Increase Your Bench Press - How To Increase Your Bench Press In 3 Easy Steps

One of the first questions I am often asked when I reveal to people that i train is "how much do you bench press?"

Everyone wants to know how much you bench press because the bench press is kind of like a barometer of your overall strength. So it makes sense as a weight lifter to want to focus much of your efforts on increasing the amount of weight that you bench press. I've put together a couple of tips that will increase your strength and bolster the amount of weight you can bench press.

Bear in mind that these tips are coming from someone who was born with few genetic gifts as far as weight lifting is concerned. I have, for example, a small frame and high metabolism and yet I've managed to work my way up to a max out weight of 285 pounds which is impressive for a guy that is barely 5'8 and only 165 pounds. The point is that you can likely overcome any or all of your physical limitations when it comes to increasing your bench press.

That being said, here are 3 things you can do right now to increase your bench press:

1. Rotator Cuff Exercises - These aren't the most glamorous of exercises but they have the potential to both reduce serious injury and add as much as 30 pounds to your bench in a month and half. Most weight lifters only do a few rotator cuff exercises at their end of their workout if they do them at all. Rotator cuff exercises can strengthen your chest and bolster your bench press weight because the rotator cuff muscles are the four small muscles that stabilize your upper arms. By strengthening your upper arms you will in turn have more strength for bench press.

2. Modify Your Grip Width - How you actually hold the bar while on the bench press can have a substantial effect on your muscle gains. If you grip the bar too closely you will actually be placing additional stress on your triceps which can hinder your overall pushing power. In contrast, if you grip the bar too wide you are placing additional stress on the shoulder joints.

The best width for your hands is determined by pressing the barbell with no weight at all and with a partner closely monitoring your form. While your partner is closely watching your forearms, slowly lower the bar down to your chest. When you have brought the barbell to your chest your forearms should be perfectly vertical. If they are you have found the right group and if not then adjust your grip accordingly.

3. Breathing Right - When your lifting heavy weights, core stabilization is far more important than when you are doing low intensity repetitions. The best way to breathe while doing a heavy weight is to breathe in deeply while lowering the weight and inflating your chest as much as you can. When you go to raise the weight back up don't exhale all at once but slowly breathe out. If you exhale too quickly you could destabilize your chest and weaken your press.

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