Training : Upper Body Training
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Can you give me some tips on the correct form when performing the barbell bench press?
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The barbell bench press is to upper body training what the squat is to lower body training—a cornerstone. Most people handle more weight on the barbell bench press than almost any other chest exercise, so correct form is really important. Here are some suggestions.
- Lie down on the bench and firmly position your feet flat on the floor a little more than shoulder width apart. Arch your back slightly, but keep your hips on the bench.
- With your elbows locked out right over your pecs, have a spotter help lift the weight out of the rack and allow you to get control of the barbell. (Use a moderately wide grip to maximize stimulation of your pecs.)
- Start this exercise by lowering the weight slowly. Use a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Let the weight all the way down to a point just above your nipple area.
- Pause for a moment and then drive the weight back up with all the force you can generate.
- Hold the weight in the starting position, with your elbows locked out, for a brief moment and repeat.
For more information about this and other chest exercises, as well as exercise illustrations to better help you achieve proper form, check out the August 1998 Muscle Media article "How to Build Strong, 'Heroic' Pecs!" by Shawn Phillips (No. 69, p. 64).
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