The bench press has been one of the most commonly used techniques to build the pectoral muscle. To exercise this muscle group, you must perform a pushing motion against your torso. And the pushing motion angle can help develop different components of the pectoralis major muscle. Interestingly, the bench press has been ingrained in the fitness industry to be a symbol of accomplishment. Someone who can bench press 225 lbs, with two 45lbs on each side, may be bragging his friends about how much he can bench. However, there are so many hidden pitfalls with the exercise that one must consider before starting their fitness journey. After all, the number one rule of exercising is not to injure yourself. Here are some reasons why you should not bench press.
1. The bench press increases shoulder and elbow injury.
The bench press does not allow a full range of motion on your shoulder and elbow. This can easily lead to severe injuries such as rotator cuff tear and tennis elbow. We all have different anatomy of our shoulders, and unfortunately, not everyone has the shoulder structure that can support a lot of weight being placed on top of the body. This is especially when there is a mechanical disadvantage to your shoulder or prior injury. By placing a heavy weight on that shoulder, you can increase the risk of injury. Instead, it would be best to try dumbbell flies or the dumbbell press as alternatives. Dumbbells allow a full range of motion for your shoulder and elbow joints. It also recruits stabilizer muscles of your rotator cuff and forearm to build a more well-rounded physique.
2. The bench press requires help from a spotter.
Have you ever seen people struggling in the gym who didn’t have a spotter? The result can be frightening. The fact that you place about 200 lbs of weight on your chest with no back up is detrimental. You may injure yourself, and worse yet, you may sustain crush injury to chest and skull. To perform the bench press correctly, you will need to push your muscles to 90 to 95% failure, as well as with the progressive overload technique. This will require a spotter that can help you in case of early muscle failure. However, in majority of the time, people perform the bench press with no help. To compensate, the lifter will decrease the amount of weight, hence having an inadequate workout. This limits strength and muscle progression and can be a waste of time for you. Instead, use dumbells to train your chest and gradually increase the amount of weight until you reach muscle fatigue and failure. You can also do weighted pushups, which are also very effective in training chest muscle.
3. The bench press requires a lot more equipment.
The bench press requires secure and safe equipment, much more than other chest exercises like the dumbbell press. You will need a bench, a squat stand, rubber feet for stabilization, and multiple mechanisms that secure the bar onto the rack. A well-made bench press setup can cost up to 1000 dollars. Instead, most people reserve their money and join a gym with all the setups. But you may have to stay in line for a long time to work out on the bench press. On the contrary, you can buy a dumbbell set and perform all forms of exercises at home risk-free. Regardless of your workout routines to train your tricep and chest, other forms of exercises can provide you a safe yet effective training other than the bench press. Check out my other blog posts to see exercises you can use to avoid those injuries!
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