Back to Bench Basics

By Carlon M. Colker, M.D., FACN

            Despite all the different fancy chest presses I see in the gym these days, I’ve noticed that guys simply lack chest development when compared to yesteryear. It seems that either far too many have forgotten what got us to the proverbial dance, or they simply never learned the simple methods that work. Judging the upper bodies of the top competitors, it looks like there is a clear emphasis on huge deltoids with the connecting pectorals overwhelmed in comparison.

            Looking back on the glory days of bodybuilding, fabulous chest development abounded. The great ‘Austrian Oak’ and now California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and ‘Big’ Lou Ferrigno were just two of the obvious examples. They had epic pectoral development— the likes of which we simply do not see today, even among the very best bodybuilders of the current era (at least that’s my opinion). Yet curiously there were none of the futuristic-looking pectoral presses we see today.

            So why the big disparity? Is it simply a difference in aesthetic preference and a subsequent shift in training, deemphasizing pectoral development— or is it something more? I can’t say for sure. But what I can say is that I’m seeing far less barbell flat benching taking place than ever before in every gym I go to, including Gold’s in Venice. I mean, sure, I see the top guys go at it for a few token sets, but I don’t see the guys bust a gut on there like they did in the old days. Back then, the staple chest exercise was the bench press, and they had the pectoral development to prove it.

            While football players and other strength-oriented athletes continue to make the flat bench a mainstay of training, ironically, many bodybuilders have all but forsaken its use in favor of inclines, smith machine presses, and dumbbells. While these all may find a prominent place in a good chest routine, they should take a back seat in importance to the flat bench press. The worst routines skip bench completely and instead use one of those machine chest presses.

            Again, I’m not sure why this has all come to pass, but what I am sure of is that flat bench press is the equivalent of squats, but for the upper body. The bench press adds beef to the chest area, but it also helps you bulk up the entire upper body (arms, shoulders, back) and should form the foundation of almost every chest routine. Though not quite as critical to the upper body as squats are to the lower body, you should still make sure bench pressing finds a way into your routine with some regularity. You won’t be sorry. Not only is it the best way to build a big chest, but the upper body power it gives you is unparalleled.

            Although I have a preference for putting the feet up on the bench for more experienced bodybuilders, starting with your feet flat on the floor is fine, until you get used to the movement and balance isn’t an issue. With your head, shoulders, and buttocks flat on the bench, grasp the bar with a closed grip. Some lifters use a ‘thumbless’ grip (i.e., all fingers, including the thumb on the same side of the bar). I don’t advise it at first because of the dangers of the bar slipping off your palm. But as you gain experience, if you feel more comfortable with this grip and see more development, go for it (former Mr. Olympia Lee Haney often used a thumbless grip when benching).

                Move the bar off of the ‘shelf arms’ and position the bar over the chest at an angle 90° to the bench. Your elbows should be fully extended for the less experienced lifter, while going into an immediate descent, without a full lockout for the more experienced lifter.

                On the downward movement phase, lower the bar slowly (recall my motto “the lower you go, the slower you go”). Under complete control, touch the bar lightly to the chest, no lower on the body than just under the line of your nipples. Then briskly power up and accelerate the bar back up to the top position, pushing the bar up into full elbow extension, but without locking the elbows completely. 

                A number of muscles are activated by the bench press. Primarily, the barbell bench press exerts most of its stress on the pectoralis major and minor. However, there is considerable synergistic involvement of the anterior deltoids and triceps. This accounts for the great upper body stimulation that this movement provides. In fact, ‘muscledome’ legend Vince Gironda (does anybody remember him?) used to swear that the bench press was more of a shoulder movement than a chest movement. Of course he was wrong, from the purist sensibility, but his underlying point is still well taken. Remember that the higher you strike the bar above the line of your nipples and close to your neck, the less pectoral and more anterior deltoid you target. In addition, modern kinesiology tells us that barbell bench presses also stimulate serratus anterior, biceps brachii and shoulder-girdle abductors. As a result, one can easily appreciate the profound core benefit of this motion, when done correctly.

