Judge of the international category in powerlifting,
coach of the highest category of Turkmenistan,
judge of the national category in bodybuilding.
8-time Champion of Turkmenistan;
83-time record holder of Turkmenistan.
Participant of 7 IPF World Championships in Powerlifting and Bench Press:
1995 men, Finland (athlete),
1996 juniors, Finland (athlete, judge, coach),
1996 men, Austria (athlete, judge, coach),
1996 bench press, Denmark (athlete, judge),
1997 men, Czech Republic (judge),
1998 bench press, Germany (judge, coach),
2001 Veterans, Canada (judge).
Participant and winner of two Asian Championships: 1995, India and 1996, Kazakhstan.
Silver medalist at the 2003 WPC World Bench Press.
Winner of the 2001 WPC Bench Press World Cup,
winner of the 2001 North American Bench Press Championship,
holder of several Canadian records in the bench press;

Bench press

When I wrote this article, I was not at all trying to make the reader believe that this particular program is what he needs for many years of powerlifting. Simply, I wanted to put on paper and convey the knowledge and experience that I have acquired over 15 years of "long wanderings through the halls." Fortunately for me, I didn't have huge problems with ligaments and muscles. There were tears and stretching of the pectoral muscles, shoulder ligaments, elbows. Once, there was even a pinching of the sciatic nerve due to not correct technique in the bench press (moved his head).

For two months then I could not do anything, and with the bench press after the 5th repetition, it began to pulsate in my head with terrible force. All these little annoyances made me think. Frequent replacement of training programs, reading various available literature, watching videos, and later the opportunity to see great champions with my own eyes - this is the path that brought me to the line of 250 kg in bench press with my own weight of 95 kg. Over the years, poking like a blind kitten from corner to corner, I've found my way to the big bench. And to be honest, I found it quite recently, which is confirmed by the progression in my results.

Year	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
The weight	63	67,5	75	75	82,5	82,5	90	82,5	94	88	90	92	97	95
Bench press	65	105	120	135	160	177,5	195	200	220	190	200	210	235	250

At the heart of my training program, I put 6 exercises that best contribute to the development of muscles and ligaments - bench press, press at an angle of 45 degrees, push-up on the uneven bars, bench press narrow grip, press from behind the head while sitting, barbell row in the slope. I consider them to be the most valuable for increasing the result.

In addition to them, sometimes, I use dumbbell bench press, French press lying down, lying dumbbell extension for triceps (a very cool exercise borrowed from Louis Simmons), and, of course, biceps with a barbell or dumbbells.

I use these additional exercises mainly in the preparatory period. In competitive games, I hardly ever use them. And if I really wanted to "indulge", then I do it in accordance with the cycle - ie. 5x6 or 3x5. I never do 3x3 in them - there is a very high probability of tearing, tk. the weight is much higher.

Bench press twice a week, I think, is normal. This should be the minimum stress on the chest. Like many coaches and athletes, I have tried various training programs from all kinds of famous coaches and athletes. But in most cases, I and my athletes suffered a failure - injuries to the chest, shoulders, elbows, or the program simply did not work. Especially, I want to mention the programs of Pavel Chernyshov and Boris Sheiko.

I believe that Chernyshev's program is the best for women, and especially for lightweight women. Checked - it works! In less than half a year, the result for a girl weighing 60 kg increased from 60 kg to 90 kg. But the female and male muscle structures are different. Men need more time to recover.

This means that training more than 3 times a week on the bench press is simply dangerous to perform. Even with a huge "load", it is still dangerous. Chemistry helps up to a certain level, but if the program clearly introduces you into overtraining, then the load must be urgently reduced.

Often athletes face a problem when their bench press program included only one full workout, and then they suddenly switched to a training program taken from Sheiko or Chernyshov, which implies 4-5, or even 7 workouts per week. The muscles have adapted and now do not want to react to extreme loads. You need to move smoothly, do 2 workouts a week, then 3. But I think that 2 times is the minimum. I consider the maximum 5 workouts per week - twice a week, two bench presses a day, and one bench press on a separate day.

How do I feel about the bench press twice a day, i.e. for example, bench press - squat - bench? Positively! Basically, the first press is performed as a warm-up, although there are weights under 90% there. The feel of the first bench press isn't always great. As if, "the car, which was started and drove, after two months of inactivity, only after 20 minutes starts to go as expected."

But in the second press, all the resources of the body are included. Firstly, this is already work beyond the limit, and with such work, and even frequent, the body gets used to the development of resources that usually sleep, i.e. the result grows much faster. Secondly, repetition of training by 70-80% twice a day with a slight decrease in weight, but changing repetitions from 3 to 4-5, makes it possible to increase the volume of training, i.e. tonnage.

At the same time, no negative effects on the chest and ligaments occur - the muscles are warmed up, while they managed to recover from the first bench press during a squat or other exercise. In general, it is sometimes helpful to include a "double press" in your workout.

I use the following program mainly to restore the result and prepare the ligaments and muscles for the upcoming loads. This program can also be used both in the preparatory and in the competitive period. That is, the program begins in the preparatory period (the first two phases), and ends (phases 3 and 4) in the competitive period.

Moreover, you can use it for an unlimited time. From 8 weeks for all cycles (2 weeks per phase), up to 16 weeks (4 weeks per phase), followed by repeating the entire program from scratch. In special cases, it can be done a week per phase, but the progress in the result will not be so obvious. Simply, you will go through a competent cycle of preparation for the competition in 4 weeks. Try this program. I always use it and go even to the maximum level without formakological loading.

Phase 1 - 4 weeks - 60% x10 x 4 sets - (two workouts per week)
Phase 2 - 4 weeks - 70% x 6 x 5 sets - (two workouts per week)
Phase 3 - 4 weeks - 80% x 5 x 6 sets - (two workouts per week)
Phase 4 - 4 weeks - 90% x 3 x 3 sets - (two workouts per week)

Several auxiliary exercises are performed along the way. I divide auxiliary exercises into two categories - auxiliary and additional. The auxiliary ones are those that develop muscle groups directly involved in the movement, and the additional ones are exercises that strengthen the ligaments and muscles interconnected with the main motive muscles. In the first case, these are exercises that directly increase the result, in the second - strengthening the ligaments and muscles, preventing injuries, strengthening the grip, and stabilization.

