In fact, way back in the old days before the invention of bench presses with upright racks for holding the bar, guys would do a barbell pullover, lifting the bar from the floor to their chest, and then do their bench presses. But gradually over the years this exercise got pushed to the wayside and is hardly ever done by the average gym goer.

The main benefit from pullovers is that they help expand the rib cage and work all the supporting muscle groups along the torso, chest, lats, arms, and shoulders through a full range of motion. This can really help add thickness and depth to your torso, which is one area that a lot of people lack these days.

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I know from the majority of people that I see at the gym that very few of them have a well developed torso. It’s actually quite common to see a guy with muscular arms and shoulders stacked on a slim chest and torso. But by adding pullovers to your routine you can help fill out and expand your rib cage and correct this problem.

Your rib cage is the frame work that supports all your upper body muscles. So if you have a well built frame underneath, the muscles of your chest, shoulders, lats, and arms will look much more impressive.

I was fortunate enough to have included pullovers as a regular exercise in my workouts from the start and I think this has certainly helped me to develop a large rib cage and good chest expansion, which is clearly seen when I hit a side chest pose as in the pic above.

The main reason I even did this exercise was the fact I started training in a simple home gym and didn’t have access to a lot of the fancy machines that are so common in most gyms today. So from having limited equipment I tried to include as much training variety as I could using basic free weight barbell and dumbbell exercises. For this reason I sometimes feel that training with limited gym equipment can be a blessing in disguise.

There are two basic variations to the pullover, the barbell version and the cross bench dumbbell version. One is not necessarily better then the other, both work well. I personally feel that the dumbbell pullover stretches the chest a bit more and the barbell pullover places a little more emphasis on the lats. But you can pick the one that feels the best for you, or if you have no preference you can alternate back and forth between both variations. The main thing is that you just do them.

Dumbbell Pullover

Barbell Pullover

The pullover is a stretching exercise, so you’ll make better gains from using a moderate weight, higher reps, and really working through a full range of motion. Add weight to the exercise in a gradual progressive fashion, but never at the expense of sacrificing your exercise form.

Depending on your body structure and how you do the exercise you may feel it working the chest, or you may feel it working the lats, or a combination of the two. So you could include pullovers with your chest or back workouts. The main thing is that you do them consistently so you reap the results that they have to offer.

The first time you do the exercise start off with a light weight and just get used to the movement and the range of motion required. Then go up by 5 – 10 pound jumps in weight each set. By going through this process you’ll naturally find the sweet spot where you have enough weight that allows you to stimulate the muscles hard, yet still be able to perform the exercise through a deep range of motion and fully stretch out your entire rib cage, chest, and lats.

Start off with 1 – 2 warm up sets and then take a working weight that allows for 15 reps with good form. Do 2 – 3 working sets and really focus on feeling the muscles stretch and contract with each rep. Another little tip that will help add to the effectiveness is to take a deep breath before each rep and hold your air in as you lower the weight. This will give you an even deeper stretch throughout the rib cage.

You’ll get more benefit from doing pullovers at the end of your workout when your muscles are already pumped. Doing stretching exercises when you are pumped up and the muscles feel tight will aid in muscle growth because the connective tissues are already being stretched from the blood volume in the muscles, and then by doing stretching exercises at this time as well you get a double whammy effect. This really stretches the connective tissue and increases your muscle growth potential.

By doing pullovers as a staple exercise in your workout routine you are going to experience a good upper body growth spurt and also notice an improvement in your flexibility and mobility for a lot of your other exercises as well. Give it a try and don’t be surprised if you add an inch or two to your chest measurement in as little as 6 weeks.

If you could do a survey of the people who have the best built bodies across the globe you would find that they all have different theories and approaches with regards to their actual workouts, diets, and supplements. Some prefer higher volume workouts, some prefer higher intensity workouts, some prefer low carb diets, some prefer high carb diets, some are supplement “junkies”, while others don’t take any supplements at all.

