|
|
|
Barbell Bench Press - King of Upper Body Exercises |
|
|
|
|
Written by Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM
|
|
Tuesday, 24 April 2007 |
Although a thick chest is not going to win a title on its own, it's
clearly a crucial part of a champion's arsenal during any competition.
A thick set of pectoral muscles capping a large deep rib cage will set
off a winning upper body, all the while conveying strength and power.
Even if you're fully clothed at work, or just sitting at a desk in
school, a well-trained thick chest will scream power and command
attention. Thus, a great chest is certainly something to strive for and
one of the best ways to achieve massive slabs on your chest is to go
back to the basics with the barbell bench press.
For decades,
gym debates have raged over whether the flat bench press is really the
"king" of all exercises for building chest mass and thickness, or
whether it's even a good exercise at all. However, it's hard to argue
against the observation that most successful bodybuilders have spent
years of benching to build their chest thickness. In fact, the majority
of bodybuilders, powerlifters, power athletes (e.g., football players,
hockey players, etc.) and even the general public (which does very
little training) regard the bench press as the "king of chest
exercises."
On the other hand, some have disregarded the flat
barbell bench press because it does not induce as much shortening of
the pectoralis fibers compared to the pec deck. However, the flat bench
press activates a wider range of muscle mass and more muscles than any
other chest exercise. Benches induce bigger anterior deltoids, bigger
triceps and a thicker lower chest than any other upper body exercise.
Thus, barbell bench presses are indeed among the elite of upper body
exercises.
Structure and Function
Bench presses
activate the pectoralis major, some arm extensors and scapular
stabilizer muscles, but we will focus on the chest musculature in this
article. The pectoralis major muscle is shaped like a fan. Although
it's anatomically associated with the anterior chest wall, its function
is on the humerus bone of the upper arm, through manipulation of the
shoulder (glenohumeral) joint. This large muscle covers the upper
(superior) part of the rib cage and its outside (lateral) border forms
the front (anterior) wall of the armpit (axilla).
The
pectoralis major muscle has two heads. The clavicular head lies along
the anterior lower surface of the clavicle (collarbone). Do not confuse
this with the pectoralis minor, which lies deep to the clavicular head
of the pectoralis major and attaches to the ribs and not the humerus
bone of the upper arm. The pectoralis minor has no important role in
adding mass to your chest.
The sternocostal head of the
pectoralis major beings on the manubrium (the top portion of the
sternum) and the upper six costal cartilages (cartilages at the ends of
the ribs that attach to the sternum). It also attaches to the
tendon-like portion of the superior part of the external oblique muscle
(a lateral muscle of the abdominal wall). The sternocostal head is
preferentially activated by flat bench presses. The clavicular and
sternocostal heads converge on a groove near the head of the humerus
(intertubercular groove) near the shoulder joint.
Both
heads of the pectoralis major muscle adduct the humerus bone (draw the
arm toward the midline of the body) and they medially rotate the
humerus at the shoulder joint. They also flex the humerus bone by
moving the upper arm anteriorly (toward the front of the body) and this
is the major function achieved in a bench press.
Barbell Press
1.
Place an Olympic style barbell on the weight stand of a flat bench.
Load the barbell so you can get 10-12 repetitions. You should warm up
your shoulders and chest with a light set or two first, before hitting
the heavy stuff.
2. Lie supine on the bench. Place your hands
on the bar with a pronated grip (palms facing your feet) and grab the
barbell with a shoulder-width grip. Some people prefer a thumbless
grip. This does not affect your chest any differently, but you will
have to be a bit more careful balancing the bar with a thumbless grip.
3.
Lift the weight off of the weight stands by extending (straightening)
your elbows. A training partner or trainer could also be used to lift
the bar for you so its over your shoulders. Make sure you're In Control
of the weight in this position before going to the next step.
4.
Slowly lower the bar in a line that is a slight arch from closer to
your feet at the top and closer (slightly) to your chin at the bottom.
The weight should move from over your shoulders to a position where it
just barely makes contact with your chest at the nipple (the fifth
intercostal space). Inhale as the weight is lowered to your chest in a
slow and controlled fashion.
5. Without making a strong
contact with your ribcage (and never bouncing the bar on your chest)
immediately explode upward with the bar. Move it in a slight arch
toward your head so the weight is returned to a position immediately
under your shoulder joint. Exhale during the ascent of the barbell.
Powerlifters go one better by pausing with the weight in the lowest
position, but that's a brutally tough way to train.
