with less problems in the shoulder. The medial head of the tricep
is the main part of the muscle that needs to be developed. It’s
easy to see a big bencher by looking at the amount of tricep
muscle they have right around the elbow, rather than up higher in
the lateral and long head of the muscle.
That’s why it is important (as you will see in the program
development chapter) that triceps are trained hard, heavy, and
often. Many times triceps need to be built into the warm-up, the
accessory work, and sometimes mini-workouts to increase
potentiating of the muscle group in the movement.
This is how bench is taught out of most text books and coaching
staff (IT’S WRONG)
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Tricep strength is also key in maintaining a proper bar path
while benching. This bar path should be as close to a straight line
as possible. This linear path keeps the elbows the primary
workhorse. It does not mean that the bench press will necessarily
move in a perfect straight line, but it will ensure that your muscles
are activating correctly.
The reason that most people don’t advocate this is that it
takes time to learn how to bench correctly, and the shoulder and
pec tend to be stronger in the beginning stages of training. But
as the tricep gains strength (and leverage as the medial head
grows), then the bench form will change.
The Lats
Lats play a vital role in the bench press. Lats are what help the
shoulders stabilize, and also aid in a proper bar path. Without lat
strength and tightness, the pecs and shoulders can overpower the
lift and cause form to breakdown.
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Over the long run the lats and triceps save the shoulder
from being put in awkward, and dangerous positions.
Over time,
this leads to big strength gains and little to no injuries. Although
lat training has been downplayed in many circles for the bench
press, I firmly believe that their secondary role is next to none in
the development of the upper boy.
Performing the Bench Press
Setup:
As stated above, the body should be locked from head to
toe before the handout occurs. Legs should be driving into the
ground, glutes should be tight and flexed, lats should be squeezed
and shoulder blades should be retracted.
The handout:
The handout person should hand out strong and steady
putting the bar over the chest usually slightly below nipple level,
depending on your arch. This allows the bar to descend in a
straight path. Hands are squeezed and tight the entire time.
The locked position:
This is important to stabilize the bar and allow the weight to
settle after being repositioned off the rack into your hands. This
becomes more important the stronger you become, as weights
rolling on the bar can affect stability and control of the descent.
