Bench Press/Dumbbell Press

Flat Bench Press,or simply Bench Press,is the most effective and common exercise to build muscles of the chest region.It is an integral part of all bodybuilding workouts.It is usually performed with the help of a rod,with weights placed at the ends of a rod. This exercise is used to tone the chest muscles,triceps and some back muscles.

When the rod is replaced by a pair of dumbbells,it is called as flat dumbbell press or simply dumbbell press.
You may find people who bench real heavy but their muscles are not in accordance with the weight they bench.This is primarily due to poor technique. The prime concern is technique over benched weight. You may bench more weight with an improper technique,but will ultimately injure yourself.
IMPORTANT TIPS:

• The shorter distance you move the weight through,the more effective it will be for you.So push out your rib-cage and squeeze back your shoulders.
• When you go in for the press and lay down,your feet should be flat on the floor and you should push with your legs as if you were trying to slide your back up the bench,but don’t actually let the back slide up the bench.Put some chalk powder if friction is less.
• When you lay down,make sure the bar is in line with your eyes.
• Once you grab the barbell,squeeze it tight and pull it outwards,and tighten up your whole body.This will tighten up the muscles in your upper body and give a more solid base.
• Once you remove the bar from the stand,keep it at arms length and let the weight settle,meanwhile maintaining your position.Take a deep breath and hold it.

CORRECT TECHNIQUE:

• Now that we know the correct posture,lower the bar to where the abdomen and chest meet.
• Keep your elbows tucked in at 45° angle.This will ensure more strength at lower part of push,and will help in not putting undue pressure on the shoulders.
• When you start the push,the chest muscles will come into play in the starting,and then the triceps will take over in the middle part.
• To effectively work the triceps,move them as if you are pushing yourself away from the rod,not pushing the rod away from you.

Implementing these bodybuilding tips into your bench press workouts will take some initial practice, but once you get used to it,the results are amazing. You will feel strong during lifts and most importantly you will be able to lift more weight, with better form, and less risk injury.