I avoided doing a lot of flat bench during the first 6-7 years of my lifting career. I followed a lot the typical hardcore meathead dogma, "Squat and Deadlift heavy" "Bench is for pussies" "Biceps are worthless" etc.
One day I woke up and stopped giving a fuck. Bench is a great exercise. Maybe it isn't the most functional strength exercise out there, but who gives a fuck. What is anyone really lifting outside of the gym anyway?
Flat bench is the best exercise for your mental well-being. Really. Nothing feels better than having the best bench in your gym. Learn to enjoy it.
I used to deadlift ridiculous numbers and laugh at the dudes on the bench press. It took me a long time to realize that I was just envious. I sucked at the bench so I put all my effort into my lower body. Deep down I was just compensating for a weak bench.
I had to start from the bottom. Learning bench was a lot different from squats or deadlifts.
To get the most out of bench you have to really appreciate good form. Bench is probably the most butchered exercise out there because it seems so simple. Once you learn to set up and flex all the proper muscles it gets a lot more complex, and a lot more fun.
Learning correct form boosted my bench numbers ridiculously.
I've puked, blacked out, nearly shit my pants squatting and deadlifting. You aren't going to get that with bench, it's just not as taxing.
But, if you really take the time to set up and get everything tense, then put an insane amount of mental focus into your form on your bench press you will come up with your muscles shaking and your heart racing. I can even see stars if I am really dialed in.
I don't remember any particular resources I read on how to do it. Your lats are a huge part of it. Learning to lift-off properly can take a long time to really get down. Find some articles and experiment a lot. It worked for me.
The best tip I have for you is to get everything tight before you lift off, lower back, lats, traps, upper arms, forearms, wrists, hands.
Another big one, BREATHE! Big inhale on the negative, blow it out on the positive.
The Incline/Decline debate is interesting. Decline can be customized a lot depending on the width of your grip and what point you are lowering the weight to on your body.
I don't fuck with incline much.
One day I woke up and stopped giving a fuck. Bench is a great exercise. Maybe it isn't the most functional strength exercise out there, but who gives a fuck. What is anyone really lifting outside of the gym anyway?
Flat bench is the best exercise for your mental well-being. Really. Nothing feels better than having the best bench in your gym. Learn to enjoy it.
I used to deadlift ridiculous numbers and laugh at the dudes on the bench press. It took me a long time to realize that I was just envious. I sucked at the bench so I put all my effort into my lower body. Deep down I was just compensating for a weak bench.
I had to start from the bottom. Learning bench was a lot different from squats or deadlifts.
To get the most out of bench you have to really appreciate good form. Bench is probably the most butchered exercise out there because it seems so simple. Once you learn to set up and flex all the proper muscles it gets a lot more complex, and a lot more fun.
Learning correct form boosted my bench numbers ridiculously.
I've puked, blacked out, nearly shit my pants squatting and deadlifting. You aren't going to get that with bench, it's just not as taxing.
But, if you really take the time to set up and get everything tense, then put an insane amount of mental focus into your form on your bench press you will come up with your muscles shaking and your heart racing. I can even see stars if I am really dialed in.
I don't remember any particular resources I read on how to do it. Your lats are a huge part of it. Learning to lift-off properly can take a long time to really get down. Find some articles and experiment a lot. It worked for me.
The best tip I have for you is to get everything tight before you lift off, lower back, lats, traps, upper arms, forearms, wrists, hands.
Another big one, BREATHE! Big inhale on the negative, blow it out on the positive.
The Incline/Decline debate is interesting. Decline can be customized a lot depending on the width of your grip and what point you are lowering the weight to on your body.
I don't fuck with incline much.