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The actual techniques and strategies will vary from person to person. As the old saying goes there is more then one way to skin a cat. (Note: why anyone would want to skin a cat is beyond me.)

But there is one thing that all successful people have in common and that is they set up the conditions of their life in such a way to ensure their success is inevitable over the long term. Inevitability thinking is a way of putting things in place so that what you want to achieve happens automatically.

Before we can move forward and make progress in any area, we have to first accept the fact that everything in our life is at some level the way it is today because of conditions that were set up in our past. Whether these conditions where set up consciously, or unconsciously, by us directly, or by our environment.

For example, if John is now working as an auto-mechanic then things happened in his life that made this career choice inevitable. Most likely there were people and situations in his past that peaked his interest in cars. Which then made John want to go to school and study auto-mechanics, and then this eventually lead him to working in that field. Bottom line, he didn’t just some how magically become a mechanic. The conditions were set in his life, either consciously or unconsciously, that made it inevitable.

The same thing applies to someone who is lean, athletic, and muscular. They just didn’t get that way by accident. The conditions of their life were set in such a way as to make the outcome of a strong muscular body inevitable. In virtually all cases people who are in great shape have individuals in their life who they looked up to that are also in great shape. They are members of a gym that provides them with the tools they need to build their body. They spend time studying books, courses, and videos so they can learn how to maximize their results. They most likely participate in some form of sports or activities that give them extra drive and motivation to get in top physical shape, such as bodybuilding, powerlifting, fitness modeling, team sports or something that provides an outside competitive drive to succeed.

We all live in set conditions that are affecting our daily lives whether we realize it or not. So if you are not happy with the results you have achieved thus far, then you need to change your conditions in order to change the results you are getting.

Ask yourself what conditions do you need to put in place so the outcomes you want happen automatically? How do you make getting your desired goals a sure thing that is eventually going to happen no matter what?

One of the most important conditions that you can set that will determine your level of success in any area of your life is choosing the people you associate with. If you look at the 5 people you associate with the most you will find that you are the average of those 5 people.

For example, if you took the average income of the 5 people you associate with the most, chances are it would be very close to your income. If you took the average level of health and fitness of those 5 people, chances are it would be very close to your own level of health and fitness. Now of course there will be some rare exceptions to this rule. But for the most part any measurable area of your life can be related back to the average of the 5 people you associate with the most.

So knowing that we are the average of the 5 people we hang around with the most. The quickest way to set the conditions of your life to help you move towards your desired outcomes is to get around people who are living life at a higher level. We imitate people around us whether we know it or not. So if you want to have a strong, lean, and athletic body, then you must associate with other people who are strong, lean, and athletic so their positive energy will help pull you up to that level.

In my case some of the conditions from my past that helped set me on the path to bodybuilding success was the fact that my dad worked out himself and had an old weight set in our basement and I played around with it as a kid. I also remember watching the “Conan The Barbarian movies” and seeing Arnold in his prime with a big muscular physique. And at this time there was a show that came on TV called “Body Shaping” where they taught weight training workouts, and I used to watch every episode. All these things helped plant the seeds of bodybuilding success in my mind.

Then when I was 17 years old I competed in my first bodybuilding competition and started hanging around and associating with other local bodybuilders. This created a huge burning desire for me to improve my physique just so I could “fit in” with these guys. Then with each bodybuilding competition I entered I was on a mission to show everyone how much improved since my previous show.

During this time I also had a very supportive environment at home. My dad and I built our own home gym in our basement where we worked out together. My mom and dad would attend all of my bodybuilding competitions and cheer me on. They would proudly display all of my trophies and medals in our home. This made for great conversation starters when company visited and they were always there as constant visual reminders.

All these things helped set the conditions for bodybuilding success in my life. Not only did I have internal drive and dream of building a muscular physique in my mind. But I also had the external driving factors of regularly competing in bodybuilding competitions and being judged on stage in front of hundreds of spectators. There was the “peer pressure” to keep up with the other local bodybuilders. And I had the support of my family and a good home environment that was conducive to bodybuilding success.

