The Bench press is a compound exercise that works the chest primarily but is also supported by the triceps, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis and the shoulder muscles.

Because of the power needed in the bench press it is utilized as one of the exercises that forms the three exercises of the weightlifting sport called powerlifting.

The bench press can be carried out with a barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells or an EZ bar and also in different variations of form making the exercise very versatile.

Form

The basic form of the bench press is that the weight lifter lays flat on the bench facing upwards before lifting the desired types of weight straight in front of them at chest height (in line with the middle of the chest).

The lifter will then bring the weights down to their chest before powering the weight back to the starting position keeping their back flat against the bench.

Using the barbell as a chosen weight will see the lifter having a slightly wider grip than using dumbbells or kettlebells, this is because of stability when using these different bench press methods.

Variations of the Bench press

There are three main variations of the bench press; these are the incline, decline and flat bench.

The incline bench press

This variation of the bench press uses a bench where the seat is raised at a forty degree angle. Carrying out the bench press on an incline shifts the emphasis of the lift differently on the secondary muscles and helps to improve the overall strength of the chest.

The decline bench press

This variation required the bench to have the bottom of the bench at an elevated position above where the head lays on the bench. This lift shifts the emphasis of the lift on to the secondary muscles differently and separate to the standard and inclines bench press.

The standard bench press

The standard bench press sees the lifter lying flat on a bench that is on an equal gradient, this works the chest predominantly but also the shoulders, triceps and supporting muscles.

Other bench press types

There is the partial repetition bench press that many strength trainers use as a method to improve their weaker areas of the lift. The partial repetition element of the bench press works in two ways.

One way is by putting a wooden block on the chest so the lifter can only bring the weights down six inches before pushing back to the starting position.

The other way is to start with the bar at chest height and only pushing the bar up six inches from the chest before bringing it back down to the chest, this can work by having a blocker or spotters hand put six inches above the lifter.

Summary

The bench press is one of the most powerful and loved exercises, the bench press needs to be used as the base of any chest workout to see the biggest strength and power gains.

Also what better way to increase your poundage on the bench than to load up on a good quality Pre-Workout Training Supplement like USP Labs Jack3d or BSN's No Xplode.