Three Alternatives to Bench Press

The bench press is a very popular gym exercise. It is great exercise for your chest. It’s perfect for both beginner and advanced bodybuilders because it works the entire pectoral muscle.

If you’re looking to sculpt your pecs, several multi-joint movements can help. And no other exercise is more popular than the bench press. It’s the classic big-boy move, and it’s quite effective as long as your technique is on point.

Bentleigh Fitness Centre experts believe that it is a mistake to become over-reliant on bench pressing as an exercise. If you make the bench press too much of a focus, your body will adapt to the stresses placed on your muscle groups, and you will not achieve optimal gains.

Here are some of the alternatives to Bench Press.

Dips

Dips are a great form of exercise to target your chest muscles while also incorporating the muscles of your shoulders. A great alternative to the bench press is a functional and practical movement for building upper body strength and size.

Here’s how you should do it:

Place one hand on each of the two parallel bars. While holding that position, you should keep your arms straight and refrain from bending or locking them. Ensure your shoulders are in alignment with your hands.

Once your position is set, lean forward a bit, and lower your body by bending your elbows to feel the stretch in your chest. Then, get back to the original position by pushing your body back up until your arms are straight again. That’s one rep.

To maximise results, you should perform three to four sets of eight to twelve reps.

Push-ups

Push-ups are the perfect exercise to help you train for a bench press. They are an efficient way to build muscle and strength, and they train several muscle groups at once. There’s no equipment needed, just you and gravity. You can do them anywhere, and always be prepared for a workout.

Here’s how you should do it:

• To start with, place both your hands on the ground and get into a plank position with both hands extended.
• Lower down your body to the ground and then push yourself back up.

Do as many reps as possible.

Dumbbell Chest Press

For a beginner, dumbbells are easier to handle compared to a barbell. Another benefit of the dumbbell chest press is that it targets the triceps, pectorals and anterior deltoid.

Here’s how you should do it:

• Lie down on a bench with a dumbbell in each of your hands, resting at the chest level.
• Before you begin your exercise, make sure your feet are flat on the floor and face your palms towards your feet.
• Once you have taken the position, begin to push the dumbbells up over to your chest. Ensure your arms are directly over your shoulders at the top.
• Once your arms are straight, pause and then release the weights back down to your shoulder level.
• Push up again.

In case you aren’t sure of performing the exercises yourself, you can take the help of Bentleigh Fitness Centre. If it isn’t closeby to where you stay, you can Google ‘gym near my location’ and choose from the search engine results.