Inevitability thinking is a habit used by successful people in all fields. Be it in business, academics, or bodybuilding. Consciously setting your life conditions will take the process of goal setting to a higher level. When you keep stacking the odds in your favor then success is inevitable. It is just a matter of time.

So with that being said:

What are the conditions that you need to put in place in your life so that the goals you want to achieve become inevitable and will happen automatically?

When it comes to bodybuilding things are no different we want results ASAP. The desire to build a better body unites all bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts, but for most of us, the muscle gains come too slow and they never come easy. So we look for shortcuts. Is the secret to fast muscle gains training harder, lifting heavier, eating more, popping this pill, or slugging back the latest hyped up magic muscle drink…

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In this article we are going to dive into 5 of the most common workout “shortcuts” that people take and pick them apart to find a better plan of action. More often then not the best methods for building a stronger and more muscular physique involve a less extreme approach.

Shortcut # 1 – Training More Often

A lot of times aspiring bodybuilders think they are not training enough and fall into the more is better mentality. After all more workouts must mean more muscle, Right?

It is not uncommon to find less experienced (but over enthusiastic) bodybuilders to start spending more and more time in the gym. Daily workouts become the norm and the length of those workouts gradually gets longer and longer. They usually think they are doing themselves good, and sometimes even brag about how they workout “everyday”.

Is there a better way?

Your body can only recover and grow so fast. Training a muscle again before you have fully recovered from your previous workout will eventually lead to overtraining. Generally the most you can train a bodypart is twice per week and still recover and grow.

While there are some exceptions to this rule with some abbreviated specialization routines (i.e. the Blast Your Bench program). You should limit yourself to working each bodypart no more then twice per week and taking at least 2 days per week off from weight training entirely as this is a good general guideline to follow for optimal muscle gains.

Shortcut # 2 – Doing More Sets

Making the transition from a beginner, to intermediate, to an advanced lifter usually involves increasing your workout training volume to some extent. The better shape you are in physically, the higher your work capacity, and the more volume of training you can handle.

For example, a beginner workout may consist of 6 sets per bodypart (i.e. 3 sets of 2 exercises). An intermediate workout may consist of 9 sets per bodypart (i.e. 3 sets of 3 exercises). And an advanced workout may consist of 12 sets per bodypart (i.e. 3 sets of 4 exercises). While this is all good general training advice, it breeds the “more is better” mentality. After all no one wants to be a newbie for long so they jack up the training volume too much, too soon.

Another problem with this train of thought is that if 12 sets per bodypart are good for an advanced lifter, will more sets be even better? How about 15 sets, or 20 sets, and beyond… Will this make me a “super advanced lifter”…?

Is there a better way?

Generally it takes at least 3 years of training to progress from the beginner, to the intermediate, and on to the advanced levels of training. Once you reach the advanced levels adding more sets and training volume beyond this is often counterproductive.

While there is no hard set rules for exactly how much training volume you should do, there are some general guidelines that you can follow. 9 sets per workout should be adequate for smaller muscle groups like biceps, triceps, calfs, and abs. And around 12 sets per workout will be enough for larger muscle groups like chest, back, and thighs.

Once you are at the advanced training level the key to more muscle growth is using progressive overload (gradually increasing your weights over time) and by adding variety to your workouts, by changing your exercises. NOT from adding more training volume.

Shortcut # 3 – Training Less Often

The world of bodybuilding is full of extremes, for a lot of guys it is either all or none… there is no middle ground. So after learning about the negative impacts of training too often, as outlined above, many bodybuilders make a complete U-turn and go the opposite direction and drastically cut back on their workouts figuring that “less is more”.

Some experts have gone over the deep end with the fear of overtraining. Mike Mentzer and his Heavy Duty style workouts were one of the biggest influences of the “less is more” idea. Overall the basic principles of this workout were good because it implemented a solid plan of action, used progressive overload, monitored your progress, etc.

