Building a Better Bench
We've all been there.
You're at the lunch table at work or playing cards or hanging out with some family members and they ask what you've been up to.
"Oh, work and I've been hitting the gym a little bit.
I really enjoy it.
"Then the question is popped:"How much can you bench?"Your manhood has just been called into question.
Instead of exaggerating, what if you could wow them with a number twice your bodyweight? The human body is an engine.
Put in air and fuel (steak) and when that spark hits-BANG!For those of us that love the gym, the spark is that urge to lift another 10 pounds more than last week.
That's the drive you need to lift heavy things.
If you want to be pretty, stop reading right now.
Not that you won't build some beefy pecs along the way, but we're not into body builder lifting.
Body builders bench with their backs flat and their arms perfectly perpendicular to their body, a style power lifters affectionately call "chicken wing.
"Power lifters still keep a fairly wide grip (middle finger on the rings on the bar), but they tuck their elbows and they arch their backs.
Tucking your elbows will help to bring the weight lower to that arched belly and chest.
This helps you build a much stronger drive by allowing you recruit more tricep and shoulder power and leg drive.
When you bench, your butt and shoulders should stay on the bench, but your feet should be back behind your knees and you should have your feet firmly planted.
Take a deep breath in at the top (make sure you've got a spotter!), bring the weight to your chest slowly, touch at the base of your pecs and explode, driving the weight up and back slightly, exhaling the whole way up.
Pause for a moment at the top and rack the weight.
Lifting this way puts you in a position to make the most of your shoulders, triceps, chest and lats and your leg drive.
With solid form, you will find that gains come faster and easier than ever before.
Eating right, sleeping right and working hard are all a part of the equation, but proper form is the keystone in building the bridge to a better bench.
You're at the lunch table at work or playing cards or hanging out with some family members and they ask what you've been up to.
"Oh, work and I've been hitting the gym a little bit.
I really enjoy it.
"Then the question is popped:"How much can you bench?"Your manhood has just been called into question.
Instead of exaggerating, what if you could wow them with a number twice your bodyweight? The human body is an engine.
Put in air and fuel (steak) and when that spark hits-BANG!For those of us that love the gym, the spark is that urge to lift another 10 pounds more than last week.
That's the drive you need to lift heavy things.
If you want to be pretty, stop reading right now.
Not that you won't build some beefy pecs along the way, but we're not into body builder lifting.
Body builders bench with their backs flat and their arms perfectly perpendicular to their body, a style power lifters affectionately call "chicken wing.
"Power lifters still keep a fairly wide grip (middle finger on the rings on the bar), but they tuck their elbows and they arch their backs.
Tucking your elbows will help to bring the weight lower to that arched belly and chest.
This helps you build a much stronger drive by allowing you recruit more tricep and shoulder power and leg drive.
When you bench, your butt and shoulders should stay on the bench, but your feet should be back behind your knees and you should have your feet firmly planted.
Take a deep breath in at the top (make sure you've got a spotter!), bring the weight to your chest slowly, touch at the base of your pecs and explode, driving the weight up and back slightly, exhaling the whole way up.
Pause for a moment at the top and rack the weight.
Lifting this way puts you in a position to make the most of your shoulders, triceps, chest and lats and your leg drive.
With solid form, you will find that gains come faster and easier than ever before.
Eating right, sleeping right and working hard are all a part of the equation, but proper form is the keystone in building the bridge to a better bench.
