Exercise progression Bench press

So now that you know you could/should be doing pushups (and I think I have given you a good roadmap to some challenging movements with those pushups) rather then bench presses let we try to sway you away from bench pressing (at least for now). But do not worry I will give you the progressions for bench press in case you love doing them.



When a Personal Trainer looks at an exercise for a client they look at quite a few things:

1) Does the client have any medical conditions that would prevent, hinder, or put the client at risk. Example: doing bench presses or for that matter pushups after a rotator cuff injury is too risky and further damage could be done.

2) Does the client have the necessary conditioning to perform the exercise being asked of them.

3) Is the exercise a functional movement that a client does in real life. Personal trainers want to make daily living easier for a client.

4) Is there a better way to work the muscle more efficiently and utilize less risk to accomplish the same goal.



Ahh, that is the key - number 4. When we do a bench press we utilize many muscles (deltoids, pecs, triceps, and forearms). Of course there are other muscles that come in to play as stabilizers etc. but the muscles I have listed are the primary movers activated during a bench
press.



When you do a standard pushup you utilize the SAME muscles as a bench press but you also activate your core muscles (Rectus Abdominis, Transverse Abdominus, Erector Spinae to name a few). Remember what I said in number 3 and 4. It is the goal of a Personal Trainer to make a clients daily activities easier and increase quality of life. Well if I am laying on a bench working the same muscles I workout with a pushup but the pushup also works the core muscles (the ones everyone needs strong to prevent low back issues, maintain proper posture and meld the upper body power with the lower body power), this becomes a no-brainer. I choose the pushup. Its also an exercise that does not intimate a client and they can even do it at home or on a vacation.

The pushup does not require a spotter, is safer in motion, and can be tailored to a clients conditioning. Enough said. I think you can see my rational here.



You may say well Eddie I can do incline bench press, decline bench press, and even change my grip to facilitate different muscles when I do a bench press. Well, you can do the same with a pushup using a flexibility ball or a bench. So why are you still doing bench presses? Why not get those core muscles working and garner more muscle work from the push-up? Your time is important and a pushup goes further to that end of giving you a better bang for your buck.



Okay maybe I cannot sway you so I will list some progressions for the bench press.

1) Decline bench press. (this is the easiest form of a bench press because the distance you need to lift the weight is reduced -think back to your high school physics, the fulcrum and level system of your arms is smaller in this plane of motion). You will see that you can almost always lift more.

2) Standard bench press in a horizontal position.

3) Incline bench press. Your fulcrum and lever of your arms must push higher up to achieve the exercise. You will generally be weaker in this exercise then other bench presses.

4) Dumbbell decline bench press.

5) Standard bench press with dumbbells.

6) Dumbbell incline bench press.

7) Far grip decline, standard, and incline bench press. Remember what I said about the fulcrum and lever system of your arms. wider grip reduces the height you will need to lift the weight but is harder because you are causing the shoulder joint to experience more resistance as it moves away from its fulcrum point.

8) Close grip decline, standard, and incline bench press. Close grip means you must lift the weight higher and through a greater range of motion. Again the fulcrum and level system of your joints becomes a factor. You would do wonders for your exercise program by always thinking about the fulcrum and level systems that your joints go through with everyone of your exercises.

9) Dumbbell bench press on a stability ball (working those core muscles again).

10) Dumbbell bench press on a stability ball sliding left to right on the stability ball as you lift each side.

11) Dumbbell bench press on a stability ball one arm only.

12) Dumbbell bench press on a stability ball one arm only rotating to the lifting side and back.

13) Dumbbell bench press on a stability ball one arm only rotating to the lifting side and back while one leg is raised.



I hope you are starting to see some patterns here with my posts about pushups and bench presses:

1) Barbells to dumbbells to stability ball. Think about your workout exercises and see if you can realize a progression for each of your exercises from easy to difficult while getting the most muscles action in the process. This is what Personal Trainers do. We look at the science and muscle movement for each exercise and work with that science to produce more bang for the buck.

2) Changing the angle of your arms/legs/etc can maximize your efforts and work each muscle at different angles and this will activate more muscle fiber actions.

3) Every exercise - if properly analyzed can work additional muscles not normally associated with the given exercise. Of course you must always take into consideration the functionality of the exercise and how it relates to daily living.



So what is the proper specifications for a standard bench press:

1) Arms at shoulder width.

2) Back flat. I know there are some of you that were taught to arch your back - but that is wrong. All the arch does is decrease the amount of height you need to lift the weight by raising your chest. You are just making it easier.

3) Do not BOUNCE the weight off of your chest - you are just making it easier by utilizing momentum to lift it up. You will get less from the exercise.

4) When you lower the weight only go to the point where your elbows are flexed to 90 degree angles. Same benefit as lowering it to your chest and you do not impinge the shoulder joint.

5) Always Always use a spotter. There is way too much risk to you if you cannot get that weight up during your last rep.

6) Keeping your elbows close to your body makes the exercise easier (fulcrum and level physics again). Pointing them outward makes it harder.



There are so many myths about bench pressing - feel free to ask me them so I can help you understand their history and meaning.



As always - I am available for personal training either in person (if in NJ) or over the web. My rates are $75.00 per hour for in-person training and $25.00 per hour for email personal training. If you feel you have stalled in your pursuit of fitness and need some expert knowledge to get you on track reach out to me.



Regards,



Eddie Camaroto CPT