What's going on nation? When it comes to maximizing your time in the gym
There are a few exercises that in my opinion are must dues and the barbell bench
Press is one of them an exercise like this is going to help you build
Foundational strength that will not only carry over into other exercises
But help you increase your overall strength as well not to mention that if you want a big chest
You need to learn how to bench correctly so that you can safely
overload with as much weight as possible and my three golden rules will teach you everything you need to know, but before we get started
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golden rule number one learn how to pack your shoulders when bench pressing if your shoulders are not
Retracted and depressed you'll quickly learn what it means to plateau and have shoulder pain
In fact, this is the number one thing I see guys do wrong in the gym on a weekly basis packing your shoulders
not only helps protect them but also changes the path the barbell moves through when benching allowing your chest to do the majority of the
Work to ensure you're trading the entire chest. For example when your back is flat
You'll bench more over your shoulders instead of your chest and you'll almost immediately stop flaring your elbows as well guys
Always remember that whatever push exercise you do
You're always going to target the muscles that are in front the most
So if you keep your back flat and shoulders unpacked which will cause them to slightly round forward a bit
You're going to activate a lot more deltoids and less chests on every single rep
So keep your shoulders packed throughout the entire movement and avoid shoulder pain to maximize your chest
Activations golden rule number two use the right grip width for your body type now
I'm not saying that the perfect grip width differs a lot from person to person
In fact, it's usually just a slight adjustment that's needed the majority of the time
however
Your grip should always be about shoulder width or a bit wider
a grip that's too close will shift the focus of the exercise to the triceps
And if you're too wide this will bring more deltoids into the movement
Reduce the overall range of motion and contraction of the chest as well as raise the risk of a shoulder injury
A good rule of thumb that's always worked for me is to put the tips of my thumb's on the edge of the knurling on
The barbell and then from there get a super tight grip on the barbell. This will get you in the optimal position
That will help you keep your shoulders packed and elbows tuck throughout your entire
Set now before we get to golden rule number
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Alright guys, so the final golden rule
Understand that the barbell bench press is a full body movement guys
If you can't feel the weight from the barbell from head to toe you're doing it wrong
You should feel tension in your feet legs butt core back chest and arms on every single repetition
Whether barbell or dumbbell bench pressing so lift as heavy as you can everything starts from having a solid base
But what makes the barbell bench so great is that it's a lot
Easier to get into position and keep everything tight before unracking the weight with dumbbells
You have to roll back and then fine-tune your starting position
But with the barbell you can place both hands on the bar
Plant your feet and then slide up the bench ensuring your shoulders are packed as tight as possible
before unracking the weight
in fact
If you've never taken the time to really set up for a set of bench pressing once you try these tips
I bet you'll almost immediately be able to add 5 to 10 pounds to your bench press now
you
can place your feet on the bench instead of on the ground if you want to make the push of the movement a lot more
Chest focused and not so much a full body exercise
But if the goal is to grow you want to be able to lift as heavy weight as possible to overload your chest
So if anything
Keep your feet on the ground for the majority of your sets
And if you want to add in a few sets of your feet on the bench after
Your chest has already been fatigued that could be a good way to incorporate this alternative form into your training
Basically more as a burn out set than a true working set but no matter which variation you choose always
remember to keep your core flexed and engaged on every
Repetition a loose core will result in a massive decrease in your overall strength when benching. Now for those of you who've made it this far
I have a bonus tip. If you're still not quite feeling your chest activate while bench pressing
This is what I want you to do once you get into position and unrack the barbell
I want you to squeeze it as hard as you can while trying to push your hands together
This will force a much harder chest contraction on every single repetition
Just be careful you don't push your hands together so hard that they move and meet in the middle because that would be super embarrassing
Push them together just enough to feel that extra chest engagement
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