But one major flaw of the system was that if you weren’t making progress with your workouts it was automatically assumed that you were “overtraining”, so your workouts were cut back. Sometimes going to the point of working out once a week or less. In fact there is some fitness gurus who actually preach that you only need to workout once a month…?!?

Is there a better way?

For some extremely hardgainers training less often (i.e. every second day) may be the best frequency for muscle gains. But most people will respond well to more frequent workouts (i.e. 2 days on, 1 day off).

There are no hard set in stone rules that work for everyone, but a general guideline of working out 4-5 times per week and training each bodypart twice per week is a good place to start. As you get more experienced you be able to find out exactly what your body responds the best to and customize your workouts to fit your specific needs.

Shortcut # 4 – Heavy Weights & Low Reps

One of the basic bodybuilding principles is a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. So in order to get bigger, you need to get stronger. Progressive overload is the cornerstone of all successful workouts. You need to gradually increase the weights you are lifting over time in order to make progress.

During the early phases of a starting a workout program beginners can make fast gains because all training stimulus is new at this stage. And a lot of the initial strength gains come not only from increasing muscle strength, but also from improved lifting technique and better coordination.

But once you get past the initial beginners phase, your strength gains come more slowly. When this happens a lot of lifters will simply do fewer reps so they can continue to increase the weights.

For example, if I can lift 100 lbs. for 10 reps, maybe I could drop the reps to 8 and lift 120 lbs., or drop the reps to 6 and lift 140 lbs., etc… While this may work to some degree initially to get you growing again, there comes a point where it can back fire and bring your gains to a screeching halt.

Is there a better way?

Lifting heavier weights for lower reps increases your odds of getting an injury such as a muscle tear. When you are doing fewer then 5 reps per set you lose the mind muscle connection. The lift becomes an end in itself and no longer a means for building muscle. Lifting too heavy makes it harder to concentrate on the muscles you are working, your focus switches to simply moving the weight and not getting crushed under a heavy barbell.

While you can successfully incorporate low rep training cycles into your workouts from time to time. They shouldn’t be your primary focus. For bodybuilding purposes try to stay within the 6-12 rep range. This is the “sweet spot” for keeping your muscles under tension long enough to stimulate growth, while still allowing relatively heavy weights to be lifted.

Shortcut # 5 – High Intensity Techniques

A lot of hardgainers think the key to making faster gains in the gym is to simply work harder. So they increase the intensity of their workouts with various advanced training techniques such as forced reps, super sets, drop sets, and so on… Thinking that the harder they push themselves, the better gains they’ll make. While these guys certainly deserve an A for effort, is pushing past the point of muscular failure really necessary?

Is there a better way?

One of my favorite training motto’s is “Stimulate, Don’t Annihilate!”

For the average drug free lifter using advanced training techniques and pushing yourself to the limit will quickly lead to burnout, overtraining, and possibly injury.

A very common mistake that you can witness pretty much any day of the week in the gym is to see a couple of eager young lifters doing bench presses with WAAAYYY too much weight on the bar. One guy will be getting ready to bench while his trusty spotter is standing by ready to assist the lift. After getting psyched up the lifter plops down on the bench and takes the bar from the rack, he manages to struggle up 2-3 reps using piss poor form and every ounce of effort his body can muster. Then he gets his spotter to assist him with an addition 3-5 reps.

At the end of the set you wonder who worked the hardest, the guy benching or his buddy pulling the bar off his chest…?

This is a prime example of abusing high intensity techniques. Once you reach failure with an exercise you have stimulated the muscle. Doing more then this is often not only waste of time, but could potentially set you back in your training through risk of injury.

I rarely, if ever, use any type of set extending high intensity techniques like forced reps in my training anymore. I’ve found that they are just not necessary. Doing your sets to positive failure is intense enough to stimulate your muscles to grow.

