop strenght in the anterior part of the superior train; mainly involving the following muscles:
We are now going to make a complete journey through this exercise, from its origins, to the technique to perform it efficiently.
ORIGINS
The origins of this exercise date back to the end of the nineteenth century, where weightlifting benches had not yet been introduced into the world of fitness, so it was normal to see their performance directly lying on the floor. Being from the 1950s when this exercise suffered a great increase in popularity, due to the rise of bodybuilding.
TECHNIQUE
1. POSITION IN THE BANK: It will be linked to the inclination of the bank, being affected some muscular fibers or others depending on this inclination (plane = average zone; inclined = superior zone; declined = inferior zone).
Having said this, we must pay attention to the importance of scapular retraction during movement. By lying on the bench and supporting the back, we prevent the natural movement of the shoulder girdle, making it impossible for the shoulder blade to retract when we bring the bar to the chest, so we must be sure to start the movement by "forcing" this scapular retraction before lying on the bench.
Failure to perform this technique, in addition to being less efficient when applying force, can develop the development of injuries, mainly in the shoulder joint, so we must pay special attention.
2. FEET POSITION: We have all seen the bench press with the feet resting on the bench to avoid curvature in the lumbar area, thinking that this gesture resulted in a healthier execution of the movement; however, this is not correct, because the natural posture of the lumbar area implies a curvature, which provides robustness and strength. The next thing to keep in mind is that the legs must develop an active role in the lifting, serving as a point of support allowing to generate greater strength and stability during movement.
Therefore, we must have our feet resting on the ground in a firm way, slightly separated a few centimeters wider than the width of the hip, performing a pushing action that provides stability, also ensuring that we do NOT detach the buttock from the bench, which would generate excessive tension in the lumbar area.
3. HEAD POSITION: the head must be supported in a neutral and safe position, exerting certain pressure on the bench. It would be interesting to place a towel to keep it slightly elevated and avoid cervical problems.
4. BAR MOVEMENT: Although it may seem that the most efficient thing is to move the bar completely straight, this would be giving us a mechanical disadvantage point when the bar is located at the highest point, being much more efficient and generating less tension in the shoulder joint to "move" the bar from above, at shoulder height, to the lower chest area, drawing a kind of inverted "L".
5. GRIP: There is controversy regarding the safest and most efficient way to catch the bar during the lift. In order not to extend too far, we would say that the different studies, which take into account both efficiency and safety, recommend an opening of 1.5 times the biacromial width (width of the shoulders), as it offers the balance between a smaller range of travel and greater stability.
On the other hand, the way of holding the bar with the hands must attend to the idea of holding it, clenching the fist around it, and not supporting it on top of the hand, being very important the factor of NOT flexing the wrist, which would generate an excessive and inefficient tension in this joint.
(García, 2017) (Marchante, 2015)
Up to here the technical instructions for carrying out a correct, efficient and safe press banking. That said, it will be essential to implement it in an appropriate way to our training routine, combining it with other exercises and always within a training plan that suits our needs and objectives.
We hope you have learned and see you in the next post.
May the force be with you!
REFERENCES
García, H. (2017). A perfect banking press, the technique to achieve its efficiency. Retrieved April 7, 2019, from https://www.sportlife.es/trainhard/ciencia-fuerza/articulo/press-de-banca-perfecto-tecnica-eficiencia#pagina-5
Marchante, D. (2015). Powerexplosive. Efficient Training. 1st ed. Alcoi: Luhu, pp.134-136.
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We can define it as an exercise of upper body, of open kinetic chain (when we speak of free weight), in which a push of the bar is made from the height of the chest up to the complete extension of the elbows, with direct implication of the gleno-humeral and humero-ubital articulations, being an exercise of key push to develop strenght in the anterior part of the superior train; mainly involving the following muscles:
We are now going to make a complete journey through this exercise, from its origins, to the technique to perform it efficiently.
ORIGINS
The origins of this exercise date back to the end of the nineteenth century, where weightlifting benches had not yet been introduced into the world of fitness, so it was normal to see their performance directly lying on the floor. Being from the 1950s when this exercise suffered a great increase in popularity, due to the rise of bodybuilding.
TECHNIQUE
1. POSITION IN THE BANK: It will be linked to the inclination of the bank, being affected some muscular fibers or others depending on this inclination (plane = average zone; inclined = superior zone; declined = inferior zone).
Having said this, we must pay attention to the importance of scapular retraction during movement. By lying on the bench and supporting the back, we prevent the natural movement of the shoulder girdle, making it impossible for the shoulder blade to retract when we bring the bar to the chest, so we must be sure to start the movement by "forcing" this scapular retraction before lying on the bench.
Failure to perform this technique, in addition to being less efficient when applying force, can develop the development of injuries, mainly in the shoulder joint, so we must pay special attention.
2. FEET POSITION: We have all seen the bench press with the feet resting on the bench to avoid curvature in the lumbar area, thinking that this gesture resulted in a healthier execution of the movement; however, this is not correct, because the natural posture of the lumbar area implies a curvature, which provides robustness and strength. The next thing to keep in mind is that the legs must develop an active role in the lifting, serving as a point of support allowing to generate greater strength and stability during movement.
Therefore, we must have our feet resting on the ground in a firm way, slightly separated a few centimeters wider than the width of the hip, performing a pushing action that provides stability, also ensuring that we do NOT detach the buttock from the bench, which would generate excessive tension in the lumbar area.
3. HEAD POSITION: the head must be supported in a neutral and safe position, exerting certain pressure on the bench. It would be interesting to place a towel to keep it slightly elevated and avoid cervical problems.
4. BAR MOVEMENT: Although it may seem that the most efficient thing is to move the bar completely straight, this would be giving us a mechanical disadvantage point when the bar is located at the highest point, being much more efficient and generating less tension in the shoulder joint to "move" the bar from above, at shoulder height, to the lower chest area, drawing a kind of inverted "L".
5. GRIP: There is controversy regarding the safest and most efficient way to catch the bar during the lift. In order not to extend too far, we would say that the different studies, which take into account both efficiency and safety, recommend an opening of 1.5 times the biacromial width (width of the shoulders), as it offers the balance between a smaller range of travel and greater stability.
On the other hand, the way of holding the bar with the hands must attend to the idea of holding it, clenching the fist around it, and not supporting it on top of the hand, being very important the factor of NOT flexing the wrist, which would generate an excessive and inefficient tension in this joint.
(García, 2017) (Marchante, 2015)
Up to here the technical instructions for carrying out a correct, efficient and safe press banking. That said, it will be essential to implement it in an appropriate way to our training routine, combining it with other exercises and always within a training plan that suits our needs and objectives.
We hope you have learned and see you in the next post.
May the force be with you!
REFERENCES
García, H. (2017). A perfect banking press, the technique to achieve its efficiency. Retrieved April 7, 2019, from https://www.sportlife.es/trainhard/ciencia-fuerza/articulo/press-de-banca-perfecto-tecnica-eficiencia#pagina-5
Marchante, D. (2015). Powerexplosive. Efficient Training. 1st ed. Alcoi: Luhu, pp.134-136.
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