Bench press is one of the very popular exercises which can help you to build your chest. People love it because it works and it helps in sculpting or some chest muscles. Even though it is very popular but it does not help everyone equally. Some people struggle to get the benefit from bench press. Let's find out how you can improve your bench press so that you can sculpt your chest and add-on more packs.

Micro-loading for progressive overload

Initially progressing with your bench press may seem very easy for many people. You can keep adding more and more weight and you will gradually keep improving the numbers. But after some time you hit a number and it seems that you cannot move any further anymore. Even though you try very hard moving beyond that number is very difficult or impossible for you. Adding even 2.5 kg of weight may seem very difficult for you. But you should not be worried about that because this is a natural progression of strength. You can start micro-loading, which means once you hit your desired reps and sets, you can add 1.5 kg, 1.25 kg or 1 kg weight. It will help you to make steady strength gains and will increase your bench press number as well.

Visualise

Visualising can help you immensely to improve your bench press. Visualisation will help you to get in the right frame of mind. Whenever you are doing any physical exercise and trying to improve your health, you also need to understand the power of your mind. If you want to lift heavy, you will also need help from your mind. If you are thinking in the negative like I cannot lift so much, that's too heavy for me, then it is more likely that you will not be able to lift that. On the other hand, if you are thinking very positive and encouraging yourself with sentences like I can do this, I am going to crash it, or anything else that motivates you, it will help you to lift more weight. Visualising that you are able to lift a heavy weight, will help you to prepare yourself to actually lift that when the time comes. Positive visualisation will improve your performance and so you need to do that.

Strengthen the weaker muscles

If you want to improve your bench press, you'll be able to do that by strengthening the weaker muscles. The muscles involved in bench press include chest muscles, triceps and shoulders. So, if you want to improve your bench press, you will have to strengthen the other muscles because they will help you to lift more.

Bench press more often

If you want to improve your bench press, you will have to bench press more often. You will need to learn the movement, improve your form and then keep practising it over and over again. That will help you to master this exercise, which will in turn help you to increase your bench press number.

Change your grip width

If you use different grip widths, it will help you to put emphasis of the exercise on different muscles. So change the width of your grip, and it will help you to break away from the position you are stuck.

Focus on lifting heavy

If you want to lift heavy during bench press, you will have to focus on lifting heavy whenever you are performing bench press. If you want to increase your bench press number, you will have to get stronger and to get stronger you will need to train for strength.

References

1. Critical Bench
2. Bench press and push-up at comparable levels of muscle activity results in similar strength gains
3. The effect of training volume and intensity on improvements in muscular strength and size in resistance-trained men