When I first started working out I was 40yrs old and like all newbies, knew very little, bar mucking about with my older brother when a teenager (he'd gotten into the weights back then long before I ever did). For the first 3yrs as a then-40yr old I did no benchpressing whatsoever, mainly because I wasn't interested in getting a chest and tended more towards deadlifts, front squats and bent over rows. What I didn't realise is that benchpress, whilst not the best exercise for chest development, certainly was one of the best exercises for upper-body strength.
True, the overhead-press (aka the shoulder press) can lay claim to the same mantle as being the best upper-body builder, probably more so than the benchpress, the reason being overhead-press incorporates the entire shoulder girdle front and back whereas benchpress targets the "front" of your torso and much less the rear. This is a good way to think of your musculature -- front versus rear, upper versus lower -- when program designing. Anyway, the point is when I finally woke up to the broad range of benchpress benefits, I was nearly 4yrs into my strength-training.
No, I wasn't really "strength-training" per se; instead, I was doing some eclectic bodybuilding-slash-crossfit mix, changing things up and basically stumbling through the same thing different ways. Looking back at my programming I not only shake my head in dismay (something along the lines of if-only-I-had-known-then-what-I-know-now), but realise I didn't really take benchpressing seriously till 2016. By that I mean I was beginning to program it in semi-regularly but again, I fluctuated between barbells, dumbbells and push-ups.
PUSH-UPS ARE A GREAT CHEST BUILDER AND EXCEPTIONAL UPPER-BODY EXERCISE. IF YOU MOVE BIG WEIGHTS BUT ARE DOING LESS AND LESS PUSH-UPS, YOU'RE LOSING REAL-WORLD STRENGTH. STAY IN THE REAL WORLD: DO PUSH-UPS
According to my 2017 program -- yep, I keep most of my programs so I can go back over them on lonely winter nights and shake my head in dismay -- I began to knuckle-down and program in regular barbell benchpressing. That's how you improve at something -- you do more of it. On occasion I moved between that, CGBP and OHT (Overhead Tricep) extensions to bring up tricep strength, but I was benchpressing regularly. I'm writing this article mid-2019 so can honestly say I've been benchpressing every week for the last two years but all in all, have probably been benchpressing for three and a half years.
Well, guess what?
I found a few things out.
I found out A) I'm fucking weak and B) what works for me.
I'm fucking weak
It's sad but true in fact, I'm convinced now that not only was I unaware of the advantages benchpressing provided in those early years but on the occasions I gave it a go -- and realised how little weight I could actually shift (whilst my ego remained hyuuuuge) -- I chose to avoid benchpress because of this. What an idiot. I had to take the whole bottle of humble-pie-pills, strip right back down to 30kg and start from there, even though I was nailing other lifts. I realised I just needed to suck it up and put in work.
So I did. Still am and will be for a while.
Progress has been painfully slow and remains so: as of mid-2019 I am benchpressing 75kg. My goal is to work up to 100kg on the benchpress which, knowing my luck, I won't hit this year but definitely will next. I told you I was weak at this: it's taken me 2yrs to double my benchpress. In the past I would have blamed all sorts of things from my lanky arms to my equipment to my lack of knowledge to low energy but y'know what? Some times you're just shit at something and it's going to take you a whole lot more time, effort and energy than others to get there.
What works for me
If you've read -- and if you haven't, you should -- my How-to basics for benchpress, you'll recall that I found flat-bench hurt my shoulders, especially my left-shoulder whose rotator cuff I had done in earlier. To circumvent this I found out by elevating my bench some 10-15° was all it took to put me in a far more comfortable position. I gave it a go and haven't deviated from this since. I also raised the supports either side of the bench so the bar "sits off" my chest some 2-3in when lowered, which eradicates any chance of future impingement.
How so?
Stopping the bar above the chest prevents your elbows travelling too far under the torso. No, not everyone will benefit from this but a long-armed presser will: they are always at a disadvantage when benching because A) their elbows track further backward on the descent and B) they have to push the weight further off the chest to achieve lock-out. Having the elbows reverse too deep stresses shoulder and elbow joints. Having a longer upward bar path from there is demanding on strength and increases fatigue.
NOTE: I realise another point to consider is your bench. If you're bench is too narrow, not only won't you get the necessary support across the entire upper back/shoulders to "press" from, but you'll increase reverse elbow travel. Likewise, if your bench is too wide, this may impede reverse elbow travel unless in fact you prefer that. An easy way to see if you prefer such a position is to load up a bar on the floor, lie under it, and benchpress from there. Feel good? Feel strong? Then a wider bench may be the snizz for thee, my son.
Options for lanky individuals are gripping the bar wider to reduce distance, or narrower to bring the triceps into greater play. You really have to see which of these two works better for you or more importantly, is most comfortable. Yes, a wide-grip benchpress reduces distance; yes, this position impacts chest development better too -- especially if you "flare" the elbows out to the sides more. But like I said, this won't be comfortable for everybody and in fact, may lead to injury for some down the line. I dislike it personally.
CHEST IS MOST ACTIVATED IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THE PRESS AND THROUGH-OUT THE LOWERING PHASE
Narrow-grip benchpress recruits the triceps more and indeed, if you've ever performed CGBP (aka close-grip benchpress folks), you'll know what I mean; they're an excellent tricep building exercise. A narrow-bench grip is usually round shoulder-width and is more conducive for bringing the lats into play -- you can really tighten those fuckers up for added boost which is what a narrow-grip benchpress does: it recruits more of the triceps for extra power and you can feel lats more. Surprisingly, I find narrow-grip bench very comfortable and strong. Give it a go, especially if you're long-limbed.
:: CONCLUSION
The take-home point here is that if you struggle with an exercise -- in my case the benchpress -- but it also hurts to perform, you'll dump it faster than a vegan holding a Big Mac. You need to find a work around quick smart, suck it up and put in the work before you throw in the towel and end up missing a great upper-body builder. Now, I know what you're thinking: why bother? Why get all caught up in the numbers because really, that's a young man's game, right?
Actually, if I'd started benchpressing as a younger man I'd probably be doing fine but yes, it is a young man's game but at the same time, you need goals. Getting a 100kg benchpress is both realistic and achievable. Why not? My mindset is to keep on pushing yourself as far as you can go in terms of weight. When you plateau, figure a work-around, change it up, whatever but keep going till you can't. This is part of the thrill when moving weight. So. The key points to remember here are as follows:
• BENCHPRESS IS AN EXCELLENT UPPER-BODY BUILDER YOU SHOULD BE DOING
• BENCHPRESS NUMBERS CLIMB VERY SLOWLY FOR US OLDER LIFTERS
• BENCHPRESS TAKES TIME, EFFORT AND CONSISTENCY. PUT IN THE WORK
• BENCHPRESS SHOULDN'T HURT. IF IT HURTS, TRY ANOTHER WAY
• BENCHPRESS INFO IS EVERYWHERE. DO YOUR RESEARCH
• BENCHPRESS ALONE IS (USUALLY) NOT ENOUGH FOR A CHISELLED CHEST
• BENCHPRESS RHYMES WITH "UNDRESS". THOUGHT I'D MENTION IT
Keep in mind too that you may find yourself, as do I, much stronger at pulling than pushing. Benchpress and overhead press are far weaker for me whereas rows and deadlifts are stronger. I can row my body weight for reps but benchpress it? Not yet. I use the phrase "not yet" to stay positive and keep alive the real possibility that it can be done; I encourage you to use the same terminology and keep your inner voice upbeat and focused as you too work your way towards your own lifting goals. I trust this helps. Kia ora whanau.
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