FSS / Rob Wess

One of the most popular exercises in the gym for men is the Bench Press... particularly on Mondays! Have you ever noticed how it seems Monday is the designated day for Bench Pressing? Not all of us abide by that schedule… but you can go to any gym across the country and find most of the benches in full use on any given Monday.

So amongst the thoughts of wondering why benching on Monday is so special, have you ever thought about where the bench press came from? …or how it was originated?

In the 1920’s men trained for years with different versions of the floor press. These variations consisted of the back flat on the floor and the back sometimes arched to different extremes, including the most extreme style where the legs would be arched with the back and throwing the barbell upward with the belly. This technique became known as the “Belly Toss” and was soon viewed as cheating the weight up as opposed to a true upper body anterior strength test with the back flat on the floor.

During the1930’s, boxes and benches were being incorporated in training to increase range of motion and enhance upper body development. In 1939 the AAU banned the arching or bridging technique from competition completely by requiring the back to be flat on the floor, feet together with the legs and glutes on the floor.

By 1950 the bench press had become very popular and was seen by many as the king of the upper body exercises due to the rise of interest in bodybuilding. The early 1950’s also saw the first 400, 450 & 500 lbs. bench presses by the legendary Olympic weight lifting gold medalist Doug Hepburn who would ultimately, pause 525, 550, and 560 lbs. during the early to mid-1950s.

The bench press continued to grow in popularity and evolved into worldwide competitions consisting of simple unsanctioned gym competitions as well as sanctioned state, national and world level events.

Today the following options are offered to the bench press competitor:

· Drug Tested federations

· Non-Drug Tested federations

· “Raw” (no use of supportive shirts)

· “Single Ply Equipped” (single layered supportive shirts)

· “Double Ply Equipped” (radical double layered supportive shirts)

· Weight classes and age groups are consistently offered within the previously mentioned options.

SQUEEZE 3 FOR A BETTER BENCH!!!

#1 *Squeeze and pull the bar apart during the eccentric (lowering of the bar)

*Squeeze and push the bar back together for the concentric (upward pressing of the bar)

*Squeezing the bar activates and recruits more motor units to stabilize and produce more force.

#2 *Squeeze the shoulder blades together… this provides a solid upper body base and locks the shoulders in place.

#3 *Squeeze the glutes during the transition from eccentric to concentric phases… this activates leg drive to stabilize the lower body and creates more leverage to complete the lift.

Implement these quick tips to your bench press technique and you will soon see improvements in you bench press performance.

Stay committed and focused!

Rob Wess