Over the past few decades, the wildly popular bench press has built its reputation as a rite of passage, a test of fire, and a founding member of the “Big Three” of weightlifting. This exercise does just that, and more. The bench press is so popular that it even has its own day of the week — “International Bench Press Day” has become synonymous with Monday at many gyms.
The bench press is a great exercise to do when you want to increase the size and strength of your chest, shoulders, and triceps. The stability of the bench press and the fixed range of motion of the barbell allow you to use more weight. Moving more weight means increasing size and strength.
If you’re looking for a stand-alone bench press workout to build upper body strength and muscle, you’re in the right place. Let’s dig deeper.
Best Bench Press Workouts for Muscle and Strength
To gain absolute strength, you have to focus on moving heavier weights, approximately 85-90% of your rep max. (1) The cluster set technique will give you everything in this regard – perform multiple heavy low repetition “minisets” to build up a large volume. This helps prepare for more muscle, as stronger muscles have the potential to gain greater size. After a heavy workload, two different supersets focus on exercises that effectively increase chest size and strength.
Dimensions and Strength Routine
Do this workout once a week as part of an upper body/lower body split workout. To do the first exercise, start with three full cluster sets, do four the next week, then five. When you can do five sets, increase the weight. The other three bench press exercises started at the lower end of the rep range and increased by one rep per week. When you hit your ceiling, increase the weight by 5 to 10 pounds and start the process all over again.
bench press set
The flat barbell bench press should be a staple of your routine and your go-to for gaining more size and strength when you want to move the most weight you can. This bench press variation also focuses on your upper and lower chest for better overall muscle development.
How to do it: Lie on your back on a flat bench, arch your lower back slightly, and place your feet on the floor. Draw the shoulder blades together for stability and upper back strength. Grab the barbell and squeeze your hands hard to maximize your arm flex and grip muscles before releasing the load. Lower the barbell to the sternum/bottom of the chest. Push the weight up, keeping your back tight and shoulder blades together.
Sets and reps: 3-5 x (4×2) — Perform four mini-workouts with two repetitions each, for a total of three to five repetitions.
Break time: Rest 10 seconds between each mini-set. Rest for three minutes after each set.
close bench press
The close-grip bench press places your hands shoulder-width apart and shifts the load to your triceps and inner chest. (2) You may not be able to lift that much weight, but you will train your chest and triceps from different angles to improve muscle development.
How to do it: Set up the same as the bench press, but place your hands shoulder-width apart and keep your elbows tucked in. Pull the barbell off the rack and tighten. Keep your elbows close to your ribs as you pull while lowering the bar to your chest. Once the desired depth is reached, press back until it locks.
Sets and reps: 3-4×4-6
Break time: Do not rest until the next exercise.
Seated belt unzipped
After two presses, you’ll take a break with this simple pulling exercise to strengthen your upper back and keep your shoulders healthy. This Seated Pull-Away Band will increase your upper back engagement (because of the stability of the seated position) without leaving the bench.
How to do it: Sit up straight, hold hands shoulder-width apart, and hold the loop at shoulder height. Pull the straps apart, keeping your arms almost straight. Keep your shoulders down and your chest up. Pull until your shoulder blades are together and your arms extend to your sides. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Sets and reps: 3×15-25
Break time: Rest for two minutes before repeating the previous exercise.
One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
This single-arm (one-sided) exercise won’t let you lift as much as the barbell bench press, but there’s still a lot to like about this variation of the press. First, you’ll address any imbalances between the sides of your body, which promotes muscle development and improves joint health. Second, you’ll have more freedom of movement because the dumbbell bench press lets you adjust your grip and arm angles to find a pressing path that works for your wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
How to do it: Sit on a flat bench and place a dumbbell on your knees. Lean back and use your knees to push the dumbbells toward your shoulders while pushing the dumbbells up. Lower the dumbbells so that your elbows are at about a 45-degree angle from your body. Push the dumbbells up to lock and repeat.
Sets and reps: Repeat 3-4 x 8-12 times with each arm.
Break time: Rest for 60 to 90 seconds before moving on to the next exercise.
dumbbell flye
Dumbbell chest flyes are the closest thing to a chest isolation exercise. This exercise takes the triceps out of motion and stretches the pecs for a wider range of motion, giving you better muscle-building potential. (3)
How to do it: Lie on your back on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Start with your arms locked above your chest. Bend your elbows slightly and maintain this bend throughout the movement. Lower your arms out to your sides, in line with your shoulders. When you feel a stretch in the pecs, reverse the movement and squeeze the pecs to return to the top position.
