Everything you need to know about benchpress

The benchpress, or bench press, is an iconic bodybuilding exercise, often considered a key indicator of upper-body strength. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced athlete, it's an essential movement for developing your pectoral muscles and increasing your power.

In this article, find out everything you need to know about benchpress, from the technical basics to tips for optimizing your performance and common mistakes to avoid. Ready to take your benchpress to the next level? Let's get started!

What is benchpress?

The benchpress is a bodybuilding exercise performed on a bench with a bar loaded with weights. Not only is it one of the most popular exercises in gyms, it's also a staple of powerlifting competitions.

Why is benchpress so popular?

Benchpress is particularly appreciated for its ability to work several muscle groups in a single movement. It's also easy to perform with a minimum of equipment: a bench, bar and weights. Its effectiveness and practicality make it a mainstay of bodybuilding programs for developing upper-body strength and volume.

Muscles involved in benchpress

The benchpress is much more than a simple chest exercise. It mobilizes a wide range of muscles, both primary and secondary, which work in synergy to produce a powerful, controlled movement.

This polyarticular movement mainly involves the pectorals, but also the triceps and deltoids, as well as other essential stabilizing muscles. Understanding the muscle groups involved helps you to better target your efforts and optimize your sessions. Let's take a closer look at the muscles activated by this essential exercise.

Main muscles

Pectorals (pectoralis major): this is the main muscle targeted, responsible for horizontal thrust.
Triceps brachii: involved in elbow extension during movement.
Anterior deltoids: the shoulders contribute to stabilization and movement.

Secondary muscles

Trapezius and rhomboid: stabilize the shoulder blades.
Trunk muscles: ensure overall body stability.
Biceps (weakly): act as stabilizers.

By stimulating these different groups, benchpress helps to strengthen not only the chest, but also the entire upper body.

How to make a benchpress correctly?

Perfect technique is the key to maximizing benchpress efficiency and preventing injury. Poor execution can limit your performance or cause unnecessary pain. Yet many exercisers underestimate the importance of details like positioning, bar grip or breath control.

By mastering these aspects, you can lift heavier, safely and with better results. Here are the essential steps for a flawless benchpress, and the mistakes to avoid.

Technical steps

Positioning on the weight bench:

Lie down with your back against the bench, feet firmly planted on the floor.
Place your eyes directly under the bar.

Grabbing the bar in weight training:

Grasp the bar with a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Keep your wrists straight and hold the bar firmly.

Controlled descent:

Lower the bar slowly until it lightly touches your chest, at nipple level.

Explosive thrust:

Pull the bar up in a straight line until the elbows are fully extended.

Bodybuilding mistakes to avoid

Do not arch your back excessively.
Leave elbows too far apart or too close to the body.
Lowering the bar abruptly or incompletely.
Forget to breathe correctly (inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up).

Why include benchpress in your training program?

Incorporating benchpress into your training program is a strategic decision for building strength and muscle mass. This flagship exercise offers benefits that go far beyond aesthetics, by functionally strengthening the upper body.

Whether you're looking to improve your athletic performance or simply sculpt a powerful chest, the benchpress is an essential ally. Here's why it deserves a central place in your bodybuilding sessions.

All-round muscle development

Thanks to its action on several muscle groups, benchpress helps sculpt a powerful chest, while strengthening shoulders and arms.

Increased upper body strength

It's an ideal movement for improving your functional power, useful for other exercises such as push-ups or pull-ups.

Optimizing sports performance

Whether you're an athlete or an amateur, a stronger upper body helps you perform better. This applies, for example, to rugby, basketball and combat sports.

How can you improve your benchpress performance?

To progress with benchpress, it's not enough to add weight to the bar at every session. A well-thought-out approach, combining solid technique, complementary exercises and optimal recovery, is essential to breaking through plateaus.

With the right adjustments and planning, you can continue to improve and achieve impressive performance. Discover our tips for maximizing your results while staying motivated and injury-free.

Tips for progress

Work on your technique:

Correct execution is more important than the weight lifted.

Follow a strength training program:

Alternate heavy and light repetitions to stimulate progression.

Use complementary exercises:

Incline press and decline press to target different sections of the pectoral muscles.
Dips to strengthen triceps and shoulders.

Incorporate bench press variations

The dumbbell bench press allows a greater range of movement.
The benchpress with a tight grip accentuates the work of the triceps.
The benchpress with elastic bands adds progressive resistance.

Focus on recovery

Make sure you have sufficient rest periods between sessions.
Eat a protein-rich diet to promote muscle recovery.

Conclusion

The benchpress is an essential exercise for anyone wishing to develop a powerful chest and improve upper-body strength. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, good technique and intelligent progression are essential to get the most out of this exercise.

Want to maximize your results? AZEOO is here to help! Thanks to our all-in-one application dedicated to fitness professionals, you have access to :

Customized programs for benchpress progress.
Technical advice adapted to your level.
Precise monitoring of your performance.

By integrating benchpress into your routine, you're making a strategic decision to boost your physique and strength. With AZEOO, you're in safe hands to turn your workouts into real results. It's up to you! 💪

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