Chances are you’ve tried many different bench press exercise routines. You may have seen some decent results, but now you’ve plateaued or you may still be seeing results and just want to learn new ways to train to get the results you’re looking for faster. It’s true that there are several different ways to add muscle mass to your chest and increase bench press strength. However, it is also true that some of these techniques are more effective and work faster than others. You can stack the odds in your favor by following these proven bench press exercise secrets and get the chest you want fast!
In every pec workout you do, you want to hit your chest from all angles. By doing this you deplete the muscle as much as possible so that when it is repaired it will grow much faster. Some examples of this would include the incline, flat, and decline bench press with dumbbells or barbells, flyes with dumbbells, cables, or a machine, and push-ups of all variations.
Another important key is to also modify the control of the exercises. Use a wide grip, close grip, shoulder-width grip, underhand grip, palms in, etc. The more you change it, the better. For maximum results, you should change your workout every time you hit the gym. I know you hear that you should stick with a workout for 3-4 weeks. While that can and does work, if you switch up your bench press workout every time you hit the gym, your muscles get confused and are forced to work that much harder. The harder your muscles have to work, the better and faster your results will be.
Intensity and tempo are two vitally important factors. Your intensity should always be high. Too many people take it easy and don’t try hard enough or get out of their comfort zone. If this is challenging for you, find a training partner to help push you through it. Tell them your goals and let them know not to take it easy when they see you. Those last two reps could be the ones that really make the difference between skinny and muscular. Which one would you like to be?
The two best tempos for increasing chest size and increasing bench press strength are slow negatives and performing the exercises as fast as you can with good form. The negative or downward part of the bench press workout has come through numerous studies to tear more muscle fibers than the positive or “press” motion of the exercise. Our muscles grow by tearing muscle fibers during weight training and then allowing them to heal and repair themselves by giving them proper rest and nutrition. The more fibers you can tear, the more your muscles will grow during the repair process.
Performing an exercise as fast as possible with good form has exactly the same result. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cable raise, a push up, or a decline bench press. The amount of muscle power it takes to perform an exercise as fast as possible while still controlling your form is much greater than any other pace. This will also tear more muscle fibers allowing your chest muscles to grow much faster.
Add these two bench press training secrets to your next pec workout and you’ll start seeing results fast! You can play around with the number of sets you do of each exercise, but keep your reps between 6 and 10 at all times. Also, as with all bodybuilding workouts, don’t forget to allow your muscles to recover. You’ll know if you did it because with each workout you should be a little stronger than the last.