Auxiliary:
1. Bench press
2. Press at an angle
3. Push-up on the uneven bars
4. Press with a narrow grip
5. Press from behind the head while sitting
6. Bent over barbell

Additional:
1. French bench press
2. Biceps with a barbell and dumbbells
3. Pulling blocks
4. Laying lying
5. Wiring while standing
6. Seated Dumbbell Press
7. Dumbbell bench press
8. Flexion and extension of the forearms

On deadlift or squat days (better deadlifts), you can do this complex:
1.Behind the head press
2.Wiring while standing
3 bent over row
the first two are best done in a super series.

When doing a complex workout with a squat or deadlift, better exercise bench press alternate with the rest of the exercises to allow the muscles to recover and then work with fresh strength and full dedication.

In additional exercises, the same number of approaches and repetitions is done, relative to the phase. Additional exercises are excluded from the program in the third phase, except for the French bench press (or replace it with lying extension with dumbbells) and biceps exercise. In the last 4 phase, two weeks before the end of the phase, you can throw out some of the auxiliary ones, for example, push-ups on the uneven bars, and also completely stop performing additional ones - fr. Lying down, extension with dumbbells, biceps. In some cases, the angle press can also be thrown out (if an overload of the chest is felt).

When performing this course, you can even not use "heavy" pharmacology, but only on condition that the maximum is chosen reasonable. The percentage should be taken from the maximum WITHOUT MIKE, it is possible even in the gym.

Believe me, no chemistry is needed. The chest will be very strong and firm. And it will not "break". Chemistry, of course, is needed within reasonable limits, but creatine and protein can also be dispensed with. Ekdisten with RusOlimpik. That's all!

To get the most out of the program, you must complete it completely. It is advisable to go through 4 phases of 4 weeks. From the first 4 weeks, where the workout includes 4x10 presses, you will not be thrilled, but keep one thing in mind, this phase is the key to great results without injuries. In this phase, the ligaments are strengthened, the technique is formed, and injuries are healed. I believe in this program! After all, she worked for many and gave results, so why doesn't it work for you? The main thing is to endure the desire to go for a record, do not go at all in the first 8 weeks, but preferably 12 weeks, at least. And then be surprised yourself!

Where are the double presses, you ask? With a tense competitive cycle, I do not recommend returning to the bench press 6-10 times, i.e. the above training program cannot be used in full. Then where is the exit? There is only one way out - you can still start training with that 16-week program, and then connect a program that will maintain the level of the result at high level... Those. if you have reached the optimal level of training for a given year and want to keep the result for 3-5 months, or even a year, without "rolling off the mountain" physical form, then you should find a way to a rational solution. The following program might be a solution like this:

Week 1	1 day	1 bench press	50x8, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3x5
		2 bench press	55x5, 65x5, 70x5x5
	2nd day	1 bench press	50x8, 60x4, 70x4, 75x4x5
2 week	1 day	1 bench press	50x8, 60x5, 70x4, 80x3x2, 85x2x3
		2 bench press	50x5, 60x5, 70x5x4
	2nd day	1 bench press	50x4, 60x4, 70x4, 80x4x3
	Day 3	1 bench press	50x8, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3, 90x1x2, 80x2x3
		2 bench press	55x5, 65x5, 70x4x4
3 week	1 day	1 bench press	50x8, 55x6, 60x5, 65x4, 70x3, 75x3x2, 80x3x3
		2 bench press	55x4, 65x4, 75x4x5
	2nd day	1 bench press	50x8, 60x4, 70x4, 80x4x5
		2 bench press	50x5, 60x5, 70x5x4
4 week	1 day	1 bench press	50x8, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3x3, 85x2x2
	2nd day	1 bench press	50x8, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3x2, 80x4x2, 90x2x2
		2 bench press	55x4, 65x4, 75x4x4
	Day 3	1 bench press	50x8, 60x5, 70x4, 80x3x2, 85x2x5

Moreover, auxiliary and additional exercises should also be used in accordance with the number of approaches and repetitions in this phase of preparation. For example:

The main emphasis in the implementation of auxiliary and additional exercises you need to do on strengthening the main muscle groups and ligaments involved in the movement during the bench press - shoulders, arms, chest, lats - these are the main movers in the bench press. Concentrate on them.

After completing this 4-week program, it can be repeated, counting the result with a new maximum.

Do not forget one thing - you need to press with a pause, even in warm-up sets. A 2-3 second pause will give you a powerful breakdown over time, and explosive power will appear such that even great champions will envy you.

Nikolay Vitkevich

Master of Sports in WPC Powerlifting

The bench press is something that I did not have when I was born. I did a squat, deadlift, whatever, but you must admit that the bench press at 180-190 kg for a competing lifter in the 125 kg category (albeit without "chemistry") is not just a little, it is nothing. The pearls of the pitching wisdom of the type: "Bench or there, or not!" Did not comfort me either. In all the rocking chairs, where I trained in the basement days, I did pretty well anything, but not the bench press. I tried different programs, read literature, scoured the Internet, all to no avail, until the following factors coincided:

I mustered an unshakable determination to hit the "roll on the bench, but shake!"
Our coach S. Trusov introduced me to A. Butenko's article in the "World of Power" which was actively discussed in our "Olympus".
Due to frequent business trips to Moscow for work, I began to visit the legendary "Muskul-Sport" quite often, where A. Dunaev, E. Grachev, A. Sharovatov, A. Malanichev and other famous powerlifters were training at that moment. Thus, I was simply doomed to success, any other being in my place would not have gone anywhere, would have progressed.

Then I had to plan the training cycle. Here, along the way, I made two more "discoveries": being unable to fully recover from heavy bench presses once a week, I suddenly felt much better by switching to two bench presses a week and realized the fallacy of constant training with near-limiting weights that clearly slow down the possible gain in strength.

