If you are familiar with only one exercise in the Bright 'N Fit Training Routine, it is probably the Flat Barbell Bench Press. Enter any local fitness center or campus gym and you will more than likely witness someone performing this movement. The question is, how many of those people are doing it properly?



This exercise, when done correctly, will lead to great strength, power, and size gains in the chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Muscles worked during the Flat Barbell Bench Press:

&bull Chest (Pectorals)

&bull Front Shoulders (Anterior Deltoids)

&bull Arms (Triceps)

It is important to learn how to perform the Flat Barbell Bench Press to receive all of its benefits and avoid injuries, particularly to the shoulder and elbow joints.

Step 1: Setting Up

The set-up is crucial for performing the exercise properly. You must be in a tight and stabilized position before and throughout the movement.

Head Position: Lie down on a flat bench directly under the barbell as it sits in the hooks of the rack. Adjust your body (slide your back forward or backward on the bench) so that the center of the barbell is directly over your eyes. Keep your chin tucked, and your eyes looking above.

Hand Position: Grab the barbell with your hands equally distant from your body, placing them about 23-26 inches apart. This grip will evenly activate your chest and tricep muscles, rather than one more so than the other. Hold the barbell low in your hands (as close to your wrists and away from your fingers as possible) to prevent the weight of the bar from bending your wrists and placing stress on your elbows. Be sure to wrap your thumbs around the barbell, and squeeze the bar as hard as you can. A "thumbless" grip can be extremely dangerous because you have less control of the barbell.

Upper-body Position: Puff your chest out by pulling your shoulder blades together and pressing your back against the bench. Keep everything tight. This position will make your body a more stable surface to push from, allowing you to bench press more weight. It will also place less stress on your shoulder joints.

Feet Position: Your feet should be flat on the ground, and about 30 inches apart. Try to drive your heels into the floor.

Now that you have gotten into that tight position, you must hold it throughout your entire set.

Step 2: Unracking the Barbell

Extend your arms to push the barbell straight up in order to remove it from the hooks of the rack. If you have a spotter, ask him/her to give you a "lift-off," in which he/she helps you unrack the weight by pulling the barbell straight up out of the hooks before you begin your set.

As you remove the barbell from the hooks, slightly move the bar towards your feet so it is directly over your lower chest. Your spotter can remove his/her hands from the bar once you have the barbell completely under control.

Now you are ready to bench press!

Step 3: Bench!

As you are bench pressing, remember to keep your chest out, shoulder blades pinched together, back against the bench, and feet firmly on the ground.

&bull First, take a big breath and slowly lower the barbell in a straight line until it touches your lower chest. As you are doing this, try to keep your elbows tucked to your sides, and your wrists in line with your elbows. Do not follow the barbell with your eyes as you lower the bar to your lower chest, keep looking up.

&bull Once the barbell touches your lower chest, pause for a second to eliminate the tendency to bounce the bar off your chest.

&bull As you release the air by breathing out, explosively push or "press" the barbell in a straight line directly above your lower chest by extending your arms. Keep your elbows tucked to your sides and squeeze the barbell as hard as you can as you are doing this.

&bull Repeat from the first bullet-point of Step 3.

Practice this technique with an empty (unloaded) barbell until you have developed muscle memory. The movement may seem awkward at first but it will become more comfortable as you continue practicing it. Remember to stay 100% focused during every single rep!

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