press

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...

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...

If you’re trying to build strength in the gym, but you’ve hit a plateau or you just don’t know how to get the numbers climbing each week… Then this is the article for you. Check out these 3 fundamental reasons why you aren’t getting stronger in the gym and what you can do about it today to...

What Are the Side Delts? The deltoid muscles—or “delts”—are the muscles that cover your shoulder joints and help your upper arms move forward, backward, and out to the side. Each deltoid is made up of three sections or “heads:” the anterior deltoid, the lateral deltoid, and the posterior...

1. Kneeling Landmine Press The difference between the kneeling landmine press and the regular standing landmine press is you perform the kneeling landmine press while kneeling on both knees. Performing the exercise on your knees is less stable than on your feet, which means your core and abs...

What Is the Landmine Press? The landmine press is an overhead pressing exercise involving a barbell and a “landmine press attachment,” which is a piece of gym equipment consisting of a metal sleeve with a pivoting joint usually attached to the floor or the base of a squat or power rack. (You...

I know, I know, chances are you don’t give a rat’s patootie about rotary stability. Hell, chances are you can’t even define rotary stability. Well, Jell-O core, you should care about your rotary stability. Most lifters simply need more of it. I’ve known plenty of bilateral badasses who were...

For decades one of the popular upper body exercises to perform in the weight room has been the bench press exercise. One common question many high school athletes or any athlete may ask their peer is “How much can you bench”? With regard to upper body strength and power when was the last time...

The military press is a classic strength training exercise that has stood the test of time. Not only does the lift build strong and muscular shoulders, it transfers favorably to the bench press, and it actually works a lot of muscles you wouldn’t always think of when considering the...

One of the most impressive events taking place this weekend at the Olympia World Fitness Expo in Orlando is the America’s Strongest series—America’s Strongest Man and America’s Strongest Woman, presented by the Strongman Corporation. The competitions cover six different events with two weight...

The Problem You’re captured by hostile terrorists and held captive in a large jail cell with just a bunk bed in the corner, a barbell, and plenty of plates. The commander informs you that you’re free to lift weights during your captivity, but you can only perform ten barbell exercises. If...

Silly weekend warriors. Everybody knows that squats are superior to leg presses right? They're harder to do, require more coordination, and just rate higher on the exercise badass scale than something that resembles a plate-loaded La-Z-Boy recliner. Don't these douchebags read Testosterone ...

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...

Every guy has his own theory about which exercises are the best and which exercises suck. Whether we’re analyzing the biomechanics of an exercise (not very likely), “feeling the burn” (more likely), or simply doing a ton of sets and seeing how sore we get over the next few days (ding, ding...

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...

Now and again, when scrolling through your social media feed, you see an exercise that makes you stand up and take notice. The Swole Press is one of those exercises. How can you not with a movement called the Swole Press? This exercise is a hybrid clean and press performed with a dumbbell and...

The leg press gets a lot of love and hate. On the advantage side is the fixed range of motion, and your stable trunk takes core stability out of the equation. These two factors allow lifters to move massive weights. The fixed ROM and increased stability are a godsend for lifters who suffer from...

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...