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
The bench press is without doubt one of the most popular exercises performed in the gym. Literally everyone benches, and it’s often viewed as the benchmark (no pun intended) of upper body strength. So, does it make sense to bench press more often than the standard once a week? Allow me to explain what you … Read more
So, you want to know how much easier bench press is on a Smith machine? In effect, we’re back to the age-old argument – free weights vs. machines. This is not to say that machine exercises are ineffective, as you can still build muscle and strength. However, you’re probably also wondering how much more you … Read more
The incline bench press is typically the “go-to” exercise for upper pecs. And with good reason, as it hits the upper part of the chest to great effect I would hazard a guess that most trainees train incline bench in any one of 15-degree increments, i.e 15, 30, 45, or 60 degrees. But, as it … Read more
I can pretty much guarantee that if you enter a gym anywhere in the world on a Monday you’ll see people training chest. Basically, Monday is “International Chest Day”. Go on, admit it, if you’re training a bro-split, you also train chest every Monday without fail. In fact, I’m sure that many of us subconsciously … Read more
Anyone else heard about the girl sitting on a guy during bench press? This was a sensation sweeping the internet for a number of years. Basically, it was said that a guy would be able to perform more reps on bench press while a girl is sitting on his lap. And the main reason given … Read more
To pause or not to pause, that is the bench press question? If only it was that clear-cut, here’s what you need to know. Pausing at the bottom of bench press is the best way to improve strength. Plus, your pecs are most activated at the bottom of the bench press. Therefore, if you struggle … Read more
It sounds really weird to even say, “Why Does My Back Bruise When I Bench Press?” I mean, you wouldn’t typically expect to get bruises without something coming into contact with the body. Plus, bruising on your back from bench pressing just doesn’t seem right. So, is this a cause for concern? Are you benching … Read more
So, you’re looking to find out the ideal bench press to overhead press ratio. Both are fantastic compound exercises that will really test your pressing muscles. Plus, in the main, we can all typically bench press more weight than we can overhead press. With that being said, some of us find that the two lifts … Read more