            I do however acknowledge my penchant for concentrating on upper chest development by performing the incline barbell bench press prior to flat bench. I do this to in no way detract from the importance of the barbell flat bench as the mainstay of the chest routine, but rather to prioritize and pre-fatigue the upper chest for greater growth in that region. So although barbell flat benching forms the core of most top-notch chest routines I recommend, it is often performed after an incline movement is completed.

            Even though flat bench pressing constitutes the foundation of my routines and the routines I design for most others, in terms of producing aesthetic pectoral development, pre-fatigue with incline pressing pays off big time. In the case of inclines, the muscles activated are slightly different. Incline movements maximize upper chest development, while increasing the strength of stabilizing muscles of the shoulder girdle. In particular, there is considerable isolation of the upper and inner regions of the pectoralis major, with only minimal involvement of the pectoralis minor. In addition, sharing the load fairly equally are the anterior deltoid muscles. Also, triceps and biceps play a minor role in stabilizing the load.

            So I have found that starting off with a few incline barbell sets actually stimulates greater upper chest development when followed by flat bench. That’s because for most people, the upper chest area is thinner and less muscled than the bulkier mid- and lower-chest region. It’s stubborn and needs a special focus. For example, next time you’re in the gym, look around at the more developed physiques and you’ll notice weak upper chests and overdeveloped lower chests are a dime a dozen. In particular, the upper inner chest is oftentimes as uncooperative as the upper outer chest (tie-in area), as far as responding positively to resistance training. As a result, incline pre-fatigue to set up the bench works best in most cases.

            But here’s the catch that guys hate— you’ll be much, much weaker by the time you get to bench. It may sound strange, but this seriously gets in the way of a lot of guys doing things correctly. I guess it is ego. I mean, the bench press is really widely considered a hallmark barometer of upper body strength and power. It’s become sort of the lifting equivalent of the bulging biceps representing bodybuilding. So when a guy gets there, he really wants to show the gym he can hoist some big numbers. Pre-fatigue flies in the face of these efforts. But if you manage to put your ego aside and do it right, making flat barbell bench presses a centerpiece of your routine, while including a little barbell incline bench pre-fatigue, you won’t go wrong.    

            So again, flat barbell bench presses are the equivalent of squats, but for the upper body. In my experience, not only does the bench press add piles of beef to the chest area; it also helps you bulk up the entire upper body (arms, shoulders, back). It used to be the foundation of the chest workouts in the ‘old’ days (it hurts to say that). As a result, that’s why I think the traditional bench press has become a ‘throwback’ movement and in the process, chest development is the one body part that was actually better in the bygone era. Back then, we would never think of avoiding the bench press. In fact, we used to believe that if you didn’t bench, you didn’t train your chest!

            Today’s world of bodybuilding is a different story. While I see incredible shoulder development and huge backs, weak pectorals are a dime a dozen. Chest exercises have become far less basic and much too ‘cute’ and mechanized. With all these new funky presses and machine gimmicks, it’s no wonder I’m not seeing the chest development of yesteryear. Not only is it the best way to build a big chest, but the upper body power it gives you is incomparable. Simply stated, don’t learn the same fear so many others have. Check your ego at the door and make damn sure you make bench pressing the centerpiece of your chest routine. You won’t be sorry.

Got a question for Dr. Colker? You can ask him directly on the MD website and have Carlon personally answer your question! Go to www.musculardevelopment.com, MD Forums, MD Staff and Pros, Extreme Truth With Carlon Colker, M.D.

            MYO-T12™ is available at www.myot12.com and Dr. Colker’s book, Extreme Muscle Enhancement: Bodybuilding’s Most Powerful Techniques is available by calling 1-800-310-1555 or ordering the book online at www.prosource.net.