As with any basic strength training, it is necessary to do a general warm-up in preparation for the press. Begin the exercise with warm-up sets with an empty neck or low weight, which will warm up the core muscles and protect themselves from injury.
After the boom is removed from the racks with the help of an insurer, it is necessary to balance it in order to neutralize side-to-side swing. To do this, just hold it on outstretched arms. After that, you need to reduce the shoulder blades and begin to slowly lower the barbell to the chest, controlling its movement.
You should make sure that the athlete takes the correct position on the bench, which implies four points of support, namely in the occipital region, at the level of the shoulder blades, pelvis and feet. A look should be directed directly upwards and not try to follow the barbell during the exercise.
During the execution of the press you need to ensure that the deflection in the back was moderate in order to avoid injuries. The shoulder blades should be flattened, the shoulders should be turned back, and the chest should be forward. Legs should be widely spaced and confidently lean feet to the floor. Straining the buttocks, the lifter also gains additional stability on the bench and removes excessive tension from the waist. The fingerboard should be kept closer to the base of the palm, and not to the fingers, the elbows should be in line with the hands.
It is important to follow the trajectory of the movement of the rod, so that at the beginning of the push-up it is not directed towards the legs, for this it is better to send it vertically or in the direction of the clavicles. Selecting the optimal weight for the bench press, you need to remember that less weight is used when building muscle mass, and more – when building strength.
An interesting recommendation is to experiment with the thickness of the neck. For example, after exercising for a certain time using a thicker neck than in the Olympic bar, you can feel that exercises with the neck of standard sizes become easier. It is also equally important to find the optimal width of the grip, which makes it possible to achieve maximum results based on the individual characteristics of the athlete. So, for those with well developed triceps, a narrower grip is suitable, and for those whose strength is the strength of the chest muscles – a wide grip.
As with any other exercise, it is important to breathe correctly while lying on the bench. It is recommended to take a deep breath when the bar is on top or resting on the frame stops, lowering the bar, it is better to hold your breath, and you need to exhale while pressing the bar up.