If you asked 100 men how to improve your bench press you would probably hear a range of different theories and approaches, very few of which had any scientific weight behind them. In today's article you will pick up three time tested techniques to improve any compound lift within just a few weeks.
While having a big bench press or squat is not inherently important to the overall results you can achieve with your physique in the gym, it remains a hotly discussed topic in most gyms and is used by most men as a barometer of how well their training is going.
Most men are shocked to learn that they could easily be adding 10-20 kilograms to their heaviest sets by ironing out a few common errors made on the bench. These include:
1. Work on your grip strength with assistance exercises focusing on forearms.
2. Perform a reverse warm-up to better prepare your muscles for a heavy set.
3. Put more focus on the negative portion of the move.
The first rule is perhaps the most important of all. Without a firm grip you will be unable to increase many of your compound lifts, especially your deadlift. That's because your lift will be limited to the strength of your forearms, which will easily give out before your back or your legs. This means priority number one simply has to be incorporating more grip-based strength work into your routine around those big lifts.
Exercises such as plate grips, wrist curls, reverse wrist curls and reverse curls with an EZ bar will prove to be huge assets in improving your grip.
While it's easy to see the importance of grip strength in pulling motions such as the deadlift, you may be wondering why it is important in things like the bench press. Well, your grip can come into play here to focus on pulling the bar apart as you lift and lower to and from your chest. This is a power lifting technique which is used commonly in underground gyms.
A Hulk warm-up, or reverse warm-up as it is also known, is a great technique which you rarely see in commercial gyms. That's largely due to the fact that it often requires a spotter, but there is nothing stopping you from using this technique if you have a regular training partner who shares the same goals as you. It gets it's name from bodybuilder Lour Ferrigno, who used this technique during the 1970's and went on to play the Hulk in the TV series. It consists of using a slightly heavier weight for your final warm-up set than you plan to use in your working sets. So, if your goal is to squat with 120 kg today, get yourself warmed up and then perform a set with, for example, 140 kg for a few reps with the aid of a spotter. Your body will recruit much more fibers in the muscle due to the unexpected load, suddenly making your upcoming 120 kg lift feel somewhat light.
If you use this particular technique quite sparingly, you will notice it becomes a very valuable tool when you reach sticking points on your journey to building the type of body you want.
The final technique for increasing your compound lifts in the gym comes in the form of negative repetitions. The negative section of a repetition is the portion where your muscle isn't working, i.e. the phase of a bench press where you are lowering the bar towards your chest. Believe it or not, that is the phase which most people have the greatest difficulty with, not the lifting phase. It is also the phase where most people go wrong, lowering the bar too quickly. At least 50% of the benefits to a compound move can be found in correctly performing the negative phase of the move, so stop dropping down so fast on your squats and deadlifts.
Again, as with Hulk warm-ups, try to go heavier than you usually would because this only involves you working solo during the lowering phase.
While there is certainly no 'quick fix' in the gym, utilizing time tested techniques such as the three you have picked up today is a sure-fire way to boost any flagging compound lifts in the gym. Learning how to improve your bench press or squat is often a case of learning how to strengthen your brute strength rather than spending hours blasting the muscle in the hope of spurring new growth.
While having a big bench press or squat is not inherently important to the overall results you can achieve with your physique in the gym, it remains a hotly discussed topic in most gyms and is used by most men as a barometer of how well their training is going.
Most men are shocked to learn that they could easily be adding 10-20 kilograms to their heaviest sets by ironing out a few common errors made on the bench. These include:
1. Work on your grip strength with assistance exercises focusing on forearms.
2. Perform a reverse warm-up to better prepare your muscles for a heavy set.
3. Put more focus on the negative portion of the move.
The first rule is perhaps the most important of all. Without a firm grip you will be unable to increase many of your compound lifts, especially your deadlift. That's because your lift will be limited to the strength of your forearms, which will easily give out before your back or your legs. This means priority number one simply has to be incorporating more grip-based strength work into your routine around those big lifts.
Exercises such as plate grips, wrist curls, reverse wrist curls and reverse curls with an EZ bar will prove to be huge assets in improving your grip.
While it's easy to see the importance of grip strength in pulling motions such as the deadlift, you may be wondering why it is important in things like the bench press. Well, your grip can come into play here to focus on pulling the bar apart as you lift and lower to and from your chest. This is a power lifting technique which is used commonly in underground gyms.
A Hulk warm-up, or reverse warm-up as it is also known, is a great technique which you rarely see in commercial gyms. That's largely due to the fact that it often requires a spotter, but there is nothing stopping you from using this technique if you have a regular training partner who shares the same goals as you. It gets it's name from bodybuilder Lour Ferrigno, who used this technique during the 1970's and went on to play the Hulk in the TV series. It consists of using a slightly heavier weight for your final warm-up set than you plan to use in your working sets. So, if your goal is to squat with 120 kg today, get yourself warmed up and then perform a set with, for example, 140 kg for a few reps with the aid of a spotter. Your body will recruit much more fibers in the muscle due to the unexpected load, suddenly making your upcoming 120 kg lift feel somewhat light.
If you use this particular technique quite sparingly, you will notice it becomes a very valuable tool when you reach sticking points on your journey to building the type of body you want.
The final technique for increasing your compound lifts in the gym comes in the form of negative repetitions. The negative section of a repetition is the portion where your muscle isn't working, i.e. the phase of a bench press where you are lowering the bar towards your chest. Believe it or not, that is the phase which most people have the greatest difficulty with, not the lifting phase. It is also the phase where most people go wrong, lowering the bar too quickly. At least 50% of the benefits to a compound move can be found in correctly performing the negative phase of the move, so stop dropping down so fast on your squats and deadlifts.
Again, as with Hulk warm-ups, try to go heavier than you usually would because this only involves you working solo during the lowering phase.
While there is certainly no 'quick fix' in the gym, utilizing time tested techniques such as the three you have picked up today is a sure-fire way to boost any flagging compound lifts in the gym. Learning how to improve your bench press or squat is often a case of learning how to strengthen your brute strength rather than spending hours blasting the muscle in the hope of spurring new growth.
About the Author:
About the author: Top personal trainer Russ Howe PTI teaches you how to improve your bench press with these brand new tips. Discover how to build muscle with the expert knowledge on his workout and dieting website today.
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