Tips For Improving Bench Press Strength That Will Let You Bench The Kind Of Weight Others Dream Of

The bench press is by far the most popular exercise in the gym and the standard by which many judge their own strength and the strength of others. It is also one the exercises that can be hard to excel at and plateaus at certain weights are hard to break through. The article below is going to go over a few points that will help get stronger at bench pressing

Eat Right To Grow and Get Stronger

All the lifting in the world is not going to give you any gains in strength or muscle if you are not feeding your body with the nutrients it needs to build new muscle tissue. This means that you must eat at least 1 1/2 grams of protein for every pound of body weight you have. You must also eat 1-2 grams of complex carbohydrates per pound of body weight as well. Keep in mind these amounts are just starting points and your body may need more or less so adjust them to fit your needs.

Rest Well Between Your Workouts

Most people do not realize this but the muscle growth actually occurs after you are done with your workouts and your body begins to recover not during the lifting periods. During these periods of growth your body will repair the damage you did while lifting the weights so make sure to sleep at least 7-8 hours every night and take a day off after 2 days of working out. To jump start your recovery when you are done with your workouts make sure you eat a protein filled snack!

Start Strengthening Your Supporting Muscles

The bench press involves more than just your chest muscles, your front deltoids, triceps are directly involved as well and almost every other upper body muscle you have is helping to stabilize and balance the weight. So make sure that you are working to get stronger shoulders and triceps as these will help you push heavier weights. But when going for more strength in the triceps and shoulders make sure you use compound movements that will let you move heavier weights as opposed to isolating shaping exercises.

Good Exercises To Build Shoulder Strength

Front Barbell PressSeated Dumbbell PressUpright Rows

Exercises To Build Strong Tricep Muscles

DipsClose Grip Bench PressesEz Bar Extensions

Use Varying Rep Ranges To Shock your Body

The biggest mistake that most guys make when trying to get stronger bench pressing is they only lift heavy weights and never venture into the higher rep range. While it is true the heavier weights will develop strength faster you muscles have fibers that only respond to higher rep training and not stimulating them is costing you both size and strength. I like to switch off to higher reps every few workout sessions just to keep things growing and keep my body confused!

You Also Need The Right Bench Press Routine To Follow

Once you have your diet and rest habits developed a good Bench Press Program that is custom tailored to you will give you that final edge you need to push the really heavy weight! One such program is called Critical Bench 2.0 and a full review can be found on my blog at http://www.getmusclemassfast.com/

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