Bench press

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Athlete bench press with a barbell. During the execution it is secured by a second person.

The bench press is a compound exercise in weight training as well as a sport in the field of weight training . In addition to the squat and deadlift , it is a sub-discipline of powerlifting , there are also national and international championships, including world championships in bench press, which are organized by the International Powerlifting Federation . In bodybuilding and many other sports, the bench press is widely used to develop pectoral muscles.

In disabled sports, the bench press is a competitive discipline of the Paralympic Summer Games and other national and international competitions.

Exercise execution

Lying on the back, a weight is lowered with both hands and pushed back up.

The bench press is carried out in detail as follows: You lie back on a flat bench so that the barbell is in the holder vertically above the head of the person exercising at about eye level. The feet are firmly on the ground, the barbell is gripped with the hands a little more than shoulder width. The back extensors are tensed, creating a slight hollow back. In addition, the shoulder blades are pulled back, which stabilizes the shoulder joint. Now the weight is lowered onto the chest or the upper part of the abdominal muscles, with the elbows not pushed outwards, but slightly inwards. The shoulder blades remain pulled back and the back extensors tense throughout the execution. The dumbbell is lowered to the chest. Now the dumbbell is pushed up while the arms are stretched out. Once at the top of the movement, the dumbbell is immediately returned to the return movement. You can also do the exercise with a tight grip if you want to train the triceps more intensely. In general, the wider the grip, the smaller the range of motion and the more the deltoid muscle is stressed.

As an alternative to the flat bench, the exercise can also be performed on an incline bench. The more upright the bench, the greater the load on the deltoid muscle and the upper area of ​​the pectoralis major muscle. You can also do the exercise on a negative bench. This shifts the load from the front shoulder and upper chest more to the lower fibers of the pectoral muscle. The exercise can also be performed on a machine. Machine guidance can make a favorable sequence of movements difficult. In addition, fewer muscles are used for stabilization. On the other hand, the risk of injury decreases with higher weights.

In the variant with dumbbells , the sequence of movements is similar to the bench press with a barbell. Additional muscle fibers are used throughout the upper body. This is because it takes more coordination and strength to push two single dumbbells up than a bar. As a rule, the dumbbell bench press cannot use as much weight as the barbell variant.

Muscles involved

special instructions

Since many muscles are involved in the movement (large muscle loops ), the training effect is very high.

Incorrect execution and training that is too heavy or too frequent increases the risk of injuring the anterior ligament and capsular structures of the shoulder joint: If the athlete is not in the correct position with the shoulder blades pulled back, the head of the humerus is pushed forward against the joint capsule and the ligamentous apparatus pressed.

It is controversial whether bench press training can only focus on parts of the chest muscles. The theory that a positive bench incline (incline bench press) trains the upper part of the pectoral muscle more intensely than a flat or negative one has never been scientifically founded. New measurements showed that the activation of the pectoralis major depends on the selected weight and the angle between the upper arm and trunk and thus on the incline of the bench. With a negative bench incline, which results in an upper arm-torso angle smaller than 90 °, you can handle the highest weight and therefore train all three parts with the greatest intensity. Powerlifting athletes take advantage of this by strongly hyperextending their lower back while lying on their back on the bench, thus building a bridge to maintain an upper arm-torso angle smaller than 90 °. This method shifts weight to multiple muscles, such as the rotators and triceps. Many athletes see this exercise as unhealthy for the spine, but the stress on the spine can be safely reduced through correct execution and good training condition. Exercises that train the inner back muscles, such as deadlifts, lead to a good training condition and thus to a safe execution.

World records

This list includes the women's world records according to IPF standards.

year person record
2015 Lonn Sandra from Sweden 235.0 kg (single lift)
2014 Hugdal Hildeborg from Norway 227.0 kg

The list contains the absolute world records since the introduction of powerlifting

year record
Late sixties Bench Pressing Approximately 230kg Paul Anderson reportedly pushed 283kg (625 pounds).
1969 Pat Casey bench press performance 272 kg - For the first time over 600 pounds (= 272 kg)
1980 Bill Kazmaier bench press performance minimally over 300 kg (661 lb) - 300 kg limit broken for the first time.
1982 Ted Arcidi bench press performance 303 kg
1990 Kenneth Lain bench press 327 kg (721 lb).
1995 Chris Confessore bench press performance 336 kg (741 lb).
1996 Tim Michael bench press 354 kg (780 lb) - broken 350 kg limit for the first time.
1998 Ryan Kennelly bench press 801 lb (363 kg) - 800 lb mark exceeded for the first time.
1999 Gene Rychlak bench press 408 kg (exceeded 900 lb limit for the first time)
2004 Gene Rychlak bench press performance 455.9 kg (1005 lb)
2006 Scot Mendelson bench press 1,008 lb (457.2 kg) (February).
2006 Gene Rychlak bench press 1010 lb (458.1 kg) (December).
2007 Ryan Kennelly bench press performance 1,036 lb (469.9 kg).
2007 Ryan Kennelly bench press 1,050 lb (476.3 kg) (December).
2008 Ryan Kennelly bench press 1,074 lb (487.2 kg) (July 13).

literature

  • Klaus Arndt, Judd Biasiotto: Bench press: Training and techniques of the world's best bench press . 4th edition. Novagenics, 2006, ISBN 978-3-929002-08-9 .
  • Wend-Uwe Boeckh-Behrens, Wolfgang Buskies: Fitness strength training: The best exercises and methods for sport and health . 10th edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek 2000, ISBN 978-3-499-19481-8 .
  • Wend-Uwe Boeckh-Behrens, Wolfgang Buskies, Bernd Gottwald, Patrick Beier: Super trainer shoulders, arms, chest: the most effective exercises . Rowohlt, Reinbek 2005, ISBN 978-3-499-61070-7 .
  • Sven Lindqvist: Bench Press . Revised ed. Granta, 2003, ISBN 978-1-86207-572-6 .

Web links

Wiktionary: bench press  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. Wend-Uwe Boeckh-Behrens, Wolfgang Buskies, Bernd Gottwald, Patrick Beier: Supertrainer shoulders, arms, chest: The most effective exercises . Rowohlt, Reinbek 2005, ISBN 978-3-499-61070-7 .
  2. ^ Records - International Powerlifting Federation IPF. In: www.powerlifting-ipf.com. Retrieved November 29, 2016 .