|
Overview
All lying bench press exercises will place some stress on the chest and triceps muscles. By reversing the grips of the hands while performing the bench press, a greater amount of stress is shifted to the tricep muscles. Secondary stress placed on portions of your back and shoulder muscles.
Setup
First, be sure to check the weight racks that hold up the bar and make sure they are in the correct position. Each rack may look slightly different, but you should be able to adjust the height of the bar above the bench. The racks should be in a position that allows you to lift the bar out of the rack and put it back without stretching or significant amount of arm movement.
Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor on either side of the bench. Your nose should be directly beneath the bar or slightly below it. Grip the bar at approximately shoulder width, with your palms facing toward you. While other pressing exercises can be done without the thumb wrapped around the bar, always wrap your thumb around the bar on this exercise. Not doing so could lead to a much greater risk of dropping the weight than on the regular bench press.
Movement
With the help of a spotter, extend your arms so that the bar is lifted out of the racks. Slowly move the bar above your body and take in a large breath. Lower the bar to a resting point above your upper abdomen. Be sure to keep the elbows close to the sides of your body throughout the movement. Once the bar has come to a rest, exhale and press the bar forcefully upward. Repeat this motion for the desired number of repetitions. When you are finished, have your spotter grasp the bar and assist you as it is lowered and placed back onto the racks.
Tips From the Trainer
Try to vary this exercise by experimenting with different grip widths. Using a slightly narrower or wider angle will work your triceps in a slightly different way and help to keep from building up a resistance to growth.
As with other bench press exercises, be careful to never bounce the bar at the bottom of the movement. While this is easier to avoid on the narrow grip bench, caution should still be taken.
Finally, always use a spotter whenever lifting a bar above your head. If absolutely no spotter is available to you, you may consider using the smith machine or the catch guards on the squat rack as a protection in case you can’t complete one of your repetitions. These options may not allow the full range of motion or the same type of resistance as the bench press would otherwise allow, but they can be useful when no spotter is available to you.
|