One of the
things missing from the barbell bench
press is real inwards-pulling tension
on the pectoral muscles. When you push
the bar up, you do get SOME inwards-pulling
tension but because the hands are fixed
onto the bar, they can't come across the
chest, which is what the main function
of the pec is.
So
the barbell bench is an exercise that
really isn't all that efficient at hitting
the pecs and a lot of people really have
a hard time feeling their chest working
when they bench.
This
exercise is going to help fix that.
You're
going to use training bands to apply outwards-pulling
tension on your arms, forcing your pecs
to contract to pull inwards against the
band tension, doing exactly what the pecs
are supposed to be doing.
This
dramatically ramps up the tension on the
pecs and turns the exercise into a much
more efficient chest-builder.
To
do this one, you'll need a set of training
bands. Click
here to see where I got my training bands
from.
In
the demo, I'm using some light/medium
tension bands - dark blue and that was
plenty. You could even rig something up
with cheapo bungee cords from the hardware
store (just be very careful they don't
break and snap you in the face!).
So
here's a shot of how you're going to set
up the bands...just basically fold it
in half then set it on the end of the
bar.
If
you're doing these in the power rack,
you'll have to set the safety rails lower
so that the bands don't contact the rails.
Use a weight you KNOW you can handle
and stay away from failure. Better to
do this version in the "free"
bench with a spotter, to be honest.
Lean
over and loop the ends of one band around
your wrist (you won't be holding the band
in your hands - it'll be looped around
your wrist).
Then
reach over and put your hand through the
other band loops.
Set
your hands on the bar as you normally
would then unrack the bar. It's going
to take a bit of experimenting to get
the setup right but it's worth it! If
you're using longer bands, you may need
to figure out a way to wrap the ends around
the barbell a few more times to shorten
them up. The key concept here is the inwards
pulling tension on your forearms to get
greater pec activation.
Lower
the bar down then press back up.
As
you press up, THAT is when you'll notice
the band tension more. The pecs are getting
double-duty, keeping the hands from sliding
out due to band tension pulling directly
outwards and pressing the bar up.
This
is a nice way to force the pecs to do
more work when pressing and if you've
got bands, definitely give this one a
try!
