Improve Your Bench
In 2021, Jimmy Kolb set the record for the heaviest bench press at a weight of 1,120 pounds.
Now you may not be trying to lift that much weight or set any records, but you can still work to improve your own bench press and set new personal bests.
It can be intimidating and overwhelming trying to figure out how to actually improve your bench press. You don’t want to put in your time and effort to not see any progress. Have some confidence that you can do it!
In this post, we’ll go over 5 tips to help you improve your bench press. Keep reading to learn more.
1. Have a Plan
In order to reach your goals, you have to have a clear idea of what they actually are. Think about your specific goals for your bench press. Are you trying to build muscle, definition, or upper body endurance?
The answer to that question will help you know how to form a plan to improve your bench press. Having a plan will help you to stay on track and make better progress towards your goals.
Be sure to include progressive overload in your planning so you can continue to increase the weight you can bench week after week.
2. Warm Up
This is an important yet often overlooked step for any exercise. If you don’t warm up properly before beginning, your bench press technique will suffer because of it.
Not only will you not be able to lift as much as you want, but failing to warm up can put you at a greater risk for injury. Be sure to warm up your muscles and joints so that they are ready to perform at their best when you add weight to the bar.
3. knock out the Bench First
Your weight lifting routine likely involves other exercises that will use the same muscle groups as benching. If you do all of the other exercises first, your muscles will get fatigued and won’t be able to lift as much while under the bar.
Be sure to hit the bench first in order to give it your full strength and effort.
4. 7 Points of Contact
Proper bench press form includes 7 points of contact. That is your two feet solidly on the floor, your head, two scapula, and two glutes firmly on the bench.
These points of contact help to maintain stability while your lift. Sticking to this helps avoid injury. Additionally, it helps to keep the focus on the muscles that you are trying to exercise, making the movement more effective.
5. Strengthen Secondary Muscles
When you’re lifting, it’s not only the major muscles that do the work. There are also secondary muscles involved. For a bench press, these secondary muscles are the triceps and front deltoids.
If these muscles are weak, they can hold you back from improving your bench press and reaching your goals. Work on strengthening these muscles and see how much your bench press improves.
Do. Your. Accessories.
Period.
Start Improving Your Bench Press
In order to boost your strength, muscle growth, or endurance, you have to have good discipline, form, and a plan. With these things, you can absolutely reach your fitness goals.
If you’re ready to take your bench press and your overall fitness to the next level, we can help! Check out our 1-on-1 coaching plans today.
Let Us help You Out
At CONDITIONerd we are here to help you achieve better physical and mental health through exercise. Check out the plans we offer to our customers and see if you could benefit from working with our team. And if you have questions, you can always contact a CONDITIONerd team member.
Personal trainers, like those found here, can help guide you on your pathway towards reaching your fitness goals, whether that is getting bigger, stronger, faster, more lean, or just generally feeling better.
We can get you setup with a periodized workout plan, supplement information, and advice on nutrition to help you reach your goals.
The only thing you need is some motivation and a willingness to change some old habits.
Get into contact with us to find out what membership is right for you. In a CONDITIONerd program, you’ll be surrounded by others who can help you to get where you want to be.
Generally, our clients start to see some pretty awesome changes in 2-3 months time, some sooner
