{"id":2885,"date":"2017-10-20T09:48:54","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T16:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/?p=2885"},"modified":"2017-10-29T17:51:07","modified_gmt":"2017-10-30T00:51:07","slug":"why-you-cant-bench-press-more-weight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/why-you-cant-bench-press-more-weight\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Can’t Bench Press More Weight"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the best ways to become stronger is to stop spending all your energy focusing on your chest and start paying more attention to the other muscles involved.<\/h2>\n

Some things never change. Sundays will always be better with football, repeat episodes of\u00a0Seinfeld<\/em> will still be funny, and the bench press\u00a0will always be an exercise that most guys want to improve the most.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s because pressing strength is slower to increase than the other big exercises like rows, squats and deadlifts. Or maybe it’s an expression of some sort of evolutionary gym trait. Whatever the reason, the bench is so popular that it\u2019s become clich\u00e9 to ask, \u201cWhat\u2019s your bench?\u201d<\/p>\n

While many guys spend Monday (and Wednesday and sometimes Friday) pressing away, hoping to get stronger, it\u2019s often the non-bench exercises that make the biggest difference in your strength gains.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right: it\u2019s what you do when you\u2019re not<\/em> benching that might make the biggest difference in your bench max.<\/p>\n

So if you really want to see better results\u2014and have a more impressive number to brag about\u2014start emphasizing these techniques. They may seem unrelated, but they could be the key to your next big bench breakthrough.<\/p>\n

Build Your Back<\/h2>\n

The bench press\u00a0has two main components: lowering the weight to your chest (eccentric phase), and pressing the weight back to the starting position (concentric phase).<\/p>\n

When you lower the weight, your chest is not <\/em>the center of support. The muscles in your back are really the base for this part of the movement. That\u2019s why during the down stroke you want to squeeze your shoulder blades together and keep them locked and tight to create as much tension as possible. More important, it\u2019s why you want to build a bigger, stronger back.<\/p>\n

Your body responds best to balance, so it\u2019s important to work your antagonist muscles (in this case, your back) to make strength gains.<\/p>\n

A bigger back provides more stability when you lower and press the weight. The more stability and support you have, the more you can bench.<\/p>\n

While many back exercises will improve your overall strength, it\u2019s important to train in the same plane as the bench press,\u00a0meaning horizontal movements. More specifically, bent-over rows with dumbbells and barbells, and chest-supported rows offer the most bench-boosting bang for your back.<\/p>\n

Stretch (Yes, Stretch)<\/h2>\n

This will come as the biggest surprise to some, but performing a few stretches can, in fact, boost your bench. Forget all the arguments about whether static stretching is good or bad. This is more about fixing weak links in your pressing motion.<\/p>\n

Your muscles need to be able to move through a full range of motion for optimal growth. If your muscles are inflexible and get locked up, it will limit your bench.\u00a0The two areas that hold most people back are the back and hips.<\/p>\n

If you want to increase your bench max, not only should you add thickness to your back, you also need to stretch your lats.<\/p>\n

Tight lats can mean that your shoulders won\u2019t work right. And if your shoulders aren\u2019t working, your bench is at risk. Here are two movements that can help your back mobility.<\/p>\n

Pec Stretch<\/strong><\/p>\n