Now about why I changed A. Butenko's 16-week program into an 8-week one. This is due to:

Individual physiological characteristics, primarily metabolic rate (in general, I am a firm supporter of an individual approach to training).
The eight week program fits very well with the 10-12 week competition preparation cycle. I leave one more week to rest before the start, another week to fit and sew the shirts, etc. and two weeks "to work on bugs." If, for some reason, I cannot “cleanly reach” the planned weight, I can add another week of work with the previous weight for “grinding”. I wrote about such a transformation to Andrey, he generally approved this version.

I also noted for myself very important features of Butenko's program, namely, the extremely careful attitude to the ligaments and joints and their very solid preparation for heavy loads. This is especially important for athletes who:

They recover from injuries.
Are situated in mature age and recover more slowly because of this.
They are engaged with serious pharmaceutical support and without it. In the second case, the "plus" at the output is less.

And everything else is very simple: we determine our maximum clean press with a pause without a shirt and start the countdown from it.

For the first two weeks, press 60% of a certain maximum for 10 times with a pause in 4 approaches.

I pressed medium grip on Tuesday, competition grip on Saturday. The width of the middle grip is determined in such a way that the arms extended with the bar are parallel to each other. The width of the competition is limited by the rules (81 cm between the index fingers). In most cases, you can start from the width of the grip when the elbows are bent to an angle of 90 degrees and set aside.

The bench press is performed with a slow lowering to the chest (elbows to the body), then a pause and a fast press using latissimus, triceps, chest and deltas. At the starting position, the blades must be reduced, the bridge must be held as much as possible and firmly !!! Stand on feet. You just need to touch the bench with your pelvis. Sometimes in the process of training, you can use controlled "cheating" with the pelvis, but only so that at competitions you do not "read" out of place to the delight of the judges.

We work with each weight 4 workouts, respectively - 2 weeks.

So, in the first week, with a plan of 60% for 10 times in four approaches (one first one is always 10 kg less), on Tuesday, I only cope cleanly with 8 repetitions, and on Saturday with 10 in the first two approaches, because wide grip it's easier to reap.

In the second week, I already press 10 times the first 3 sets on Tuesday, and on Saturday I finally do 10 times in all sets.

Moving on to the next weight. 70% for 6 times in 5 sets. Naturally, in the third week I am just getting to the designated plan, and at the end of the 4th week I am fully coping with the interest rate.

The fifth and sixth weeks we work 80% 5 times in 6 approaches.

And finally, the seventh and eighth weeks - 90% 3 times in 4 sets.

Then it remains only to fix the increase and, having rested, start the next cycle. After me, several athletes tried to train in our "Olympus" - they all added. Try it - and you will also add, you simply cannot but add. It works great! In my case, the bench press grew to 240 kg in a year at the WPC Russian Cup.

Now about the back room. Andrey has described the main auxiliary exercises, I have reduced their number. On Tuesday, I always pressed after squatting, so when I was barely alive, I could only do three sets of push-ups on the bust. If you do not squat, you can do a little more auxiliary exercises. On Saturday, when I only had a bench press, I did three sets of bench press after the bench press, each time choosing the weights and the number of lifts according to my well-being.

As for the lats: on Thursday - they were loaded from the rods and I also did ordinary pull-ups. Squats and deadlifts do a good job of stimulating overall mass and strength gains, but with a specialization in the bench press, you can do it deeper. Thus, you can combine both approaches, sometimes stimulating the bench with other heavy exercises, sometimes resting only on it. I noticed that even if you only do bench press with working weights in the region of 200 kg, the load is distributed over the whole body, including the legs. Therefore, many modern bench presses only have very powerful muscles of the whole body due to the bench press.

Greetings, my dear readers! Have you ever wondered how to increase the bench press? If yes, then this article is for you. Today we will thoroughly analyze this basic exercise and get acquainted with specific tricks that improve the "bench" performance.

Well, the goals are outlined and I can't wait to get started, let's start.

How to increase the bench press: debriefing

I must say right away that you owe this article to me :), to be more precise, to me and our American colleagues, because it was from them that I “snatched” some of the scientific and therefore even more valuable information on the question of how to increase the bench press. In addition, this note should only be viewed in conjunction with its predecessor, namely this one. In the latter, we consider a lot of theory and the very correct technique for performing this exercise from the “golden three” of powerlifting.

So, let's start educating ourselves.

I mentioned it for a reason weightlifting, because these guys have always squeezed the most large weights and they own the most significant records (see image).

All this suggests that, most likely, they understand at least something in this matter. Well, if they understand, then we need to listen to them.

Immediately we will “stick” according to scientific data and consider the typical points of instant identification (phases of movement) that are found in the classic bench press (see image).

How to increase the bench press: basic phases

In total, in the bench press, you can distinguish 9 phases:

Now let's look at the phases of raising and lowering the projectile under a microscope. And the first in line is the trajectory of the bar, the moment of lowering the bar.

Then comes the trajectory of the bar - the moment the barbell is lifted.

Note:
In the given graphs:
Model of the movement of the bar with vertical acceleration (images a and b);
Two ways of movement of the projectile - for an experienced and novice lifter in the bench press.

Now let's go directly to the biomechanics of the bench press.

How to increase the bench press: biomechanics

Let me remind you once again which muscles (muscle groups) participate in all phases. All attention to the following images.

Intermediate position (at the chest).

Because we want to maximize the load on the muscles of the chest, shoulders, arms and achieve the most effective development of them, then the bar should describe the “arched” trajectory of movement. This is best seen from the side when the athlete squeezes the weight from the chest. (see image)... Down the bar descends along the same trajectory.

Very often, in order to squeeze out more weight, athletes resort to various tricks - in particular, they stand on the “wrong” bridge.

In this position, a significant area of the spine is vulnerable to injury.

I think you have noticed that very often the barbell press is performed with a specific rebound from the chest. Let's see why this is happening. In general, the following reasons can be distinguished:

the weight of the projectile is too heavy (A);
loss of muscle control (B);
a quick downward movement of the bar (C);
inertial rebound from the chest (D);
muscles do little work (E).