Sets and reps: 3×8-15
Break time: Rest for 60-90 seconds before repeating the previous exercise.
chest anatomy
The chest is a large superficial fan-shaped muscle, and the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor are two pieces of the pectoralis major. It has two attachment points – the clavicle head on the upper chest and the sternal head attachment on the lower middle chest. The pectoralis major is located on your front (front) ribcage, while the pectoralis minor is a small muscle just below the pectoralis major.
As expected, the clavicle head of the pectoralis major originates on the anterior or front surface of your collarbone (clavicle). The sternal head of the pectoralis major arises from the anterior surface of the sternum. Both muscle heads insert into the humerus (upper arm) and are involved in most upper body movements. The two main chest functions that the above training focuses on are:
- Shoulder Flexion — Raise the arms by pushing or lifting them in front of the body.
- Horizontal adduction — brings the hands (and joints) together in front of the pecs, as you would do in a fly, bench press, or pushup.
In addition to creating a large, muscular chest, the pecs are the primary “hugging” muscles. The size and strength of your pectoral muscles help you tackle, grab, and fend off opponents on the playing field, as well as throw and swing faster and harder if you play sports like football, baseball, or tennis.
How to Warm Up Your Bench Press Workout
Have you ever seen someone walk out on the street under a barbell and start pumping hard? Don’t be that guy, they demand injuries and underperformance. While not warming up might not be a huge problem on rare occasions, over time it can lead to decreased performance and increased risk of injury.
It’s best to spend some time warming up to get the blood flowing through the muscles you’re working while getting your shoulders and elbows ready for action.
Because your upper back and rotator cuff are involved in the bench press, be sure to perform any upper back exercise that effectively engages your shoulder blades and shoulder blades—the supinated face pull or the band pull portion.
Afterwards, do some light ramp-up sets on the bench press (low reps, light sets progressively heavier) to focus on working your chest muscles and getting you ready to roll.
If you decide to spend more time doing a thorough warmup, use this upper body prep exercise. Here are a few exercises that focus on the upper back, as your lats and upper back stabilize your chest during the bench press. You need to prepare your back for chest day to adequately protect and prepare your shoulders and rotator cuffs.
- Outer rotation: Attach the resistance band to a stable object at eye level. Hold forehand and step back until your arms are straight forward. Pull your elbows back in line with your shoulders while drawing your hands overhead. At the peak of your contractions, your thumbs should be pointing behind you, and your palms should be close to your ears. Return to the extended arm position. Perform two sets of 15 reps.
- scapular push-ups: Start in a push-up position with hands and toes on the ground and body straight. Pinch your shoulder blades together while extending your chest toward the ground, keeping your arms stiff and locked. Push your hands “through the ground” as you extend your shoulder blades down and push your chest away from your hands. Perform two sets of 10 reps.
- rear triangle fly: Hold a pair of light dumbbells in each hand, or stand in the middle of a light resistance band and hold the ends. Bend forward at the waist, almost parallel to the ground, with arms hanging down to the ground, arms slightly bent. Bring your arms up in line with your shoulders. Don’t allow your arm angles to change throughout the exercise. Pause briefly before returning to the stretched position. Perform two sets of 12 reps.
- Spinning Spiderman: Start in a push-up position with hands and toes on the ground and body straight. Step forward with the left leg, aiming to bring the foot close to the pinky finger of the left hand if mobility allows. Keep your right leg straight. Without bending your right arm, lift your left arm toward the ceiling, turning your upper body to allow for full rotation. As your arms are perpendicular to the ground, feel a full body stretch before returning to the push-up position. Alternate with each repetition. Perform two sets of five reps on each side.
- Inclined Plyo Pushups: Set up near a stable flat bench or box, with your hands on the bench, toes on the ground, and your body straight in a push-up position. Lower your chest toward the bench, then push up explosively, keeping your hands off the bench. Grasp yourself with slightly bent arms and brace your core. Before performing the next repetition, take a deep breath and return quickly. Perform two sets of eight reps.
happy bench
There are many different ways to work your chest, shoulders, and triceps, but the bench press is the most popular and probably the most effective tool. You can complement the bench press to build muscle and strength by focusing on some of the most effective moves. Always warm up your chest and shoulders, then build muscle with the in-depth, ultimate bench press workout listed above. Your Mondays will never be the same.
refer to
- Schoenfeld, BJ, Grgic, J., Van Every, DW, and Plotkin, DL (2021). Load Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: Re-examination of the Repeat Continuum. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 9(2), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9020032
- Locke, Robert and Moreno, Matthew. (2017). Narrow grip bench press. Fitness Magazine. 39. 1. 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000307.
- Baroni, BM, Pompermayer, MG, Cini, A., Peruzzolo, AS, Radaelli, R., Brusco, CM, and Pinto, RS (2017). In free-weight elbow flexion exercises, full range of motion causes greater muscle damage than partial range of motion. Journal of Physical Fitness Research, 31(8), 2223–2230. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001562
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