BENCH PRESS FOR BUILDING CHEST MUSCLES

Hi Friends

I have noticed that most of the people coming to gym start their week with CHEST workout. Everyone thrives for a hard, firm and well chiseled chest. Bench Press is one of the exercise through which you can achieve this goal.

BENCH PRESS is an ideal work out for developing the chest muscles. It is a compound exercise which mainly focuses on pectoralis major muscle. The exercise also focuses on triceps and shoulder muscles(anterior deltoids).

A BENCH PRESS - lends thickness, muscle definition and strength to the chest area, when performed regularly.

Variations in doing BENCH PRESS:

Standard Grip:

The grip depends on the build of the person. The grip shouldn’t be too wide or too narrow. When lowering the barbell, forearms should be perpendicular to the floor. The standard grip will result in the activation of pectoral muscles as well as some deltoids and triceps.

Wide Grip:

The grip has to be wider than the standard grip. In this, the range of motion decreases extremely there by putting pressure on shoulders. The main focus of this exercise is on outer portions of your pectorals. Since the grip is wide, the exercisers only lower the bar 3-4 inches from the chest-and not all the way down. This type of exercise can often cause injuries if not done properly.

Narrow Grip:

The grip should be taken shoulder-width apart. As you lower the barbell the elbows are tucked against the body. By using narrow grip, you shift the focus more into the triceps.

How to perform BENCH PRESS

Lie flat on the bench with a natural spinal curve and plant your feet firmly on the floor.
Unrack the bar and tighten up the muscles of your torso. Begin lowering the bar under complete control to a point at the bottom of your sternum (about even with the bottom of your sternum, a.k.a. the breastbone).
As you lower the bar lightly touch the weight to your chest and then explode it all back-out. Inhale as you lower the bar

Injuries through BENCH PRESS

All the exercises if not done using correct form results in causing injuries. Same is true with Bench Press. If not done properly then there are risks of injuring shoulder, elbow or wrist strains and damaged rotator cuff.

And also take help of a friend while lifting heavy weights.

References