As a result of the “rebound,” the muscles do little work; they do not receive the load intended for them in this exercise. The whole process takes place by inertia in an automatic mode. During the rebound, the weight is removed from the chest as a result of the simultaneous action of three factors (A, B, C).

The projectile hits the chest with all its weight, then bounces and instantly picks up (muscles of the shoulders, arms and chest) for taking out to the top.

I deliberately decided to consider in such detail the bench press and some of the most common mistakes, tk. many of them (bridge and rebound) belong precisely to the tools that allow you to increase the bench press. Well, now after you have found out where the dog is buried :), you can go exactly to practical advice to strengthen the "bench press".

I think you are aware that each person is an individual. So, this is manifested not only in his character traits, "the degree of ram", etc., but also in physiological characteristics, in particular - the structure of bones (length, width) and the lag / predominance of one or another muscle group.

Therefore, it must be borne in mind that if you are a unique fruit (in terms of), then it will not be entirely comfortable for you to perform the bench press in two of its classic versions:

"Chest" style - the shoulders of the arms are perpendicular to the torso;
“Triceps” style - elbows are almost close to the body.

Most likely, some intermediate option is suitable for you, in particular from these (see table).

Note:
Lifters (not those who watch the elevators in the house), in which the chest is highly developed, most often perform a press with a wider grip and spreading the elbows to the sides. Athletes with more developed frontal deltoids and triceps work in a press with a narrower grip and elbows lead to the torso.

It was not for nothing that I brought the above table, because from it you can get the first valuable advice on increasing results in the bench press.

How to increase the bench press: technical points

Council number 1. Own technique

Actually, due to the fact that each person is individual in his structure, it is impossible to rigidly tie him to the standard (classical) technique of performing the exercise. In other words, you should know how the classic bench press is technically performed correctly, but look for an option that is “comfortable” for you. To do this, select a special day in training and test all the options proposed in the table. Choose for yourself the technical version, opposite which you will find the word - “Yes”.

It is he who will characterize that feature of your body in the lack of development of the strength of a particular muscle group.

Council number 2. Development of lagging muscles

It follows from the first point - to increase the performance in the bench, use auxiliary exercises to develop the lagging muscle groups. For example, you know that the hardest thing for you is to “push” the barbell to the top point. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the strength of the contraction muscles - triceps. Front deltoids can be strengthened by performing frontal raises with dumbbells, discs

Council number 3. Work in the Smith simulator

Very often, exercise work helps in increasing the bench press. In it, the projectile has a clearly defined trajectory of movement, and you do not need to control the movement of the bar. Psychologically, this helps to loosen up and direct the released neural connections from the central nervous system to the muscles.

Distance reduction techniques

Often, athletes of different levels, in order to “break through” the press, resort to various tricks - assistive devices and special techniques.

Council number 4.Handy means

These include: various platforms, wooden platform bars - in general, everything that can be safely put on the chest. Also, special body bars (fitness equipment) are often used, which can be picked up and placed at an angle.

In real life, it all looks like this (see image).

Council number 5. Lockout

If you did not find handy equipment in the gym, it doesn’t matter, use the bench press racks. Set them so that only the last ones are executed. 10 centimeters of presses (until the arms are fully extended)... The idea is to remove the bar quickly, fully straighten your arms. (without losing control of the bar) and slowly lowering the projectile onto the racks.

Council number 6. Chest bridge technique

By strongly bending the spine, leaving the head, shoulder blades and pelvis resting on the bench, you can more strongly engage the lower pectorals in the work. Well, since You are closing the distance, i.e. the movement of a heavy bar occurs at a lower amplitude, this will allow you to spend less energy. Excess energy is directed towards taking on a more solid weight.

The chest bridge looks like this (see image).

Note:
Ian King (Australian bodybuilding coach): “Back arch is the most powerful pressing technique that can give up to 20% increase the result ”.

How to Increase the Bench Press: “Nervous” Techniques

I specifically named this group of techniques, because they are all tied to the central nervous system, brain-muscle communication and contractile fibers. For clarity, I will give the following image.

I think you remember from previous articles, in particular these:, that the brain is the head of everything :), because it is he who controls all the biomechanics of lifting the glands. Specifically, it decides how many fibers should be cut. (take part in the work) to overcome this or that weight. In turn, the strength of muscle contraction depends on the number of simultaneously contracting fibers.

It turns out that the weight lifted depends on:

the strength of the nerve impulse sent from the brain to the muscles (the bond that trains);
on the number of fibers that simultaneously responded to the stimulus - a nerve impulse from the central nervous system;
pain threshold of perception of receptors located in muscles / ligaments / tendons. The greater the load, the earlier they react to ultimate stretching and the earlier they “sabotage” (do not allow) to take the required weight;
speed (speed of contraction) muscle fibers.

In general, it turns out that we need to increase the efficiency of muscle work. This is achieved by solving two problems:

it is required to accustom the brain (muscles) to work with large weights (pump the brain-muscle channel);
it is required to accustom the muscles to the speed of contraction.

The following tips will easily help you solve these "nerve" problems.

Council number 7. Static hold

Do a "static" press and hold the barbell. The first exercise is performed with weight 60-70% from a one-time maximum and consists in a smooth lowering of the weight (per 15-20 seconds)... After this time and after touching the chest, the barbell is powerfully squeezed up. Performed 3 approach to 3-5 repetitions.

The second exercise - take the weight 110-115% by RM (one-time maximum) and hold the barbell for 10 seconds at the very top of the trajectory. Performed 3 approach (under the supervision of a belaying partner)... You can also hold the weight not at the extreme points of the trajectory, but in the dead positions of your bench specifically, i.e. those places where you most often have "gags" (can't squeeze yourself).

Council number 8. Partial amplitude

Another effective method may become a partial bench press. For this, a slightly larger weight is taken (by 2-5 kg) from the maximum to 6-8 times and runs on 3-4 repetitions in 3 approaches. Bottom point - 2-5 cm from the border of the pectoral muscles. The partner is sure to be on the safe side.

