What Muscles Does the Bench Press Work?

The main work of BENCH PRESS exercise is the growth of chest muscles and size but because it’s a compound exercise it also enhances…

Are you hitting a gym? Right? Then you must hear about bench press exercises. But the main thing comes here why we’re doing this exercise? what are its benefits?

What is BENCH PRESS?

A bench press is a compound exercise in which a person lies on the bench with their feet on the floor and raises the barbell loaded with weights with both arms. The main work of this exercise is the growth of chest muscles and size but because it’s a compound exercise it also enhances strength and stamina. The bench press is of two types one is done by barbell which is BARBELL BENCH PRESS and the other is done with dumbells known as DUMBELL BENCH PRESS. The barbell bench press is UNILATERAL EXERCISE as the lifter uses both hands to lift the same weight.

3 types of variations in BARBELL BENCH PRESS

1. FLAT BARBELL BENCH PRESS- In the flat bench press, lie down on a flat bench with your feet on the ground and raise the barbell by extending both your arms all the way then bring back the barbell down slowly parallel to your chest. The flat barbell bench press is one of the three exercises from powerlifting.
2. INCLINE BARBELL BENCH PRESS- In the incline bench press, the bench is set at a 30-degree angle. By exercising at this angle you are targeting your upper chest and anterior deltoids. This exercise is famous for growing the upper chest.
3. DECLINE BARBELL BENCH PRESS- In the decline bench press the bench is positioned at a -15-degree angle. When you lie down on the bench your body goes on a downward slope which targets the lower pectoral muscles or lower chest.

8 Benefits of doing BARBELL BENCH PRESS:

There are lots of benefits of doing bench press, which are-

1. Enhances your upper body Strength
2. Enhance your stamina
3. Helps to improve your posture
4. Growth in chest muscles and size
5. Improvement in delts
6. Strong triceps
7. Helps improve bone health
8. You can go as heavy as you want.

What are DUMBELL BENCH PRESSES?

The Dumbell bench press is the same as the barbell bench press the only difference is we use dumbells instead of a barbell. The dumbbell bench press is a bilateral exercise as both hands have their weights but push the dumbbells up simultaneously. The dumbell bench press also has three variations same as the barbell bench press which is-

1. INCLINE DUMBELL PRESS
2. FLAT DUMBELL PRESS
3. DECLINE DUMBELL PRESS

3 MUSCLES INVOLVED IN ALL VARIATIONS EXPLAINED:

The muscles involved in all three bench variations are-

1. FLAT BENCH PRESS- The muscles involved in the flat bench are the triceps brachii and pectoralis major with the anterior deltoids these three are the primary muscles involved. Traps and back are the secondary muscles involved.
2. INCLINE BENCH PRESS- The muscles involved in the incline bench press are the clavicular ( collarbone ) head of the chest or upper chest with anterior deltoids and triceps.
3. DECLINE BENCH PRESS- The muscles involved in the decline bench press are the sternal head or lower pecs ( lower chest ) with triceps brachii.

5 BENEFITS OF DUMBELL BENCH PRESS

1. You can control your range of motion in the dumbbell bench press.
2. Contraction past your chest.
3. Dumbell presses are not too heavy on joints.
4. More muscular tension.
5. Can do different variations with dumbells.

BENEFITS OF DOING BENCH PRESSES FOR WOMEN

There are lots of benefits of doing bench press for women. Most of the girls and women are struggling with weight loss or weight gain, with proper nutrition any woman can achieve their goal. The bench press is the best start for them by doing bench press 2 times a week they will see changes in their upper body strength, primarily in the chest, shoulder, and triceps.

Increasing core strength, more proper body posture, and also fat loss or weight gain depend on the diet they are taking. 

What’s the proper technique?

First, you must determine what your goal is if you are a powerlifter and looking to lift as much weight as possible, your bench press form will look very different from that of a bodybuilder.

Keep Yourself Ready

• Lie down on the bench your eyes should be under the bar. Your feet should be flat on the floor and a bit wider.
• Check the bar should not be positioned too high otherwise it will become uncomfortable to lift the bar.
• Grab the bar by using the true grip and wider than shoulder-width, hold the bar as tight as possible so there will be no chance of the bar slipping.
• Take a deep breath. Stiffen your core and keep your glute muscles tight. And unrack the bar, once the bar is unracked it should be just up your chest.
• Now, lower the bar down in a controlled manner. The bar should touch between your sternum and mid-chest.
• Once the bar touches your sternum and mid-chest, press the bar away from your body to the starting point which is up to your chest.
• Now take a rest of 2 seconds. And rack the bar back where it was positioned.
• Make sure your back is not excessively arched. A slightly arched back is okay.
• Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

THIS IS THE PROPER TECHNIQUE OF BENCH PRESS. CHOOSE THE WEIGHT ACCORDING TO YOUR STRENGTH. DON’T GO TOO HEAVY OR YOU’LL GET INJURED. DO BENCH PRESS 2 TIMES A WEEK AND SEE THE RESULTS IN YOUR UPPER BODY STRENGTH AND STAMINA.

I HOPE YOU’LL GET THE KNOWLEDGE YOU’RE SEEKING WITH THE HELP OF THIS ARTICLE.

THANK YOU!