Benchpress: Correct execution, variations and common mistakes

If there's one exercise that goes far beyond the boundaries of our fitness industry, it's undoubtedly the benchpress. Ask yourself how many times someone has asked you how much you lift on the bench when stating that you go to the gym.

And popular it rightly is - you' d be hard pressed to find an exercise so effective at building muscle volume and strength in your pecs, triceps and shoulders. However, it only works if you follow a strict technique. And that's exactly what we're going to look at in our article today.

The muscles involved

As in the previous parts of ourseries on fitness exercises we should list the muscles that are involved in this exercise if you do it correctly. Many people believe that they only load the chest, shoulders and triceps, but this is obviously a mistake. In addition to these muscles, the back shoulders, hamstrings, gluteals, intercostals and broad back muscles are also involved in bench pressing .

However, since it is quite difficult to explain the bench press technique in written form, we definitely recommend watching our video where we try to explain everythingWe explain all the important aspects as clearly as in the article and you will have a clearer idea of the correct execution:

Correct technical execution

The correct technique of this complex exercise is quite complex, but it is still much simpler than the deadlift or squat. When you lie down on the bench, it is most important to activate the hamstrings and glutes before the actual exercise. Your feet should be pressing into the ground, ideally with your entire weight on the floor, however, raised heels are not too much of a problem.

1. To bridge or not to bridge?

Bridging, the significant arching of the back to shorten the path, is a subject of much debate. If we're talking about extreme designs, such as those that competitors are able to achieve powerlifters, I definitely don't recommend it, if only because of the high risk of intervertebral disc prolapse. However, at least a hint of flexion should not be lacking in proper technique. Not only does it make you activate the latissimus and interscapular muscles better, but it also puts your back in the opposite position to where it is most of the day.

2. Activating the interscapular muscles

Activation of the interscapular muscles is an extremely important factor affecting not only the maximumperformance, but most importantly, the proper seating of the shoulder rotators. If you were to attempt to perform a bench press without active interscapular muscles, your shoulders would likely give up the ghost very soon.

The execution itself is not too difficult, just pull your shoulder blades together and slightly arch your back.

3. Position your elbows in relation to your body

The position of the elbows in relation to the body is again a factor on which opinions are somewhat divided. And the truth is that there is no universal answer applicable to everyone. There are many factors that play a decisive role, such as genetic predisposition, thearm bone length, grip width, dominant muscle groups and many more.

Therefore, I recommend having your elbows in a way that is as natural as possible for you. It is definitely not advisable to push them extremely close to your body or to turn them too far away from you.because that would overload the aforementioned shoulder rotators.

What are the variations of bench press?

Just as there are several variations of the deadlift, the benchpress can be performed in several different ways. So, let's take a look at the modifications of the exercise that we consider to be very effective in the following part of the article:

1. Benchpress with narrow grip

Benchpress with a narrow grip is a variation that targets the triceps and, on the contrary, reduces the involvement of the pectoral muscles. Although there is no clear definition of grip width, from my own experience I recommendI recommend using a grip a fist narrower than what you apply in a traditional bench press.

2. Benchpress with a wide grip

The wide-grip benchpress is a special modification that targets the development of the pectoral muscles and shoulders, in turn reducing the workload on the triceps. This is a very good assistance exercise that has great potential for improving competitive bench pressing. However, due to the increased demand of the exercise on the shoulder rotators, regular stretching of (not only) the upper body is more than advisable.

3. Larsen press

The Larsen press is a very neglected variant of the bench press, but it definitely has its merits. After you activate your intercostal muscles and lift the axis off the rack, just put your legs in the air and keep them extended. Due to the inferior stability, you will be able to load each muscle group similarly using less weight and with regularm performing the exercise regularly, your stability will improve so much that your performance will increase rapidly when you return to the classic bench press.

The most common mistakes

Since this is a very familiar exercise, it is often used by beginnersbeginners who have no idea about the correct technique. It is not surprising that there are dozens of mistakes - from the serious to the trivial. So let's take a look at the ones we definitely recommend avoiding in our article:

1. Bending your wrists

Even though it may seem like a small thing, bending the wrist is a very common problem, due toWrist bending is a very common problem that not only puts you at risk of serious injury, but also robs you of maximum performance. This problem is addressed by bandages that wrist to fix the wrist in the correct position, but I don't recommend this method. Most important of all, take the weight off the axle and try to maintain the correct position without any aids. Bandages are, in my opinion, only suitable for maximal performances and for competitive powerlifters.

2. Bouncing the axle off the chest

Bouncing the axis off the chest, while not a very common mistake, is generally related to inadequate control of the barbell. In fact, you should feel the axis throughout the entire movement so that the exercise is as controlled as possible. After placing the dumbbell under the pectoral muscles, you should return it to the starting position again, not trying to use the rebound from the chest to perform another forced repetition.

3. Insufficient muscle activation

Insufficient muscle activation is again related to ignorance of proper technique. There are several possible variations of this mistake, however, from personal experience, I most often encounter inactive glutes. The important thing to remember here is that any proper bridge rests on two pillars. If you activate the interscapular muscles and arch your back, it's essentially useless if you don't also have the gluteals and hamstrings active to form support and stability when performing the exercise.

A few words in conclusion

Like all other core exercises, the benchpress is an exercise that has tremendous potential for improvement, just as it has tremendous potential for injury. Proper technique is therefore absolutely crucial and should not be neglected in any way, even at peak performance. In case you are in doubt about your technique, I definitely recommend consulting someone more experiencedand above all, take it easy, focus on a higher number of repetitions and always follow a strict technique. Otherwise, you may soon have to take a forced break from the exercise.

Well, that's all for today's article. If you have any questions about how to perform bench press correctly, definitely feel free to ask in the comments, we're always happy to answer.

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• Squat.
• Deadlift: Correct execution, variations and common mistakes