bench

All chest workouts are not created equal. For a complete program, you need to attack the pecs from a va- riety of angles and with a multitude of training methods. Simply doing three different kinds of presses is not going to cut it if you want to create a truly eye-popping chest. This chest...

A BIGGER MUSCLE IS A STRONGER MUSCLE. THESE THREE TRICEPS MASS-BUILDERS CAN HELP YOU ADD MORE WEIGHT TO YOUR BENCH PRESS. Most big benchers have one thing in common: They look like big benchers. Guys like Kirill Sarychev and Eric Spoto have barrel chests and bowling-ball shoulders, but they also...

Strong arms contribute to functional strength, making daily activities and workouts like weightlifting and pushing objects easier and more efficient. Also, it is just cool to have jacked arms! Strong arms and a well-developed upper body also contribute to better joint stability and reduce...

Four to eight weeks of this workout will result in arms growth and tight T-shirts. By Michael Schletter, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT*D Curls, rope pressdowns, reverse curls, dips and done. Sound like a familiar arm workout? It’s probably because that’s the one you see everyone doing all the time, so...

Strong arms contribute to functional strength, making daily activities and workouts like weightlifting and pushing objects easier and more efficient. Also, it is just cool to have jacked arms! Strong arms and a well-developed upper body also contribute to better joint stability and reduce...

Without doubt, the bench press is the most popular weight-training exercise in North America. Anyone who asks, “How much do you lift?” is inevitably referring to the bench press. It’s almost a rite-of-passage exercise among boys in high school. Most learn to bench when preparing for football. In...

Q: When I bench-press, I lower the bar to a point near my collarbones. I feel more stretch in my pecs that way, but I keep having problems with my shoulders, and my bench press never seems to progress. What am I doing wrong? A: Your bench-pressing technique is distorted. Done correctly, the...

I consider this to be one of the single most underrated exercises in the weight room. Gym bros always say, “Decline bench helps make the lower pecs bigger,” and they are partially correct. What most people don’t know is that the dumbbell decline bench press actually recruits the most muscle...

There’s no better starting point than a solid bench press. The bench press is the most popular and widely used exercise globally, targeting your chest, shoulders, and triceps. It is performed with a dumbbell or a barbell, which can be loaded with plates to decrease or increase weight. There...

The most often asked gym question is, ‘How much do you bench?’ No one ever asks how much you chin up, but they should. Although the bench press is a fantastic exercise to add upper body size and strength, the chin up, in my opinion, is the gold standard when it comes to upper body strength. It’s...

Top Ten Key Statistics About Average Human Strength An average male beginner should comfortably be able to lift a weight of 135lbs in the bench press. The average weight for a male beginner to deadlifting is 125lbs An intermediate male lifter can bench press 215lbs An intermediate-level male...

No one talks about their one rep max for a dumbbell bench press and row. And why would they? Because boosting unilateral strength numbers is unheard of. If you ask a lifter how much they squat, bench, and deadlift, those numbers roll off the tongue. Ask them how long they have been married and...

Master the Hip Thrust I’ve made a career out of transforming backsides. My weapon of choice is the hip thrust. While my routines always include a wide variety of glute exercises, including the squat, the focus is always centered on hip thrusts. In my experience, hip thrusts do the best job of...

Bret_ContrerasElite Coach First, I apologize if I left out one of your favorite exercises. Don’t take it personally. I performed these experiments in my garage, and while I have one of the baddest garage gyms in Arizona, I don’t have a lot of machines. So you pec-deck folks can drop me some...

The gym can be an intimidating place. Besides the grunting and the weights dropping, there is a secret code of conduct that is totally foreign to any newcomer on what to do and not to do. These rules of etiquette aren’t just for newbies! I see a lot of “veterans” who completely disregard them...

It doesn’t matter who you are, or what your goals are, there are going to be times when your strength training has to take a back seat. It could be for a week, a month, or perhaps even a year or more. There are going to be seasons in life when you simply have less time and attention to devote to...

The dumbbell pullover is one of those multipurpose exercises that can be a great addition to any chest or back workouts. However, no matter which body part you’re focusing on, there’s a trick to add a little extra spice to this exercise, and all it takes is a looped resistance band. That is...

Chest: Barbell Bench Press Ok, I predict one of two scenarios happening after reading the bench press listed as my favorite chest exercise. Be honest…it either completely pissed you off or you are saying to yourself “of course the bench press is the best chest builder”. In my opinion...

It would be almost impossible to boil strength down to a single measurable in order to even suggest being “stronger” then an NFL athlete. Strength is a vague term that is often hard to define. However, in the gym we look at strength in numerical terms, most commonly weight and reps. If you...

Unilateral rows are the bomb because they strengthen imbalances between sides, which leads to better muscle development and stronger bilateral rows. But as the dumbbells get larger and more awkward, progressing becomes more challenging. Enter the Meadows Row, the brainchild of the late John...