Barbell Bench Press

The Barbell Bench Press is a compound exercise. This movement is one of the best exercises for developing strength, strength endurance and mass in the chest muscles, due to the fact that when we are performing the exercise, the bar is precisely over our chest.

This, however, does not make it the best exercise for developing the chest muscles as many people might
claim. In this article we'll go over what we should do, what we shouldn't do and what is the bench press used for.

Muscles

Target

• Pectoralis Major, Sternal

Synergists

• Pectoralis Major, Clavicular
• Deltoid, Anterior
• Triceps Brachii

Dynamic Stabilizers

• Biceps Brachii, Short Head

Variations:

• Power Focus - typical for power lifters, but inexplicably often practiced by people with bodybuilding goals.
• Classic - this variation will be described in this article and it has universal applications.It's most commonly used for "power bodybuilding" and also as a part of routines of professional athletes.It is also used as a balance strengthening technique for the shoulder girdle.
• Isolation (guillotine), most often used in bodybuilding.Usually used by amateurs trying to increase the size/strength of their pecs.Professionals use it far more successfully by combining it with the classic bench press variation and flyes, pec-deck, etc. .
• Unbalanced - versions of the variations above are implemented with unilateral or bilateral imbalance between agonists, antagonists and stabilizers.

To sum it up, the difference between the classic and power performance is that the power technique uses a bigger arch and a greater involvement of the abductors in the shoulder girdle (serratus and minor pectoral muscles) and shoulder flexors(anterior shoulder head).

Grip:

• Classic grip - the bar lays on the middle of the palm with the thumb on top;
• Inverted (tilted wrist) grip - the bar lays at the base of the palm and thumb, the thumb is over the bar but the wrist is tilted back so there is less pressure on the forearm flexors, however there is much more pressure on the wrist itself;
• Inverted thumb less grip(suicide grip) - the bar lays on the middle or on the base of the palm, the thumb is under the bar.

All variations of the inverted grip are steering away from the classic barbell bench press and going towards the guillotine.The classic variation suffers greatly if performed with an inverted grip.

Trainees that perform the exercise with heavy weight, tilted wrists and a suicide(thumbless) grip, inevitably lower the bar like the classic bench press variation and are forced to push it back up guillotine "style" or drop the bar.In other words do not go heavy with a thumbless grip, you can get a very serious injury or even die.
According to the ROM

• full range of motion
• partial upper or partial lower (1/2, 1/3 or 2/3 of the movement) range of motion

According to the pace (lower, pause, press back up)

• classic 3-1-1, 2-1-1, 3-1-2, 2-1-2 ;
• bodybuilding 4-1-2, 4-1-3
• explosiveness 1-0-3, 1-0-2
• strength 2-1-1, 1-1-1

Method of execution

preparation

1. Lie supine on bench.
2. Arch your back.
3. Pull your shoulders in and back.
4. Plant your feet.
5. Dismount barbell from rack over upper chest.
6. Take a moderately wide classical grip.

performance

1. Lower weight to mid-chest.
2. Try to keep your elbows from flaring out.
3. Press bar upward until arms are extended.
4. Repeat.

Recommendations

• Do not let the weight free fall, focus on the negative.
• Do not push the bar off your chest.
• Keep your shoulders pulled back and down.
• Don't let your shoulders go towards towards your ears, if you do that you'll be doing a bad version of the Guillotine Press.
• In the lower parts of the movement keep your elbows close to your body.If you are having trouble with this and your elbows are flaring out, try to separate the bar, pull the bar apart, that's not possible of course, but by doing that you will tuck your elbows in.

Relevancy

The Barbell Bench Press can be found in almost any routine aiming to increase and maintain muscle mass.

It is important to understand that this is not just a chest exercise, it is a complex and a compound movement that recruits many muscle groups. Attempting to isolate the chest with the classic variation of the Barbell Bench Press such is almost meaningless, as there are many alternatives that will do just that in a much more effective fashion.Like these:
Guillotine Press, Chest Flies, Hammer Strength Chest Press, Cable Crossovers etc.

