Getting Back to the Basics: The Bench Press

How many times have you heard someone ask “How much do you bench?”. The bench press is commonly used as a marker of strength and is one of the most popular exercises out there because it looks cool and seems relatively easy to do. However, it is one of the most misunderstood exercises out there. “I’ll just lie down and push this bar up with my arms, how hard can that be?” is probably what you’re thinking. For most people, this is exactly what they do. However, the bench press is just as technical as the squat or the deadlift. Learning how to bench press properly can mean the difference between doing one of the most beneficial upper body exercises for size and strength or benching the same weight forever and tearing something in your shoulder. 

We’re going to go over some of the basic technique principles of the bench press so you can move more weight and stay injury free. The most important thing to note about the bench press is that it is not just a chest/ shoulder/arm exercise. If you bench properly, you should actually be using your whole body.

Coach Bryan spots an athlete on floor pressing. Though floor pressing is a variation of bench press, some of the same rules apply.

Let’s start at the top. Your back and shoulders should be squeezed together like you’re doing a lat pull-down. You should actually use your back to stabilize the bar as you lower it and keep your chest up  to meet the bar. Do not drop the bar on your chest and assume you’ll be able to push it back up from there.  Make sure you touch your chest with the bar. This seems obvious but many people seem to think they only need to bring the bar halfway down for it to constitute as a bench press.  There should be a natural curve in your back. That means you’re not pushing your back down into the bench and also not trying to create a huge arch. That is a more advanced move. One of the most important parts of the bench press actually involves your legs. You want to plant your feet in the ground and push the ground away from you to create leg drive. Using your legs will produce more force through your arms to push the bar away. So, we’ve covered some of the basics on how to make the bench press safer and more effective. 

What if you have a pre-existing shoulder injury? Do you need to bench to get the benefit? Of course not. There are plenty of alternatives for those who can not comfortably bench press. Try a swiss bar or dumbbells with a neutral grip. The swiss bar has bars running parallel to each other with allows you to maintain a neutral grip (palms facing each other) which many people find to be more comfortable for their shoulders while still getting the benefit of a bench press. 

Getting back to basics in the weight room means doing things correctly within the context of the weight room itself, such as performing lifts correctly and in a fashion that is both beneficial, safe, and will keep you racing towards your goals. This article reviews the basic technique points of the bench press to help you get the most bang for your buck with this difficult exercise. 

Nutrition Questions Answered Part 1

Last week I posted on our facebook wall asking what your top nutrition questions were. Well here are your questions answered to the best of my professional ability. Now do not take my responses as the end all be all. Question everything, use what is useful and get ride of what is useless!


Will a cheat meal once a week throw off my goals if I am sticking to a well balanced, clean diet? No. Look a diet is a way of life and if you become extremely hard on yourself  when you eat a “cheat meal” you will become extremely stressed out and in the long run that is much worse. Stop listening to everybody and freaking out  that having junk food once in a while will destroy your body because guess what...IT WON’T. The human body is extremely adaptable and strong, having a cheat meal or two every week won’t make you fat. Eating food that you shouldn’t be eating on a consistent basis will make you fat. Stick to healthy foods 90% of the time and you’ll get to enjoy your body and life to its fullest. Freaking out and feeling guilty about food choices is more unhealthy then a cheat meal. So stop.

Should I even worry about calories if I’m eating healthy foods? Yes and no. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.  Now you may ask another professional this same question and they will say yes you should. I don’t like to overcomplicate diets as I feel the best diet is the one the suits your lifestyle the best. And there is no ONE best diet. Eating healthy quality calories is what matters most. 2,000 calories from pop tarts or 2,000 calories from qualtity protein, fats and carbs its a no brainer. Stop following strict guidelines that take away your sanity and energy. Simplfy it. Stop obsessing over every little thing. There are more important things in life to be concerned with than wasting time on tiny things like a calorie.

 


How much dairy is too much? I’m not a fan of dairy you buy at the grocery store and that is my opinion. Most people should remove dairy from their diet because our wonderful government has made it illegal to consume raw milk and that milk must be pasteurized well by pasteurizing the milk it makes it extremely inflammatory and allergenic. Pasteurization also causes key vitamins, enzymes and minerals to be lost. Plus pasteurized dairy is produce in some dirty milk factories. Plus how they treat animals in this industry is disgusting but thats not for here. The best milk if you can find it is raw, fresh milk. Pasteurized, homogenized milk has also been shown to promote heart disease, obesity, autoimmune disorders and many other health conditions. 75% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant. Dairy can cause a lot of problems (acne, skin problems, bloating etc.) and it can also screw up recovery. I read a recent study that calcium in pasteurized milk has been damaged by the manufacturing process and is not absorbable by the human body. Why is it that the United States consumes the most dairy on the planet but the rate of osteoporosis is at an all time high.  But what I do recommend is eating REAL cheese as it is a quality protein and healthy fat and I know I just said don't eat dairy but this doesn't have the whole lactose and lactic acid ordeal.

