If
you have a hard time feeling your
pecs working when you do the flat
barbell bench press, THIS is a technique
you're going to find extremely useful.
It's going to CURE your flat-chest
position benching.
It's
a very simple adjustment to the
barbell bench press that's going
to open up the rib cage and allow
you to feel the pecs contributing
to the movement more.
Essentially,
you're going to be setting a single
Step riser on top of the flat bench...then
you're going to lay back on it and
do the exercise exactly as you would
on a flat bench.
Set
the riser at about the mid-point
of the bench. You'll need to adjust
this when you lay back on it as
positioning will be very individual.
Your
butt will be in the normal spot
and it'll be on the bench. Your
upper back is going to be on the
riser, with your lower back basically
curved around the bench, which is
whats forces the rib cage to open
up and also forces the shoulders
back behind you.
Essentially,
it's a way to make sure your body
gets into the proper position for
pec activation in the bench press
by giving it no choice :).
I like to do all my benching in
the power rack for safety (I train
alone)...if you do the same, you'll
need to adjust the racking pins
and the safety rails up a bit to
account for the increased height.
One
thing to be aware of is that this
setup is more unstable than the
regular flat bench...not because
it's designed to be but because
that's just how it ends up. Start
with just the bar the first time
you do it to make sure you've got
the exercise setup properly, then
add weight gradually, making sure
you're going for FEEL in the pecs,
not massive weight.
To
give you an example, I've just got
135 lbs on the bar, which is light
for me, but I really felt it strongly
in the chest...more so than with
double the weight...because of the
position it forces the pecs into.
This
is a VERY effective technique and
if you have issues feeling your
pecs working when you do bench press
(and you have access to a Step riser),
definitely give this a try.
Be
sure to add your comments below,
especially after you give this a
try!
