Lying Pushing is a classic movement for upper body training. It can help us strengthen the chest muscles, front deltoid muscles and triceps brachii. Especially for chest muscle training, the bench press is always the first choice!
There are many variations of the bench press. Different angles, different grip distances, and different equipment will give your muscles different stimulation
When we go to the gym, we usually see three types of bench press racks: flat benches, inclines and declines!
Today we will introduce to you the most basic knowledge of bench press: different angles involve different participation of different pectoral muscle fibers!
The pectoral muscles are large fan-shaped muscles. They are connected to the humerus and sternum and clavicle of the upper arm and are responsible for a large part of the Shoulder movement (shoulder adduction, horizontal adduction, internal rotation, shoulder flexion)
According to the different directions of muscle fibers, and responsible for shoulder movement Different methods, we divide the chest muscles into three parts: upper, middle and lower
The following video briefly introduces the three parts The difference between different bench press methods
Plate bench press
The flat bench press is the most classic method. Pushing mainly involves the horizontal adduction of the shoulder joint! It can exercise the entire pectoralis major muscle, but due to the influence of the muscle fiber direction of the pectoral muscle and the force line of the barbell, it will stimulate more muscle fibers in the middle of our pectoral muscle!
Essentials of action: The landing point of the barbell is approximately in the center of the chest! The movement trajectory is not straight up and down, but slightly upward in a straight line!
Incline bench press
Because the angle becomes upward, the shoulder joint will complete more shoulder flexion movements. In this way, ITheir upper pectoral muscle fibers and anterior deltoid muscles will be more involved!
The essentials of the action are similar to the bench press. It should be noted that the difference is that the barbell needs to drop to the top of the chest (near the clavicle). The trajectory is straight up and down!
Note that the angle of the inclined plate is controlled between 30-45 degrees. If the angle is too large, the pressure on the anterior deltoid muscles will be greater. If it is large, it will affect the strength of the pectoralis major muscle.
Decline bench press
The downward angle allows the shoulder joint to complete more shoulder adduction This action will stimulate more muscle fibers on the lower side of our chest muscles!
The action essentials are similar to the bench press. The following are the differences:
< span style="font-size: 14px;">1. The angle of the supine inclined board should be controlled between 15-30 degrees, and the barbell should be placed approximately at the lower part of the chest muscles (near the ribs) to avoid putting pressure on the shoulder joints.
2. Decline bench press will cause balance stability to decrease because the feet are suspended, and blood will flow back, which may Risks of cerebral congestion and high blood pressure, not suitable for people with dangerous symptoms!
Other techniques: whether it is incline or bench press
1. Keep your shoulders always drawn back and sunk to avoid shrugging or rounding your shoulders!
2. Always keep your forearms vertical to the ground!
3. The angle between the upper arm and the torso is about 45 degrees, and the shoulders should not be abducted too much