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New chance to win £150 worth of top quality supplements! Master the bench press...

Fri 04 Nov 2011

The latest opportunity to win £150 worth of top quality supplements has arrived!

The challenge is simple...

• Get your gym buddy to film you doing as many flat bench press reps as you can.
• Be sure to read our guidelines to make sure your entry qualifies.
• Then upload your video to YouTube and email us a link to the video along with your name.
• Pick your £150 worth of FREE supplements & get a free t-shirt if you are the winner!

To find out all the details, visit the competition page...

The Bench Press: A guide to good form

Proper bench press form is crucial, not just for safety and to prevent injury, but also to optimise strength and muscle gains.

1. Make sure the bench press bar is centered in the rack and low enough down for you to reach it with a slight bend in the elbows.
2. As a guide, hands should be placed slightly wider than shoulder width apart, an even distance apart from the center of the bar. Take your time (with an empty bar) to establish the hand position which allows your forearms to be positioned as close to vertical as possible at the bottom of the rep, i.e. perpendicular to the bar.
3. With an even weight securely added to the bar, lay back and position your feet flat on the floor (not bench) with your knees bent.
4. Grasp the bar with the grip width determined in step 1, with the root of your palms underneath the bar in the direction of a straight wrist, and thumbs clamped around the bar tightly.
5. Lift the bar up and outwards from the rack, and in a steady, controlled manner lower the bar to a point at the bottom of your sternum (breastbone), inhaling steadily as you go.
6. Throughout the downward phase, keep your elbows slightly tucked in to reduce strain on the shoulders.
7. Do not bounce the bar back off your chest at the bottom of the movement, rather just lightly touch it or stop just above.
8. At the base of the rep change direction smoothly and begin to drive the weight back upwards, again in a controlled but explosive manner.
9. Exhale as you push the bar upwards, keeping your feet flat on the floor at all times, and maintain fluid, consistent movement of the bar throughout the full press.
10. Complete this full range of movement on every single rep completed.
11. Maintain the natural curvature of your spine throughout, retract the shoulder blades to focus the chest muscles, and do not hyperextend the elbows at the top of each rep.
12. Your head, upper back, hips and legs should remain on the bench throughout the whole exercise.
13. ALWAYS use a spotter for heavy lifts, or failure sets.

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