Council number 9. Singles (single reps)

Set the maximum (or 95% ) weight per rep. Execute 3-4 approach to 1 repetition. The recovery phase after singles is 5-7 days, so you need to resort to this method no more often 2 once a month.

Council number 10. Speed training

To develop muscle speed (their ability to shrink quickly), you need to work with weight 50-60% from RM and perform 3 sets for the maximum number of repetitions. Rest between sets 1-2 minutes.

"Every Heap" Methods

There are also some training tips that can help you bench more effectively. For example, these include:

Council number 11. Press on the floor

Lie on the floor and do a regular dumbbell press (the technique is the same as if you are on horizontal bench) ... The lowering of the dumbbells occurs until the elbows touch the floor. At the top point, the arms are fully extended. Execute 3 approach with weight on 8-12 repetitions.

Council number 12. Negative repetitions

Choose a barbell weight more than your classic (which you most often work with in training)... The initial phase of the movement - the bar is held on fully extended arms. Slowly and in a controlled manner, begin to lower the barbell down, constantly resisting the weight. The path from top to bottom should be about 5 seconds. As soon as you touch your chest, squeeze the projectile up, resorting to the help of your partner. Execute 2-3 approach to 8 repetitions.

Council number 13. Strong grip

To properly remove and transfer power from the chest, deltoids and arms to the bar, it is necessary to firmly fix the barbell closer to the wrists. Squeeze the neck as if you want to leave your fingerprints on it.

Council number 14. Breathing technique

We all know perfectly well that weightlifting belt helps to add a couple of pounds in basic exercises. This happens due to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure by squeezing the belt at the waist. So, holding your breath at a critical moment, you can increase your bench press. In particular, the breathing process will look like this: when lowering the weight, take a deep breath; when changing the direction of movement - holding the breath until overcoming the "dead" point; powerful exhalation.

Council number 15. Maximum impulse at the bottom of the trajectory

To move the weight off the dead center, it is necessary to set a sufficient impulse from the very beginning (lowering phase) (movement speed) projectile. As soon as the weight reaches the bottom of the chest, immediately powerfully (the combined effort of all the "bench" muscles) push it up. Don't stop and don't diminish your efforts (even if the bar slows down) until you pass the dead center.

Council number 16. Warm-up is a way to “conserve” energy

Before doing the bench press, it is important to warm up the muscle groups involved in the work. In addition, it is necessary to "heat up" the body and accumulate (accumulate) as much energy as possible. Excessively long warm-ups and approach sets can deplete your reserves very quickly. Therefore, consider this and "do not overdo it" with her.

Council number 17. Progressive resistance

Constantly increase the demand - the demand from your muscles, i.e. try to increase the weight at least a little at each workout. If you have experienced all sorts of techniques for increasing the load, then try to do one more repetition.

Council number 18. Mental concentration and creative visualization

The correct "fighting" attitude is of tremendous importance. It is the man in his brain (even before approaching the projectile) decides whether he takes this weight or not. Scroll positive images of weight gain in your head and your brain will have nothing to do but follow your glitches :). Set yourself up for the next bench mark as a happy end game. Tell yourself, "This is light weight," "I can handle it without question." And after the approach, you will be surprised that it will be so!

Well, actually, and last advice, it turned out to be a whole mini-encyclopedia. Well, let's summarize all this boltology.

Afterword

Today we answered the question of how to increase the bench press. There are a lot of tips, which means that now you have an order of magnitude more tools in your hands to overcome the "bench press" and, as a result, transform your own body.

Re-read everything again, choose the chips you like and boldly blow into the hall to try them out in practice. And let more and more new weights constantly obey you!

Until next time, success!

PS. If you have questions, wishes and other miscellaneous, comments at your service, and do not pass by the beautiful buttons, for whom did I make them? :)

With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.

8-12 - for the mass, 12-15 - for the relief. 15-20 - for girls. The first approach is a warm-up, then we add to the workers. If you want to grow, do 15 to 8 reps in a pyramid. Approximately such recommendations for seto-repetitive schemes can be heard in any provincial rocking chair. Yes, it makes some sense, but let's see how professional bodybuilders train. It can hardly be said that Chris Duffin is a girl. But he also does 50 leg presses to explode his quads. But Valentina Mishina is just a girl. But you can watch her squat with a heavy barbell for 8 reps. Where is the truth?

You can observe how beginners perform 10-12 working approaches, literally "killing themselves" in the hall. Do they become more physically prepared from this? It is unlikely, usually those who like to swing their biceps in 10 approaches remain with their arms-branches until a competent trainer sets them on the right path.

Important: training process must be periodized. Macroperiodization is the division of training based on a global goal. A macro cycle in fitness can be aimed at practicing technique, reducing body fat, gaining muscle mass, or overall weight loss and the formation of healthy habits. Depending on the goal of the macrocycle, mesocycles are built, that is, training months. And they paint set-repetitions in a microcycle, that is, the number of "approaches and repetitions" of each exercise

You need to understand that all these rules are not invented by some athlete based on their experience. They are scientifically based, and come from the methodology of a slightly different sport - weightlifting. The closest thing to fitness is weight planning in bodybuilding. But the methodology of this sport is strongly influenced by such a factor as the use of pharmacology. You can say as much as you like about the fact that bodybuilding requires hard work first, and then doping, but the latter changes a lot. An athlete recovers many times faster, his physical capabilities are higher than that of an ordinary person. This is where the creepy drop sets of 6 weight drops and workouts that load one muscle group in 10 exercises and 5 working approaches are taken.

Professionals use the categories “time under load”, “training volume”, “training intensity” and “rest time”. The second and third criteria are most important for us if the goal is to transform the figure. Volume is the total number of repetitions in all work sets. If it comes about muscle hypertrophy, it makes no sense to exceed 32-36 reps.

With such a volume, the intensity, that is, the working weight, cannot be very high. In sports terms, "very" is 80-90% of the one-rep maximum in an exercise. For muscle building purposes, it makes sense to train in the 70 to 80% range.

If we are talking about "losing weight", that is, burning fat and preserving muscle mass, you will need to reduce the volume to about 16 reps in total, but not decrease the intensity. These rules apply to basic polyarticular exercises... Isolation can obey others as well.