Once you reach failure, make note of it in your training journal and then strive to beat what you did for your next workout by either adding an additional 5 lbs. to the bar or doing an extra rep with the same weight. Using progressive overload like this will ensure that you constantly push yourself to make steady strength and muscle gains.

The Real Shortcut To Fast Muscle Growth

Gains in muscle and strength don’t come overnight. They take consistency over the long term. By taking things at a manageable pace and making small frequent improvements week after week with your workouts your muscle size will increase faster then you ever thought possible… without having to go to the extremes to get there.

Inch by inch life’s a synch… Yard by yard life is hard…

By setting clearly defined goals you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You can see progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. By setting goals, you will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your ability and competence in achieving the goals that you have set.

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Goal setting really does work in helping you get to where you want to go in any endeavour, especially one as challenging as building a strong muscular body. And the good thing is that goal setting techniques are not that complicated.

The thing is that we all have goals, whether we know it or not. They have a profound effect on our lives. So you might as well channel these subconscious thoughts and objectives and bring them to the conscious level and make an effort to control them, rather then letting them control you.

In this article I’m going to cover some simple and easy methods that I use personally, and that you can start using today to help you achieve your muscle building and physique transformation goals.

The first step is to take just 5-10 minutes of quite time each day to writing and reviewing your goals in a notebook. Start by asking yourself “What do I want to achieve?” “What would I do if I knew I could not fail?” Just let yourself daydream about this and don’t put any limits or restrictions on what you want. Just write down anything and everything that you would like to have, be, do, or achieve in your life.

You don’t need to share this with anyone, so just go nuts and get it all out of you. I know when I do this I’ll write down some things that are absolutely absurd and other things that I consider “worth while goals”, but it doesn’t matter at this stage, just get it written down on paper. Write for the trash can. If you have that mentality then you won’t worry about being perfect, you’ll just let your ideas flow naturally.

Next go over your goals and pick out the ones that are most important to you and the ones that you are willing to spend some time and effort to achieve. When defining a goal be as specific as possible. For example, how much bodyfat would you like to lose, how much muscle do you want to gain, how strong do you want to be, write down exactly what you would like your body to look like, etc.

Then once you have a clear picture in your mind and a detailed description written down on paper. Take a few minutes and write a paragraph outlining why you are absolutely committed to making this goal a reality. Write down all the benefits that you’ll get from achieving this goal. So for example, if one of your goals is to build an impressive lean muscular body, you may write down things like you’ll feel better about yourself, have more self confidence, get more respect from your peers, look more attractive to the opposite sex, you could also list off all the health benefits that being lean and physically fit will provide.

Visualize yourself as already having achieved your goals, think of how it will feel to be in awesome shape and having others complement you about your new body. Imagine being one of the best built guys (or gals) in the gym and having others look up to you as a role model. Picture how good it will feel when you go to the pool or beach and be proud of how you look in a swimsuit, rather then be embarrassed about having a soft round belly.

Focusing on what you want in this kind of detail will help trigger your brain to find new ways to make the goal a reality. Once you have your goal written down and have some very powerful reasons of why it is important for you to achieve this goal, you should then write down some things that you can do right away to start moving you in the right direction towards your goal.

In the case of a physique transformation goal some things you can do right away are get rid of all the “junk food” that you have in your home. Give it away or through it away. Just get it out of your home. If it is not there then you can’t eat it.

You may want to get a book or video about proper training and nutrition for building muscle and losing bodyfat. Or even get a customized nutrition and training program designed for you by a professional trainer.

You could schedule more time for exercise such as getting up earlier and doing some cardio before breakfast if fat loss is a priority.

There are all kinds of little things that you can do right now that will help move you in the right direction towards your goals. The main thing to do is start NOW. Do not wait until the time is right, there will never be a “perfect time”. You’ll always have some obstacles and challenges going on in your life. If you don’t put your foot down and take action now then you’ll never start. You’ll always be in the position of “going to do” rather then “doing”.

