BARBELL BENCH PRESS

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Posted on: 11-06-2021

ORIGIN

The history of bench press was traced down from Ancient Greece when soldiers used to perform heavy lifts, pull overs and push-ups for improving upper body muscular endurance, strength and power. Way back in 1898, famed Estonian wrestler and weightlifter George Hackenschmidt popularly known as the “Russian Lion” experimented with lifting weights from a lying position on floor (floor press).

The classic way of doing floor press requires tremendous upper body strength and endurance. To left heavier weights new iterations of “arching” and “belly tossing” were invented.

The German Powerhouse “Iron Master” Arthor Saxon discovered that by arching it on a shoulder bridge, he could handle more weight. Later on, the powerhouse Estonian Greco-Roman wrestler Georg Lurich lifted more weights by “belly toss” technique. Placing the bar on the abdomen, this technique uses good amount of hip thrust to effectively raise the bar.

Interestingly, due to this bench press always remained one of the most controversial lifts during early 1900s. With the advent of Olympic Games in 1920s, weight lifting techniques started getting standardized. Owner of York Barbell, Mr. Bob Hoffman pointed out belly toss technique as a form of “cheating” to lift heavier weights. In 1939, American Athletic Union (THE AAU) officially outlawed the belly toss and formed standardized way of doing bench press.

HOW TO DO IT

Lie straight on your bench with your feet flat on the floor. Maintain a 3-point contact on bench – back of head, shoulder blades and gluteal flat on the bench. Hold the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width with opposing thumb grip. Lower the bar slightly down to your chest as you breathe in. Press the barbell back up as you breathe out to the starting position by extending the elbows and contracting the chest. Aim to perform 3 sets/15 reps or 4 sets/10 reps of this exercise keeping your focus on full range of motion. You can sense pinching sensations on your shoulder and chest regions.