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Archive: How Much Can You Bench Press?
Posted on Friday, March 01 @ 12:00:00 MST
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Written by: Lee_Hayward
 How much can you
bench press? If you have been working out for any length of time you have
certainly heard this question. The bench press is the ego exercise. You
can add poundage to your max squat, dead lift, shoulder press, etc. But
for some reason it doesn’t give you the same satisfaction as adding
poundage to your max bench press.
In this article I am going to outline some great tips on improving
your bench press technique and how to lift heavier weight when testing
your one rep max bench press.
To increase your Bench Press poundage you do not concentrate on strict
isolation, but rather on developing power in the muscles. That means that
you must use your entire body to lift the weight.
Position yourself on the bench and try to arch the back as much as
possible while keeping the shoulders, head, and butt on the bench. This
position will lessen the distance the bar must travel and will also allow
the legs to drive the shoulders into the bench for much greater power.
Your feet should be flat on the floor, shoulder width apart. Grab the bar
just a bit wider then shoulder width. Tighten your entire body and
squeeze your shoulder blades together behind you. Then you flex your butt
and press your feet into the floor.
Get a spotter to help you lift the weight off the rack. You will waste
energy and make it harder to get in the right position if you lift the
weight off the rack by yourself.
Grip the bar firmly and tuck your chin into your upper chest, when you
are ready to lower the bar inhale and expand your chest and belly, this
will help you generate more power. As you lower the bar keep your elbows
tucked so that your upper arms are at a 45 degree angles to the sides of
your body. Do not let your upper arms go straight out to the sides
because it will place too much strain on your shoulder joints and reduce
your power.
Lower the bar to the point where your chest and abdominals meet. Keep
the bar directly over your wrists and elbows. As soon as the bar touches
your body, you need to generate as much thrust and energy as you can, to
power the bar back up.
Exhale as you lift the weight up. Push the bar up in a straight line.
Keep your chest and shoulders tight, keep your elbows tucked, and focus
on benching with the triceps. Once you lift the bar off your chest
straighten out the arms using the triceps to lock out the rep.
Finding Your One-Rep Max
To determine your 1 rep max you should not train for 48 hours. You
should also perform the test before you do any other exercise. If you try
and test your 1 rep max after a hard workout you will not be able to lift
maximum weight. You need to warm up properly before lifting, this will
help to increase your strength and prevent injury. Start off by doing 5
minutes of light cardio (stationary bike, treadmill, jogging in place,
etc.). Then do the following stretching and warm up exercises.
Arm circles:
Keep your arms straight and perform arm circles forwards and backwards.
Do 15-20 circles in each direction.
Push ups:
Do a couple sets of push ups (do 20-30 total reps, i.e. 2 sets of 15
reps). Do not work too hard, you only want to get the blood flowing and
warm up your joints.
Arm rotation for the rotator cuff:
Warm up your shoulder joints by standing with your arms straight out to
the sides, bend your elbows so they are at 90 degree angles. Rotate your
arms so that your forearms point up and then rotate your arms so that
your forearms point out in front. Do 20-30 rotations.
Rear dumbbell flyes:
Hold a pair of light dumbbells and bend over at the waist. Keeping your
back parallel to the floor, move just your arms and lift the dumbbells to
the back in a fly motion. Really focus on squeezing the back of your
shoulders together as you lift the dumbbells. Do 3 sets of 15-20
reps.
Here's how to determine your 1 rep max.
(Note: make sure to have an experienced spotter handy just in case you
need help lifting the barbell.)
Do a couple of light sets for 5 reps. (do not wear your self out with
too many reps)
Rest 2 minutes.
Increase the weight and do a set of 3 reps.
Rest 2 minutes.
Increase the weight and do another set of 3 reps.
Rest 3 minutes.
Increase the weight and do a single rep.
If you fail to lift the weight, rest 3 minutes, reduce the weight, and
try to do a single rep again. If you succeeded in lifting the weight,
rest 3 minutes, increase the weight, and try to do a single rep again.
Keep repeating this process until you have found the maximum weight that
you can lift for a single rep.
Write down your 1 rep max and the date you lifted it, this will help you
keep track of your progress.
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