Strength training aimed at development only physical quality- strength, performed in a volume of 15 to 25 repetitions. With good recovery abilities, the volume can be raised to 36 repetitions, but no more.

Another factor that matters is the rest time between work sets. Optimal for non-strength training is to rest 60 to 120 seconds between sets. Powerlifting style strength training can take longer to rest.

This is in theory, but in practice a variety of layouts are possible. In practical training, such a factor as the overall recovery of the athlete is important. Therefore, sets and reps can vary individually.

Different goals - different number of repetitions

How to write "layouts"? Based on general information:

To develop strength, perform from 1 repetition to 5-6 in the approach. Strength training- the most "accurate", it does not allow the athlete to train "intuitively" in most cases, and does not require the performance of work in failure. Strength training involves doing 4-6 reps in the 70 percent range of the 1RM, triplets up to 80%, twos and singles higher. In this case, "technical one-repetitions" are used, when the athlete performs work for 1 repetition with a lighter weight, which he can lift for 4-6 repetitions. The difference here is that each rep is performed in a competitive technique, that is, from the starting position as at the beginning of the set, and not as in bodybuilding, from a position in which the joints can be slightly bent;
For hypertrophy, that is, muscle growth - 6 to 12 repetitions... In the sources, the data varies, the "golden mean" here is to do the exercise at a normal pace, and try to keep track of how many repetitions will be performed in 30 seconds. Approximately so much a beginner needs for hypertrophy. More experienced ones can go up to 40 seconds and near-failure repetitions;
Losing weight does not need much, we have already figured it out... But bodybuilding sources insist that they do 15-20 reps. It doesn't really make much sense in a fitness situation. Most non-professional athletes find it difficult to keep safe starting position... They seriously break equipment and can be injured. Or another option - they are engaged in "aerobics with dumbbells", that is, they perform power movements with minimal weight, and are unable to maintain muscle because of this. To ensure fat burning, and not to provoke muscle breakdown, it is still recommended to do two to three six-repetition sets of basic exercises at the beginning of the workout. After that, you can do whatever you want, for example, 20-repetitive "dumbbell aerobics".

The most important problem for a fitness athlete is the adequate choice of weights. Some tend not to refine, others take each approach too close to failure and overtrain. Still others avoid normal barbells and dumbbells altogether, and being healthy, for some unknown reason, engage in rubber bands or something similar.

Ideally, you need to make at least a "estimate" in threes and calculate your PM from it in basic exercises. But those who are afraid to lift hard can do one “failure” approach with usual weights and find a 1RM calculator on the Internet.

It is better to observe the percentages indicated above, and lift the working weights in proportion to the increase in strength, and not as you like. The approach, when in one workout a person lifts 100 kg in a squat, and in another with terrible technique he tries to get up to 150, because the girl of his dreams came to the gym, is not acceptable when it comes to fitness for health.

Imagine a runner on long distances... He needs the strength of his legs, and sufficient power for their work. But he absolutely does not need to drag 100 kg of muscle mass on himself. Ultra-volume training is used when you need to develop strength endurance, and the skill of sufficiently effective functioning under prolonged repetitive stress.

In this variant, training schemes with 1, 2 or more minutes under load can be used. A similar methodology is used for weight loss training with mini barbells - Hot Iron and Body Pump.

Different methodological techniques can be used:

For development strength endurance for example, for running at medium distances, long sets with long rest can be used;
"Losing weight" is usually prepared using various pyramids, "ladders", and other techniques that allow you to increase the number of repetitions in the approach and extend the time under load

How many sets to do? There is a rule of 12 - one muscle group should not have more than 12 working approaches in total. This applies to both weight loss and recruitment. For strength training such rules do not work, there the load is measured in KPH, that is, the number of bar lifts, and take into account individual characteristics. There are athletes who are not suitable volume training, but there are those who cannot work out intensively, and are forced to adhere to constantly medium intensity and high volume with occasional peaks.

In practice, the following schemes are used:

3-12 approaches for strength training;
3-4 for hypertrophy and fat burning;
Cross-training schemes, and circuit training for the purpose of increasing strength endurance

Time relax

Few people observe this, but if you rest in the hall by the timer, and not at the behest of the heart, then the results will be more impressive.

The rules are simple:

45 second rest periods - for multi-repetition strength endurance workouts;
Minute for hypertrophy;
90 seconds for basic hypertrophy exercises;
Anything more for the development of strength and power

If the rest time is respected, but it does not work out to complete all the planned repetitions, the weight of the weights is incorrectly selected. In this case, it is recommended to reduce it and observe the time intervals for rest more carefully.

In training for beginners, it is recommended to reduce the number of approaches by 1, but remain faithful to the "layouts" for repetitions in the set. This will avoid overtraining, but will help to intensify muscle fibers enough for growth. In general, beginners need to follow the technique more, so at the very beginning of training, 8-12 weeks of the strength cycle is recommended to develop the exercise technique. Then they move on to the "ground" and "relief" schemes.

Recovery from injuries should take place as recommended by a physician. If the period of non-training was more than 12 weeks, it is worth starting with the beginner program, and choosing working weights intuitively, relying on the absence of discomfort.

Important: sometimes, with injuries, the pain goes away from warming up, that is, when blood circulation is accelerated. This does not mean that you need to engage in high load immediately, but it may well mean that it is better for the trainee to warm up and do simple exercise therapy exercises.

Meaning coaching- in the individual selection of exercises and set-repetitions. If you can't make a choice on your own, it makes direct sense to contact a coach to draw up a program.

Many guys who come to the gym dream of a beautiful chest, which has always caused unshakable delight in the weaker sex. But, in order to get that very dream, it is worth a lot of work. In this article, we will talk about one of the basic exercises for chest muscles - the bench press. Let's figure out the following points: how to do the exercise correctly, how to increase how many times a week it is better to train, and many others.

