Using the Bench Press for Gaining Muscle Fast

The beginning of the week always seems to start off with everyone heading to the gym for their favorite workout day, you know it, Chest Day. This more probable than not includes the bench press as their primary exercise. The bench press is frequently proclaimed as the best upper body builder and guys from around the world seek to increase the amount they can bench. This is not only for the rights to brag, but for respect of their peers and of course solid chest muscles.

In the heads of the ordinary weightlifter, the bench press is thought of as the best exercise for building the chest. Yet, is it really the most beneficial exercise to use to bring about massive improvements to your chest? If you are learning how to build muscles fast there are a few things you should know about the bench press before choosing to include it as your chest exercise of choice.

Numerous amounts of coaches think very highly of the bench press and some athletes get chosen by testing them on how much they can bench, making it an almost a mandatory lift. However, there are some top coaches that feel like the bench press does not deserve all the hype it gets. From their point of few the bench press has destroyed more shoulders and torn more pecs than it has perfected. So, should you include the bench press or not?

Let me do my best to clear up any confusion for you and give you a little more insight into this matter.

It is hard to say that the bench press is “good or bad” because like many things in life, it is not a black and white issue. There a gray areas in between where the bench press is optimal for some and not for others.

In my opinion, it's not that the bench press is a "bad" exercise , but rather it is a technical lift that needs some skill in order to carry it out correctly. If you lack the understanding of what you are doing and also lack the understanding of the proper bio-mechanics of the bench press than it is very probably you will end up with shoulder injuries. This is not a good thing and could cause you large amounts of difficulties with your upper body training.

The key to determining whether the bench press is a “good” exercise for you is to first understand if your body is well suited for optimal bench pressing. It is also very important to learn how to execute the lift correctly and tips for modifying or adapting the bench press to suit your specific anatomical structure.

Let us take a closer look at the main problems with bench pressing and I'll offer a couple solutions you can apply if you want to include the bench press in your workout:

THE PROBLEM: Many people use the wrong form because that is what they learned from bodybuilders and they end up flaring their elbows out while performing the bench press. This style of bench is the most common way that you will see people at the gym performing the bench and this is a sure method to destroy your shoulders sooner or later. The upside is that it puts more tension and stress on the pectoral muscles but the huge minus is that it puts excess stress on the shoulder capsule and can, overtime, lead to shoulder impingement and a host of other shoulder problems.

THE SOLUTION: If you want to include the bench press, I suggest learning the proper form that powerlifters use. This is a more bio-mechanically correct technique and is safer because the elbows are kept closer to the body. Although it takes some of the impact off of the chest and puts it on the triceps, it will save your shoulders and allow you to lift more weight in the end. That's great news!

ANOTHER PROBLEM: The bench press is generally well suited for guys with big barrel chests and shorter arms. This means the bar has less distance to travel and reduces strain on the shoulders due to the limited range of motion. This is the reason why you see the shorter, thicker guys pressing really heavy weight and making everyone else look weak.

Most skinny, ectomorphic guys have thinner torsos and longer arms, this means the bar is having to move a greater distance. It also means if we lower the bar all the way to our chest, our shoulders get placed in a detrimental position which also places more stress on the shoulder joint. By performing it this way, it will put your shoulder in this horrible position and will lean to an injury pretty quickly.

SOLUTION: While performing the bench press, do not let your elbows go past the bench (as viewed from the side.) Most likely if you are doing this, then the bar will not come all the way down to your chest, but you'll keep a 90 degree angle between your upper and lower arm. This will keep your shoulders and elbows safe. Another idea is to bench in a safety rack and set the pins at an appropriate level so that your elbows do not go too far down. You can also try doing the floor press as another variation. This works good because the floor will stop you from going too far.

CONCLUSION: Personally, I limit how much bench pressing I do. When I do include it, I take the above precautions. I also focus on the Incline press at a 30 degree angle more so than the flat bench press. I also highly recommend floor presses and flat or incline dumbbell presses on the bench (but careful not to let your elbows drop too low.)

Another thing I recommend is push ups. You can use a weighted vest, chains, plates, backpack or whatever to add resistance and make them tougher. A lot of coaches also suggest performing push-ups suspended from rings or straps to make them even more difficult. Push-ups are one of the best chest builders and have stood the test of time. Where the bench press destroys shoulders, push-ups and their variations actually work to build, strengthen and stabilize the shoulder joint. That is something to keep at the front of your mind.

So, it is not that the bench press is "bad" and to be avoided by all, it is just that some people are better suited for it than others. One last tip I can give you is that you MUST work your back by doing a variety of rows. At least as much pulling exercises (if not more) than your pressing exercises for your chest. If not you'll develop muscular imbalances and this can cause bad posture, or rounded shoulders.

Hope this helps!

Brandon Cook