Todd Durkin (Strength & Conditioning Coach): “Focus on quality over quantity. It’s better to do fewer push-ups with perfect form than crank out a bunch with your back rounded and your hips sagging.”
When it comes to building that classic upper body you’ll be hard-pushed to find two better exercises than barbell rows and bench press. However, something that’s always puzzled me is the difference in weight that I use to perform the two movements. I wasn’t sure whether my ratios were good or whether I had a … Read more
You should dip until your upper and lower arms are approximately 90 degrees to each other. Some people will state that your dip depth should see your shoulders slightly below your elbows. This is fine as long as you don’t go past the 90 degree angle. If you go further you’ll take the stress off … Read more
To pause or not to pause, that is the bench press question? There are various techniques you can use to improve your bench press, strength, and muscle-building capabilities. However, one of the most popular methods is the paused bench press, as opposed to the standard touch-and-go bench press. So, I’ll discuss the pros and cons … Read more
The most common gym-related question to determine someone’s manliness is probably, “How Much Do You Bench Bro?” So, there’s nothing more frustrating than performing bench press regularly, but finding that your numbers are actually going down. This is obviously not great for progression, and definitely not great for the ego. Allow me to explain what’s … Read more
When it comes to building muscle and strength in your chest the bench press is typically the first place that we all look. However, with many variations of the great barbell exercise you may be wondering whether it’s better to do incline or flat bench press first. There are certain factors that you’ll need to … Read more
There are probably no two better push-based exercises than the overhead press and the bench press. So, if you want to get a bigger and stronger upper body these two movements are a must. However, you’ll typically find that one lift can be impacted by the other. This generally means that the exercise you’re doing … Read more
The bench press is probably the most prominent chest exercise, although it does engage the traps and upper back to some extent. With that being said, the last thing you’d expect after bench pressing is for your traps to hurt. However, this can occur, and it can dramatically affect the amount of weight you can … Read more
Have you ever noticed that you occasionally hold your breath when you bench press? Plus, this may even help you to bench more effectively. But, should you really be holding your breath? Is holding your breath dangerous? Or is this a legitimate bench press breathing technique? Let’s find out. You can hold your breath during … Read more
When it comes to the bench press there’s something I see in the gym on a regular basis. Basically, people are benching the same amount of weight, using the same rep range, week in week out. And of course, this also means that their bench press has plateaued and therefore they aren’t getting any bigger … Read more