Looking to boost your bench press? If so, you aren’t alone. This is a very common goal for many who want to build muscle and get stronger.  

The bench press is one of the most commonly used demonstrations of strength, so it’s one you likely want to have an impressive number for.  Plus, given the fact the bench press is a compound movement and will work the chest, triceps, shoulders, and even the biceps to a small degree, it’s easy to see why it is so effective.

You can get a near complete upper body workout by doing this exercise, with the only exception of hitting your back. Pair the bench press along with a couple back moves such as a bent over row and pull-up and you’ll basically have your whole upper body covered.

This all said, how do you go about increasing your bench press? It’s also one move where many people tend to find they hit a sticking point with.
Let’s walk you through six great ways to help boost your bench press so you can see faster results.

#1 Start With Good Form For Your Chest Workouts

First, take a step back and make sure that your form is 100% in check.  The first mistake far too many people make is using improper form when they bench.

This sets you up for multiple problems. First, because you are using improper form, this means you are at a high risk of injury. If you get injured, as you might imagine, you really won’t be making any strength gains.

Second, when you aren’t using proper form, you won’t be stressing the muscle tissues exactly as you should. This means they won’t be getting stronger like they should either, which can leave you open to strength weaknesses or imbalances.

Using proper form ensure that you get stronger in all areas of the movement pattern and all regions of the chest – precisely what you need to make ongoing strength gains.

While you may see some initial strength gains using improper form, in time, as you become stronger and it gets harder and harder to see further results, you will find that it impacts you more.

Remember that it is always better to use good form and lift less weight, than it is to use poor form and lift as much as possible.  You will get stronger with less weight if you use good form and really feel each muscle contraction that occurs. Zero in and focus on the muscle squeezing throughout the rep and this is what will produce remarkable strength gains.

#2 Pre-Fatigue Principle For The Best Chest Workout

The pre-fatigue principle is also something to consider trying if you have hit a sticking point and just can’t get past.

With this, if your chest muscles aren’t getting much stronger, it could be because your triceps or shoulders are starting to take over. Since they assist with the execution of the movement, this means if you have very strong muscles in these regions, you may not actually be working the chest to that high of a degree.

To avoid this, fatigue those muscles first.  Perform some overhead tricep extensions and a few sets of lateral raises and front raises.

Then once those muscles feel tired, move into the bench press. As you do the bench press, focus on pressing only through the chest muscle.  You will be amazed at how much harder you feel that muscle working now.

These advanced techniques like this, when applied properly to your bodybuilding workout, can help you take your progress up to the next level.

You will likely need to go down in weight while you use this approach, but realize that when you go back to doing your straight sets fresh again later on, you will move past that plateau as your chest will now be stronger. Remember if you’re a beginner always start with body weight first, you can check out some body weight exercises that build muscle here.

# 3 Interchange Dumbbells And Barbells For Your Chest Workout Routine

The next smart move to make if you want to increase your bench press is to interchange between dumbbells and barbells.

Each type of equipment offers its own pros and cons. Dumbbells will help to prevent any strength imbalances between the two sides of the body. If one of your body sides is stronger than the other, if you are constantly using a barbell, you may not even realize this is happening.

But, when you use a dumbbell, it now becomes obvious.
At the same time, you will have to focus on stabilization far more when using dumbbells compared to if you were using a barbell, thus this can hinder how much weight total you can press up.

This is where using a barbell comes in to be advantageous.

So by making sure that you include both in your workout, you’ll really set yourself up for success and cover all ends of the spectrum.

You don’t necessarily have to do both in one workout, but alternate between the two over time.

# 4 Don’t Forget To Deloading 

As you go about your workout, don’t forget to add deloading weeks in from time to time.  So often men just push, push, and push some more without realizing that they are on the brink of overtraining.

If you start to overtrain, making strength gains will be next to impossible.

Instead, every 4-6 weeks, take one week and reduce the volume and cut back on the weight.  Keep it this way for one week and when you move back to your usual program, don’t be surprised if you’re stronger.

# 5 Use A Spotter

Nothing beats having a spotter to help push through those plateaus and get up the next level of weight. If you want to boost your bench and build muscle, having a spotter to help you with that level you are uncertain of – or even help to squeeze out one more rep than you’d do on your own can mean the difference between progress or hitting a plateau.

As often as you can, try and bench with a spotter. It is dangerous to not have one if you are pushing new limits, so protect yourself and stay smart.

#6 Perform Both Incline And Decline Bench Press 

Finally, make sure that you are including both incline and decline bench press in your workout program as well. This will help to work the chest on all angles, making sure that you are strong no matter what particular plane of movement you’re on.

The break away from always training straight flat bench press can also help you recover from that exercise, coming back stronger when you do it next.

Not to mention the added variety in your workout routine can also keep you more mentally fresh and ready to push hard. If you are doing the same workout over and over again, it’s far easier to get stuck in a rut and mentally pull back a bit. Many trainees do this unconsciously, so you may not even realize it’s impacting you.If you want an extra energy while performing your chest routine you should check out the pre-workout ignite.

Conclusion

So there you have some quick tips for how to build muscle faster and boost your bench press. The bench press is a key exercise in any good muscle building program, so you’ll want to make sure that you are devoting a good level of attention to it.  Use it properly and see impression upper body mass gains.

-Terry Asher