Tips for International Bench Press Day tomorrow!

One thing that is ubiquitous in gym culture is that Monday is international bench press day. I’m not sure how or why this occurs, but each Monday, every twice-a-week jamoke is pumping their pectorals with the go-to upper body compound movement.

With that coming up tomorrow, I figured it would be appropriate to discuss the bench press. This topic has been analyzed and written about to death, but I just wanted to share a few quick tips that might lead to a better chest day tomorrow.

Going back about six months ago, I was diagnosed with ACJoint Osteolysis- essentially a wearing down of the AC joint resulting from repeated lifting of maximal loads and not enough rest time in between. So, after a few months off, I needed to rethink my entire routine, being more cognizant of movements that compromised my shoulder mobility or otherwise impinged my rotator cuff/AC joint.

It’s no secret that the bench press isn’t the most shoulder-friendly exercise. However, there are steps you can take to make it a hell of a lot easier on your joints. The first fundamental rule to constantly be mindful of is scapular retraction.  Your scapula- shoulderblade- has more to do with bench pressing than most people realize. It has more to do with most exercises actually, but that’s for another week.

When you lay down on the bench, your ass needs to be firmly on the pad, and your shoulders need to be dug in.  When lowering the bar to your chest, you want to think about your shoulderblades pinching together. I find that I am more comfortable and able to retract better if I incorporate a slight arch. You should be letting them retract as you lower the bar, then spreading them back out as you push up. Situations where you are lowering the weight to your chest and not moving your shoulderblades at all (they are, in fact, trapped under your body) lead to shoulder impingement and potential injury.

This actually leads in nicely to the second tip of the week, which is: use your lats. Every article I’ve ever read on benching says how huge lats are the best foundation for a huge bench, etc, etc… but never actually went over how to get the damn things to activate during a push movement.  Now that you’re concentrating on retracting your scapulae, it’s a lot easier to think about recruiting your lats to stabilize your bench and help explode at the bottom. This is not easy. A trick I use that has worked very well is- when you unrack your bar, don’t just let it fall to your chest. You want to PULL the bar towards your chest instead. You should think of your lats as a spring- as you lower the bar, you’re keeping them tight until the bottom where you’re releasing all of that energy. Pulling the bar towards your chest and thinking about scapular retraction will help to also recruit your lats into the bench press movement.

There are a million other factors to think about when benching. How wide of a grip? What do I do with my feet? Elbows? On and on and on. For now, I think these two quick tips, incorporated into your routine, can lead to a healthier bench.  They can also be incorporated into pushups as well!

Face pulls.

A new exercise I've been working into my shoulder routines is the face pull. By no means a new or exciting movement, I read about a little twist on it that I tried and have been getting great results from.

So, to back up a little, what is a face pull?  A very similar motion to a row, but, instead of puling towards your stomach, ribcage, or even chest, you pull towards your (you guessed it) face. This activates the muscles of the upper back, trapezius, and (rear) delts.

Here is a short video to use as a baseline.

However, here's how I would recommend setting it up. Set the cable at about chest level and attach the rope. Grab the rope as he does the video (palms down), but try to stand up straight, staggering your stance if need be- I wouldn't advice leaning as much as he is. From there, pull the rope towards the top of your forehead, ending in a pose very similar to front double biceps- palms facing forward. While you're pulling, think about pulling with your traps and delts- NOT your arms. Once you get the metal piece of the rope almost or just touching the top of your forehead, pause and squeeze for a 1 count. Let your arms extend all the way back for the negative and a stretch, then repeat. I've programmed this with light weight, high reps, higher volume. Something like 20, 20, 20, 15, 15. In the beginning, if you're cheating or unable to pause at 15, lower the weight. If you do this correctly, your entire delt should be SCREAMING towards the end, and very pumped.

The other positive aspect of the exercise is that it strengthens the rotator cuff as you move from having your fists in front of you, to your fists beside your head. As a person with past shoulder injuries, I have found this a way to help work towards a healthier shoulder joint while getting a hell of a workout on my traps and delts. I use this as a replacement for the upright row because of said shoulder injuries, but you can certainly work this in alongside.

Welcome.

Iron is my girlfriend. What does that mean? To me, it’s pretty simple. I’m a straightforward guy.

I don’t have hobbies. I like eating and lifting weights. On the weekends, I throw boozing into the mix.  That’s about it, honestly. I don’t even like sports.

Besides eating and working, the only constant in my life is the gym. Girls come and go. Friends can be flaky- everyone’s got their own shit going on. We’re adults now. The one thing that has been a major component of my life through thick and thin, and will continue to be, is the gym. You know, I only have a single friend who has been in my life longer than iron has, and I barely like him. So thus, iron is my girlfriend.

I don’t want to come off here as anti-social, bitter, or anything like that- I’m absolutely not. I love going out, having a good time, meeting people. But bar lines, clientele, talent quality, cabs… they are all incredibly unpredictable: nights can be the most fun or turn into a shitshow, often due to factors out of your control. The gym is the exact opposite. The chalky, worn-out barbells sitting in the squat rack have been there for me for the past decade, and will continue to be there for the next who-knows-how-long. You are the only who decides the outcome of your time spent there. 

From beginnings at Physique Company, to RWU’s two-floor masterpiece of a gymnasium, to my current home at Gold’s in Southie. The same benches, squat racks, dumbbells. The same bag full of crusty wrist straps, a shaker bottle, and some band aids in case I rip a callous open again. As weird as this sounds, I feel as though I truly share a bond with these inanimate objects because they have been a part of my life for so long- longer than any other girlfriend ever has.

There’s almost a zen-like, meditative, therapeutic quality to working your ass off. You can do this without touching a weight- runners, yogis, and other fitness-forward folks all experience the same thing. There’s truly no better feeling than finishing up a tough day at the office, blocking out the world with your headphones, and beating the shit out of yourself for a few hours. This feeling is incredibly addicting, and rivals anything any other girlfriend could provide.

But enough preachy bullshit. This blog is for real people. The 90% of people that you see in the gym who enjoy being in good shape and getting stronger, who go to the gym as a hobby to challenge themselves. Every time I pick up a FLEX or read an article online, it’s almost as though they assume that every guy who steps foot in the gym is measuring their diet down to the specific macro, an expert in supplimentology, and willing/currently jabbing themselves in the ass with needles. This blog is for the in-betweeners: the people who aren’t willing to forfeit their social life for a difference in 2% body fat, but also aren’t going to miss the gym unless there is a VERY good reason. People who are interested in learning more, but frustrated with the overwhelming amount of information available out there, often backed by little more than anecdotal evidence.

The good thing about being both a nerd and a gym rat is that I read. A lot. I’m constantly scouring forums and reading articles on nutrition, powerlifting, bodybuilding, and supplements. I have become adept at sorting the bro-science from the real stuff, at sorting sound workout advice from stuff that’ll get you hurt. I’m by no means an expert or a professional, but I’d like to think that this information, in addition to a number of years experience, can help me provide some occasional insights that can help your workouts. Welcome to Iron is my Girlfriend. Thanks for reading.