The bench press is perhaps the most recognized and famous upper body exercise. It has been suggested the bench press has its roots dating back to ancient greek times. For hundreds of years, there have been countless discussions inside and out of gyms regarding training tips, myths, and actual scientific facts for what can help with breaking bench press plateaus. With so much information coming in and out of the gym from “experts”, it’s hard to filter out the good versus the bad. In this article, we’ll break down scientifically proven ways to maximize your bench press gains, break PRs, and how to improve your bench press gains!

 

Break Bench Press Plateaus By Maximizing Power

So we want to answer the question, how to improve the bench press? To quickly review, Power (P) is a measurement of work (W) divided by Time (T). Therefore, increasing the amount of work or decreasing the amount of time increases power! If you’ve ever read an article or come across a training program with contraction times, a common tempo is 1, 1, 4, 0. Meaning, during the bench press, you should spend 1s raising the bar (concentric), 1s holding the bar in the shortened muscle position (isometric), 4s lowering the bar (eccentric), and 0s holding the bar at the bottom (isometric).

According to an article by Buitrago et al. 2013, a Δ,1, 1, 1 setup (with Δ meaning explosive) at either 55% or 85% of your One-Repetition-Max (1RM) maximizes power output! When looking at NSCA recommendations for power training, you typically see > 90% 1RM. Reviewing this information, you can maximize power by either 1) increasing the amount of work by increasing weight, or 2) increasing velocity, which will decrease the time you spend performing the movement. This is one way to break through that bench press plateau!

 

Having Shoulder Pain When Bench Pressing? Learn How To Fix It!

 

How To Improve Bench Press: Loaded Eccentrics

Slow-loaded eccentrics, also termed “negative reps” have been consistently shown to increase 1RM in the bench press. According to an article by Doan et al. 2002, subjects who performed the bench press exercise with an added 5% of total weight during the lowering phase of the bar, followed by raising the bar without the added weight increased their 1RM 5-15 pounds. This study was strictly 1RM testing, this wasn’t even a training method over a few weeks! So load the barbell up with heavyweight and focus on slow-loaded eccentrics, followed up with having your training partner help lift the bar up back to starting position. This is can help you when figuring out how to improve your bench press!

 

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How To Improve Bench Press: Speed Things Up

If you’re still having trouble breaking through that bench press plateau, try this! According to an article by Padulo et al. 2010, training 2x/week for three weeks at 85% of your 1RM with 80-100% of your maximal speed may increase the maximal load you can lift by 10% and maximal speed by 2.22%. This is an essential training technique for the experienced weight-lifter trying to burst through a plateau! Another study by Gonzalez-Badillo et al. 2014 supports this claim, “bench press strength gains can be maximized when repetitions are performed at the maximal intended velocity.” It comes down to the rate of force development (RFD), which equals the change in force over the change in time. Force (F) equals Mass (M) multiplied by Acceleration (A). Increasing velocity increases accelerations, which increases force. This leads to a greater change in force with a decreased amount of time, thus RFD is increased!

 

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Performing the bench press at high velocities increases the number of repetitions for other reasons as well. When you perform the bench press at a high speed with no pauses, you actually decrease muscle activity, when compared to slower speeds with a pause at the top of the motion. According to an article by Akihiro Sakamoto and Peter James Sinclair in 2012, this muscle relaxation at the end of the concentric phase allows blood flow to the working muscles via a muscle pump action. The study also concluded higher fatigue levels during slower bench press speeds, and this may be due to neuromuscular transmission failure or central nervous system (CNS) fatigue. This all makes sense now when we watch college football players at the NFL Combine, dropping the bar and exploding up actually promotes increased performance!

READ: BENCH PRESS WITHOUT SHOULDER PAIN

 

 

How To Improve Bench Press: Supplement Elastic Resistance Bands

Supplementing elastic bands with the bench press is becoming a hot commodity for good reason. According to an article by Lopez et al. 2014, rugby players that utilized elastic resistance bands accounting for 20% of the 85% 1RM load they were lifting made substantial acceleration gains. In terms of numbers, rugby players experienced a 35% increase in acceleration and 17% increase in maximal velocity, with a greater increase in acceleration compared to recreational-trained athletes. The elastic bands actually help balance the tension throughout the entire range of motion, this eliminates the need to fully decelerate the bar at the top of the movement. These types of gains are essential and desired by athletes that engage in velocity-dependent sports such as rugby, football, or boxing! This personally helped me break through my bench press plateau!

Using resistance bands during the push-up exercise has shown to be beneficial as well! According to an article by Calatayud et al. 2015, using an appropriate resistance band that meets a 6RM challenge for the push-up for 5 weeks was shown to increase muscle strength in the 1RM and 6RM. What’s interesting to note is performing the push-up at a 6RM with elastic bands demonstrated comparable strength gains to performing the bench press with free weights at 6RM in a 5-week training program!