First, a little theory. The bench press is also a powerlifting exercise, which is designed to develop the pectoral triceps and the part.There are many varieties of this exercise: classic incline bench, on a bench with head down, with a narrow grip and others. It cannot be said that all these types are different only in the technique of execution, because depending on these same varieties, one or another muscle is better or worse affected. But now is not about that. First, let's analyze the most important question, so exciting for novice athletes: "How to increase the bench press?"

Many beginners think that what more exercise they will do, the faster they will be able to increase their strength and muscle mass gain. And here lies the most important mistake. The fact is that when too much intense training muscle catabolism begins. That is, in other words, their splitting. It is a natural reaction of the body to a lack of energy, as a result of which it (the body) begins to use protein (the building block of your muscles) to replenish it. Therefore, the most optimal amount exercises for the chest muscles (you cannot quickly increase your performance with just one bench press) will be 4-5 (for a beginner 2-3), each of which will have 2-4 sets of 7-10 repetitions. With regular visits gym(at least 3 times a week) you can add 2.5-5 kilograms to the bench every 2 weeks.

Let's talk about other topics. It will not be possible to increase your bench press performance (and other exercises as well) only with the help of visits to the gym.

You see, when working with iron, a person begins to develop muscles and, of course, muscle mass grows. However, if you eat poorly, often lack sleep, do not have a daily routine, and besides you have bad habits (excessive alcohol consumption and smoking), then you may not even dream of gaining muscle mass. Of course, to say that drinking with friends once every 2-3 months is bad is at least stupid. We are all human, right? However, drinking too much alcohol or toxic substances is detrimental not only to overall health, but also to your muscles. All this leads to the so-called "stagnation" and slowdown in muscle growth.

If you do not follow many of the rules of bodybuilding, you will not succeed. However, back to the topic "How to increase the bench press for a short time". As mentioned earlier, the intensity of training, adherence to the regime and nutrition are important. But there is another important factor - the technique of execution. First, it is important to take the correct grip (it is different for each type). Secondly, the bar should be lowered slowly to the chest .. Thirdly, do not change the pace of the exercise.

And last but not least, you should not start doing bench press with heavy weights, because there is a possibility of injury. Better to warm up with a small weight of 10-15 repetitions. Remember! Don't train your chest too often. If you work out her every workout, she will not have time to recover. Better to do 1-2 times a week, which will be the best option.

1-2 weeks:

1st approach- warm-up (possible with one bar);

2nd approach- 8x50 kg;

3rd approach- 7 (8) x50 kg;

4th approach- 55 kg to the maximum.

3-4 weeks:

1st approach- warm-up;

2nd approach- 8x50 kg;

3rd approach- 55 kg to the maximum;

4th approach- 57.5 kg maximum.

5 week:

1st approach- warm-up;

2nd approach- 6-8x55 kg;

3rd approach- 57.5 kg maximum;

4th approach- 60 kg maximum.

Further, each person goes through the so-called stagnation phase, when the results increase very slowly. Here, the weight needs to be selected more individually. However, it should increase by at least 2.5 kilograms per month.

If you do not have the opportunity to visit the gym, then there is the option of purchasing a bench press and bar with pancakes home. Of course, all this equipment is rather bulky, but it can be placed in a garage or basement. It is better to buy an Olympic neck. Pancakes - preferably with a spread of 5 kg (from 5 to 20 kg, for example). The bench press should be comfortable and, if possible, with an adjustable bar fit.

If you do not have the money to purchase this or that part, then you can do everything yourself. do it yourself in the simplest version - a fairly light design, there are many drawings for it, one of which you can see above. With pancakes and a bar, things are worse. The fact is that it is very difficult to create them yourself without special lathes and other devices. So save some money and run to the nearest sports store! I think we got acquainted with the question of how to increase the bench press, and many other interesting details. Good luck with your training!

Try to experiment frequently in your workouts - this will allow you to identify what "works" for you and what does not. Experiments should not be stopped, because what "works" now may stop "working" a couple of months later. However, do not go too far, everything should be based on common sense.

When I just started training, I paid a lot of attention to the bench press (hereinafter ZL), which is not surprising, since many do this. I will never forget how I got knocked over in the 110 lb weight machine. Even when I was into powerlifting, ZL was also a key exercise in my program. Yet VL was my least progressive exercise. I wanted to experiment, but the desire to increase the burden often pushed me off the path of common sense.

SETS, REPEATS AND FREQUENCY

Sets

How many sets are there? Through trial and error, I figured out that I needed 1-2 working sets. Extra sets had no effect, and I always overtrained. This also applies to the popular 5x5 scheme.

You need to work hard, but not for long, these are mutually exclusive concepts. Increasing the volume of training by increasing the number of sets did not work for me. The more experienced I got, the more I became convinced that quality is more important than quantity. Intensity is the engine of progress, and the additional number of sets does not affect this value in any way.

Repetitions

How many reps should you do? I experimented with a range from 1 to 20. Doing JL with 8 or more reps, I never got injured, however, I got injured several times doing 5 or fewer reps. For a long time I trained with a low number of reps per set, thinking that over 5 is an aerobic load. I believe that heavy weights are not conducive to maintaining proper form and are stressful. nervous system, which increases the chance of overtraining. Low reps are not mass training. In fact, with this kind of training, I lost mass.

Sets of 5 and below are unlikely to be useful to anyone other than powerlifters. Even they, in order to avoid injury, should work according to this scheme only in the pre-competition period. I myself now have a tendency to work with -the correct technique in sets with 20 reps, in general, I recommend an interval of 8-15 reps. I also recommend cyclically changing the number of repetitions, during my workouts I determined that this is more likely not a physical, but a mental need.

Frequency

How often should you bench press? At first, I did JL twice a week. After a while, progress stalled and I switched to alternating light / hard training. Then I realized that light training only shortened the recovery time and I gave up on them. After switching to ZhL once a week, progress has begun again.

I also left out the top loading when doing deadlifts and squats. I pressed so completely and did not recover from the deadlift workout and squats, which did not allow me to improve the results in the lateral gap. If you divide your body into a split top / bottom, then there should be at least 72 hours rest between workouts. The muscles involved in the lateral squat and deadlift are engaged at an angle, and I missed this fact.