How many calories should I eat? It all depends on your goal. Trying to gain weight eat a lot trying to lose weight eat less. Simple.

Feelings on chipotle? It is the most amazing thing on earth and if you are trying to gain weight eat 3-4 burritos a day or learn how to use a crock pot and eat for the week!


If I’m going to splurge and have a few drinks what is my best choice of alcohol? Don’t splurge #1 alcohol consumed in a binge manner wrecks havoc everywhere on the body. That being said research has shown that moderate hold on let me say that again MODERATE alcohol consumption can improve insulin sensitivity, lower triglyceride concentrations and improve glycemic control. Also studies have shown that moderate drinkers live longer by protecting against arthritis, cancer, depression etc. I won’t go into the whole hormones and training and alcohol as that wasn’t the question. But I will say that the negative effects of alcohol on testosterone and recovery has been grossly exaggerated by mainstream fitness. Its all the junk people eat in conjunction.

Good choices of alcohol include dry wines, cognac, gin, rum, scotch, tequila, vodka and whiskey all have little to no carbs. Don’t drink bottom shelf as drinks should be enjoyed so drink what you like just don’t over consume, drink in moderation and enjoy life.

 

What’s the deal with CLA? I don’t know what the deal is with CLA but I can tell you what CLA is. CLA is an isomer of linoleic acid. It ca be found naturally in meat and milk and it is a polyunsaturated fatty acid. I won’t go into the biochemistry of it as that will most likely bore most of you. All I’m going to say is the CLA has shown to be a potent anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogen and anti-catabolite and it can also enhance your immune system. A deficiency of CLA in ones diet may be a factor in weight gain. Even though there has been a number of positive research findings regarding CLA a lot of new studies have failed to show any real significant benefits when supplementing with CLA. Reading the research you would need to most likely consume at least 500g of fat (mostly saturated) each day (over 4,500 fat calories a day) to match the intake to the levels used in studies. So I would just make sure you are getting in plenty of healthy fats daily and suggest not wasting money on just a CLA supplement.

Thoughts on glycemic load? Never really gave it much thought till I was asked this question. All glycemice load is, is a number that estimates how much food will raise a person’s blood glucose after eating it. One unit of glycemic load approximates the effect of consuming one gram of glucose. It accounts for how much carbs are in a food and how much each gram raises blood glucose levels. Ones glycemic load is based on the glycemic index and is simply defined as the grams of avaiable carbohydrate in the food times the food glycemic index divided by 100. And this is why I never gave it much thought. Its annoying and mentally draining. Now prepared to have your mind blown watermelon has a high glycemic index but does not contain much carbs therefore it’s glycemic load is low. So my thoughts now are is that this stuff is confusing and plays into what I said earlier don’t over complicate things. Glycemic load is typically used for those with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and extreme weight loss. A GI under 55 is low and a GI of 70 is high. While a GL under 10 is low and over 20 is high.

Bet most of you have heard brown rice is better then white rice well guess what it’s not. Brown rice contains phytates which is located in the bran of rice (brown rice)  making nutrients of the rice unavailable for humans to utilize. Brown rice has an awesome nutrient profile but it’s useless. White rice not much nutritional value besides carbs but is handled by the body more effectively. Rice also contains trypsin inhibitor, trypsin simply strips protein down to amino acids so the body well its not that simple but a trypsin inhibitor (found in rice...brown rice...in the bran...) inhibits the breakdown of protein into amino acids. White rice causes no harm nor benefit. All it is is an awesome carb source (does cause a insulin response as do all carbs) and can act as a vessel for other nutrients. If handle carbs well eat white rice! But it has a high glycemic index!!! Don’t start.

So my thoughts are don’t freak out about it. Make smart eating choices.

 
Well there are the questions you asked and I answered! Remember these are my opinions and thoughts based on my experience and studies. Question everything I said. If you would like any of the studies just ask. If you have any other questions on training, nutrition or how you can just be more awesome please do not hesitate to ask! We are here to help you!