The Barbell Bench Press is a great exercise for the overall pressing strength of the upper body, it used in most power lifting competitions around the world, and is considered a margin of strength alongside the Squat and Deadlift.

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The 10x10 Pack On Size With High Volume Training

The routine was "discovered" by German sports scientists in the 20s of the last century and independently of them - from Vince Gironda the "Iron Guru". Its objective is to increase size with high volume training: 10sets of 10 reps.

There are two variations of the 10x10 - Charles Poliquins and Vince Girondas. The second claims that using 10x10 for all muscle groups leads to overtraining, and uses the method only for concentrating on a lagging muscle group while Charles recommends a cycle of 6 5-day full body cycles, composed of compound exercises and followed by a 3-week simple split for rest and then a new cycle, but this time with the volume is lower-10x6.

Except the main exercises which are performed in the 10x10 fashion there are auxiliary exercises one would do only 3 sets of. Interestingly, Poliquin recommends training shoulders as an auxiliary because according to him shoulders get enough work during the first day, while others recommend doing arms as an auxiliary in a 3x10 fashion and hitting shoulders 10x10.

Basic principles

If you can complete all 10 sets with 10 reps the next workout the load must be heavier in other words once you reach 10x10 increase the weight. Pace is VERY important: it is a 4-0-2 for core exercises and 3-0-2 for the smaller muscle groups. That means for 4 seconds negative(going down) - no rest - 2 seconds positive. As noted by Poliquin - If your sets are from 40-70 seconds long, you stand in the zone of maximum hypertrophy. 
Cheating and forced reps are not used.

To save time you can use the principle of the "supersets", you do a set of the first exercise and then right after you perform the second until you've finished all 10 sets.

Breaks are 90sec. for the core exercises and 60 seconds for auxiliary.

Length: The system is quite tiresome because of its large volume, and it is 6 cycles of 5 days, or if you choose  the weekly variation , use it for four weeks, and then change the core exercises with similar new ones and do 4 weeks with them.

Weight: Choose that allows you to do 20 reps, a 50-60% of your maximum.

Nutrition: The routine is for increasing size, so there really aren't any specific requirements, just be in a caloric surplus and eat enough protein, and fill up the rest of your calories with carbs and fats.BCAAs are recommended as well.

Who is it for?

Anyone that has done a beginners routine. 
10x10 for a lagging muscle group can be for anyone that wants to target such a muscle group, and Poliquins full body 10x10 is used by hockey, American football players and in other sports, powerlifters also run cycles of it when they're in need of size.

Notes: The monotony of the routine can be "boring" for many practitioners.

Also keep in mind that 10 sets of 10 reps for a single muscle group is considered too much, and it is wise to consider that when you're choosing your next routine, because many make the mistake of doing too many sets and exercises, especially for the smaller muscle groups, we've all seen "that guy" doing biceps curls when you're walking into the gym, and still hitting biceps when you're walking out.

Here's the original Poliquin routine:

Day 1:

• A-1-Decline Dumbbell Presses, Semi-Supinated Grip (palms facing each other)
• A-2-Chin-Ups (palms facing you)
• B-1-Incline Dumbbell Flyes
• B-2-One-Arm Dumbbell Rows

Day 2:

• A-1 Incline Dumbbell Presses 
• A-2 Wide-Grip Pull-Ups (palms facing away from you)  
• B-1 Flat Dumbbell Flyes  
• B-2 Bent-Over Rows with E-Z Bar

Day 3:Rest.

Day 4:

• A-1 Parallel Bar Dips
• A-2 Incline Hammer Curls
• B-1 Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raises
• B-2 Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Day 5:Rest.

Restart.
Note: Exercises A must be done in a 4-0-2 fashion with 90sec. rest time while exercises B must be done with a 3-0-2 fashion with 60sec. of rest inbetween sets.

Variations

Monday:

• Dumbbell press 10x10;
• Rowing 10x10;
• Dumbbell pullover 3x12.

Wednesday:

• Squat 10x10;
• Deadlift 10x10;
• Dumbbell shoulder press 10x10.

Friday:

• Barbell curls 10x10;
• Close grip bench press 10x10;
• Dips 3sets to failure.

Good luck!

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