Supplementing resistance bands with the free-weight bench press has consistently shown strength gains in recent research. According to another article by Bellar et al. 2011, training with elastic tension contributing to 15% of the load with a total load of 85% 1RM produced raw strength gains greater than the standard bench press training. These results occurred with a training program that consisted of 2 sessions/week for 3 weeks, 5 sets of 5 reps with 90s rest breaks. Utilizing elastic bands can maximize strength gains in both the average Joe and the trained athlete! It’s all about overload and providing a new stimulus to the body, using this piece of equipment is a game-changer. Now go break that bench press plateau!

LISTEN: OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING AND ONLINE PROGRAMMING WITH DAVE SPITZ

 

Closing Thoughts

So what the research says this and that, now what? This article is meant to provide you with more options and ideas in your training toolbox to break through that bench press plateau!. It is easy and rather convenient to get comfortable doing the same exercise, the same way, over and over. At some point you’re going to plateau with your results, and in order to reach new goals you need to provide a new stimulus. Getting bigger, faster, and stronger requires progressive overload with varying stimuli. Utilizing these concepts (variations of the bench press, training parameters, body alignment) can provide that new stimulus to reach your training goals. Stay tuned for parts two and three of the bench press bible to learn more about bench press training variations, muscle activity, and debunking training myths.

 

Train For Longevity With [P]rehab!

Fitness is not about using such a high intensity that you are unable to get off the floor afterward. We are all about hard work, however, we want to make sure you are able to work out across the lifespan both safely and effectively. The number one reason why people no longer participate in an exercise program is due to injury, let’s prove that statistic incorrect by using a fitness program with the intended goals of getting you in shape while avoiding injury! To do so, the first 4 weeks are meant to load your tissues to create a movement base this ready to take on the next 8 weeks. Let’s also make sure that we are not just addressing the physical you but are helping you become healthier by giving you methods to decrease your internal load via positive self-talk and gratitude practices.

 

References

1. Buitrago S, Wirtz N, Yue Z, Kleinoder H, Mester J. Mechanical load and physiological responses of four different resistance training methods in bench press exercise. J Strength Cond Res 2013;27:1091­100.
2. DOAN, B.K., R. U. NEWTON, J.L. MARSIT, N. TRAVIS TRIPLETT- MCBRIDE, L.P. KOZIRIS, A.C. FRY, AND W.J. KRAEMER. Effects of increased eccentric loading on bench press 1RM. Strength Cond. Res. 16:9–13. 2002.
3. Padulo J, Mignogna P, Mignardi S, Tonni F, D’Ottavio S. Effect of different pushing speeds on bench press. Int J Sports Med 2012; 33: 376–380
4. Gonzalez-Badillo, JJ, and Sanchez-Medina, L. Movement velocity as a measure of loading intensity in resistance training. Int J Sports Med 31: 347-352, 2010.
5. Sakamoto A, Sinclair PJ. Muscle activations under varying lifting speeds and intensities during bench press. Eur J Appl Physiol 2012;112:1015–25.
6. Garcia-Lopez, D, Herrero, AJ, Gonzalez-Calvo, G, Rhea, MR, and Marin, PJ. Influence of “in series” elastic resistance on muscular performance during a biceps-curl set on the cable machine. J Strength Cond Res 24: 2449-2455, 2010.
7. Calatayud, S. Borreani, J. C. Colado, F. Martin, V. Tella, and L. L. Andersen, “Bench press and push-up at comparable levels of muscle activity results in similar strength gains,” Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 246–253, 2015.
8. Bellar DM, Muller MD, Barkley JE, Kim CH, Ida K, Ryan EJ, Bliss MV, Glickman EL. The effects of combined elastic- and free-weight tension vs. free-weight tension on one-repetition maximum strength in the bench press. J Strength Cond Res 2011; 25: 459–463

 

About The Author

Craig Lindell, PT, DPT, CSCS

[P]rehab Co-Founder & Chief Content Officer

Craig is a South Jersey native & Penn State Kinesiology Alumni. When the opportunity came, Craig packed his bags and drove to California to pursue his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. With [P]rehab, Craig oversees all digital content creation and multi-channel publication that reaches millions of people on a weekly basis. As a PT, Craig has a wide array of experience from working with various neurological conditions to working with collegiate & professional athletes across the Big Five in North American sports. Experiencing physical therapy first-hand as a soccer player in high school, Craig has a passion & special interest in adolescent athletic development working with young athletes to overcome injuries. In his spare time, Craig enjoys exercising, playing golfing, hiking, traveling, watching Philly sports, and spending quality time with his family.

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer – The content here is designed for information & education purposes only and is not intended for medical advice.