TECHNIQUE

Wide or narrow grip, high or low on the chest, pause or touch, fast or slow, with or without arch? There are so many subtleties that affect the increase in results in YL that the head is spinning.

Grip width

I experimented with the width of the grip to increase the weight. The maximum allowable powerlifting grip is 32 inches (81 cm) between the index fingers. A wide grip reduces the range of motion of the bar, but has the strength increased if you press more with a wide grip? For me 32 inches is a wide grip, constant training can hurt the shoulders. I'm sure it was the use of a wide grip that caused several of my injuries. Today I use the safest grip - about 24 inches (60 cm). I do not recommend pressing with a grip much wider than shoulder width. Experiments will help determine the most comfortable distance individually.

Neck position

Again, as with the grip, I adjusted the position of the bar to increase the weight. This included a press on the neck. If you don't want to die under the barbell or injure your shoulders, you better not do that. This style of execution only gave me inflammation shoulder joints... About the same results were with the bench press on upper chest... I have found that it is most convenient for me to perform a press on an imaginary line along the bottom of the pectoral muscles.

Pause or touch?

For many years I have been touching. Since I was into powerlifting, and the rules require a pause, I only worked with a pause just before the competition. After worsening my shoulder injuries, I decided to try pausing each rep. The pause should be long enough for the bar to move into an immovable position on the chest. So there is less chance of injury from changes in strength during the transition from negative to positive phase.

Fast or slow?

With the bench press, you need to control your weight. Failure to do so could result in serious injury. When I started training, my partner described it as "super blast." After several injuries, I switched to a smooth, controlled technique, which I recommend to everyone else. What speed should be? To be honest, I don't. There is nothing magic about determining the speed: you just need to be able to fix the weight at any height.

Deflection

Many athletes, especially powerlifters, bend into the arch to close the distance. Unfortunately, as a powerlifter, I also flexed to increase the result. It was stupid. If I had put everything back, I would not have arched even in competitions, the danger of injury to the lower back is too great. It's so easy to get chronic low back pain or worse. Do not bend, keep your back pressed against the bench.

PRESS EQUIPMENT

I tried to work with different devices for the YL. They were all dangerous and I was very lucky that I was not injured. There is no magic piece of equipment to maximize performance in YL or any other exercise. The latest training equipment is called the Swiss Ball. It is actually a big flexible ball. Some trainers recommend doing bench presses (even squats, I'm not kidding) on top of this soft ball. I think that some director of the circus paid extra to these coaches in order to recruit a fun troupe. Now about my experiments with equipment.

Additional burdens for the negative phase

These devices, which consist of a hook and weight plate, are attached to the ends of the bar. When the bar touches the chest, the additional weights touch the ground and the hooks are released. This helps to increase the load in the negative repetition phase. For example, if you load the barbell with 225 lbs (102 kg) and add 25 lbs (11 kg) to the hooks, you total weight will be 275 pounds (124 kg). After touching the chest, the hooks will detach, leaving 225 lbs (102 kg) for the positive phase.

Additional weights are a very clumsy device. With them, it is difficult to control the bar when pressing, and it is also difficult to get the hooks to release the bar at the same time. It took me quite a bit of time for them to get covered with dust in my home gym.

Curved neck

When I saw that the multiple world record holder in the bench press was using the arched bar, I thought it was the secret to great results. The arched bar is a typical Olympic bar with a bow in the middle. Thus, the arms of the athlete can fall below the chest, while decently stretching deltoid muscle... I call this neck "shoulder breaker". Do not use such a thing, it didn’t help me in any way to improve the results in ZhL.

SUPPORTING EXERCISES

In powerlifting, all exercises for the chest, shoulders and and triceps are called auxiliary. I have tried many of them in my workouts. Most athletes pay too much attention to them, which often results in overtraining. Below I will give my impressions of the most popular auxiliary exercises.

French press

The French bench press, or "skull crusher", did not help me in any way, but any increase in weights gave off pain in the elbows. Forget this exercise. Also, I love to train to failure and I think I think that the cutting pattern on my forehead would not be a very good face decoration.

Triceps block traction

In my ranking of the effectiveness of auxiliary exercises, the deadlift of the block fights the French bench for the last place. I just couldn't load the muscle well. When I tried to increase the burden, I began to bend over and smeared my face with grease, cham amused the people in the hall. Exclude this exercise from your program.

Bench press with a narrow grip

When I started practicing, I thought that with a narrow grip, the distance between the thumbs should be 15-25 cm, but my wrists and elbows hurt like that. Then I found out that the narrow grip is only a little narrower than usual, and not quite narrow. I found a dependence in the results of the usual VL and VL with a narrow grip and decided to include this exercise in my program. I used to do too many sets, but now I do one to failure. The number of repetitions is the same as for the normal VL.

Shoulder Press

Shoulder presses also useful exercise... I've tried different types of presses with different grips. On the advice of bench press champion Joe, I did the overhead press, but then I stopped, for me this method was unnatural and I felt the danger of injury. Most of all I liked the dumbbell bench press.

A wide grip press will not widen your shoulders, but rather cause injury. I also felt that it was more comfortable for me to press reverse grip when the palms are facing the face. Few do presses like that, but this grip seemed more natural to me. I never liked the standing press because I felt a lot of tension in my lower back. I performed dumbbell presses on an incline bench with a slight deviation from the vertical. The number of repetitions is the same as in YL.

THE AFTERWORD

In my experiments with JL, I won common sense... Let's summarize:

Do not do more than 1-2 sets.
Do 8-15 reps and don't get stuck on one number, vary.
Don't press more than once a week.
Do not use a wide grip, preferably slightly wider than your shoulders.
The bar should touch the top of the chest.
Pause each rep.
The bar must be controlled and move at a constant speed.
Don't arch your back.
Forget all sorts of additional devices.
Don't do french presses and tricep rows.
The best additions to the program to increase YL results are the narrow grip and shoulder presses.
Don't get hung up on YL. It can be a very productive exercise if used wisely. I didn't build most of my muscle mass with the bench press, so deadlift and squats should never fade into the background.