Training Tips
The
sternocostal head strongly contracts when the humerus is in an extended
position during the lower and middle part of the lift. The clavicular
head is more strongly activated when the humerus at the shoulder is
flexed, which is during the final part of the lift as the arms are
extending. However, the bench press clearly involves more than just
chest muscles. It strongly activates the anterior fibers of the deltoid
and the triceps brachii as the weight is moved upward. The intercostal
muscles are active during the forceful inhaling and exhaling and the
serratus anterior is active to stabilize and protract the scapula
during the lift upward (flexion of the humerus at the shoulder). Even
the latissimus dorsi and teres major muscles of the upper back are
active, both as stabilizers for the shoulder and when the humerus is
extended at the shoulder.
Using a wider grip on the barbell than
suggested will decrease the range of motion, but the shoulder angle is
more favorable for emphasizing the outer portion of the pectoralis
major. Thus, if you need more pectoralis depth along the lateral
borders of your chest, you might want to use a wider grip. Conversely,
a narrower grip will contract the origin of the sternocostal head of
the pectoralis major more strongly. However, the problem with a narrow
grip is that the triceps usually fatigue before the chest.
A
version of bench presses can be done on a number of dedicated machines
(e.g., Universal chest press, Hammer press, Cybex press, etc.). Each of
these units is particularly good when recovering from an injury. This
is because the position between the shoulder and the resistance is
fixed; balance is never a problem and the weight will always move in
the same plane. However, the barbell version is likely better for an
athlete because he will benefit from both the coordination and balance
that is achieved by holding onto a free weight. The barbell also
increases the variety of recruitment patterns in the affected muscle
fibers, owing to the slight adjustments in bar position as it rises and
falls.
Bouncing a barbell off of the chest is a common practice
by some lifters who have poor style and little regard for their rib
cages. The flexibility of the costal cartilages will provide enough
resistance that many of those types of lifters will not be injured.
However, bouncing the bar over the lower chest, and particularly, over
the xiphoid process, has in some cases fractured this bone and driven
it into the tissue below it (i.e., spleen), which resulted in a massive
internal hemorrhage. Clearly, such practices should be avoided in favor
of controlled lifts.
Aside from the safety problems common to
all free weight exercises, the flat bench press can aggravate or induce
rotator cuff irritation. That is because these muscles limit movement
of the glenohumeral joint posteriorly (and the rotator cuff muscles
prevent this posterior location) as the bar is being lowered.
Obviously, the greater the resistance and the more times it's done, the
more potential irritation is imposed to the rotator cuff muscles. Thus,
your form should be excellent and you should include other exercises
that will help strengthen your rotator cuff muscles to attempt to
offset this potential problem. With this approach you should be able to
benefit from the advantages and minimize the potential negative effects
of the bench press. Maybe your bench won't approach a 900-pound plus
world record, but if you keep at it, the weight you lift will continue
to climb along with your upper body mass. Consistent training with good
form will make this "king of upper body exercises" a key player in
power plating your chest.
References
Baker DG and Newton RU.
An analysis of the ratio and relationship between upper body pressing
and pulling strength. J Strength Cond Res, 18: 594-598, 2004.
Doan
BK, Newton RU, Marsit JL, Triplett-Mcbride NT, Koziris LP, Fry AC and
Kraemer WJ. Effects of increased eccentric loading on bench press 1RM.
J Strength Cond Res, 16: 9-13, 2002.
Elliott BC, Wilson GJ and Kerr
GK. A biomechanical analysis of the sticking region in the bench press.
Med Sci Sports Exerc, 21: 450-462, 1989.
Meholic AJ, Hodge RG and Hartshorne MF. The bench press mark revisited. Clin Nucl Med, 23: 325-326, 1998.
Moore,
K.L. and A.F. Dalley. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. Fourth edition.
Baltimore, Lippincott Williams & Williams, 685-720, 1999.
Lagally
KM, McCaw ST, Young GT, Medema HC and Thomas DQ. Ratings of perceived
exertion and muscle activity during the bench press exercise in
recreational and novice lifters. J Strength Cond Res, 18: 359-364, 2004.
Paulsen
G, Myklestad D and Raastad T. The influence of volume of exercise on
early adaptations to strength training. J Strength Cond Res, 17:
115-120, 2003.
Rijnberg WJ and van Linge B. Rupture of the
pectoralis major muscle in body-builders. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg, 112:
104-105, 1993.
Wise JB, Posner AE and Walker GL. Verbal messages strengthen bench press efficacy. J Strength Cond Res, 18: 26-29, 2004.
|
|
Supp of the Month 