Each morning when you get up and each evening before you go to bed review your goals and visualize your success with specific and graphic details. Picture yourself completing a hard workout and beating your personal best lifts with perfect form. Envision yourself eating a clean healthy diet and turning down junk food and sweets that average folks give into. Feel the pride and confidence that comes from knowing that you are in control and you are following through with your plan.

To help you visualize your ideal physique you can get pictures of bodybuilders and fitness models that you would like to look like. Cut out a couple pictures from magazines or download them from the internet and look at them regularly, picture how you would look like yourself with that kind of lean muscular development.

After you spend a few minutes reviewing your goals write down a couple things that you did during the day that helped move you closer to achieving your goals. Also write down a couple things that you could improve upon. Promise yourself that you’ll work on improving the weak links in the coming days.

I cannot emphasize enough how important goal setting is. Writing down your goals on paper and reviewing them daily is a proven method for achieving success in any endeavor.

Which one is right and which one should you use in your training?

Well like a lot of things when it comes to working out there is no right or wrong answer. It all depends on the individual, the training situation, the level of training, and the fitness goals.

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Obviously for beginners and people who are new to the gym, they need to learn how to perform the exercises with proper form using light weights. At this stage they need to get used to the whole working out process and learn how it feels to work their muscles with weight training.

But gradually as you get stronger and start lifting heavier weights in your workouts with the progressive overload principle. You’ll find that your technique will have to change as well. The technique needed to bench press 100 lbs. is totally different then the technique needed to bench press 300+ lbs. As you get stronger different muscles come into play, you need to pay a lot more attention to your set up, how you actually contract the muscles to lift, the mental preparation, etc.

If you have the opportunity to watch advanced lifters train you’ll notice that they are NOT going to be using an exaggerated slow and controlled type of exercise form. In fact lifting slow and controlled is not really natural. It doesn’t carry over into real world strength and it is not how our muscles are meant to work.

Now I realize what I’m saying here is going to piss some people off. There are those die hard “fitness experts” out there who insist that slow and controlled is the only way and that if you use any speed or momentum in your lifting that you are cheating and that you are going to hurt yourself. But the fact is our bodies are designed for fast and explosive movements.

Real World Strength

Before we move on let’s just look at some activities from real world examples. Things such as running, jumping, throwing, etc. all require speed, momentum, and explosiveness. To prove my point, just stand up right now and try to jump as high as you can, but do it in a slow and controlled fashion… you won’t even be able to lift off the ground.

And for a few examples from outside of sports, think of trying to pull start a lawn mower or kick start a dirt bike. You have to do both very fast and explosive or else the engine won’t get enough RPM’s to turn over and start. Bottom line is that real world stuff requires strength, speed, explosiveness, and even momentum. So why are so many people dead set against training this way in the gym?

Now I know some folks (usually young ego driven guys who are full of piss and vinegar) like to go overboard and use too much weight with absolutely crappy form. You can see examples of this when barbell curls become reverse grip power cleans. And bench presses become a team effort push / pull exercise as the lifter drops the bar to his chest and his trusty spotter deadlifts it back up.

But there is that grey zone in the middle of the 2 extremes whereby you are training on the edge, pushing it hard, and also keeping relatively good exercise form at the same time. To see some examples of this type of training just go to YouTube and watch some videos of top bodybuilders like Ronnie Coleman, Branch Warren, and Johnny Jackson.

In these videos you’ll see that the guys are powering up big weights and they are also using a bit of “Body English” to handle such poundages, but the form is still pretty good. Even through they are not lifting “slow and controlled”, they are certainly placing maximum workload on the targeted muscle groups. This type of training will stimulate muscle growth in ways that endless slow and controlled reps with the pink dumbbells will never achieve.

Even in the great Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopaedia Of Bodybuilding he refers to this as “Power Reps”. Joe Weider calls it the “cheating principle”. Basically it’s just using a bit of umph in your movements in order to handle maximum workloads.

Power Reps For More Muscle & Strength

The use of any weight training technique will depend on the level of the trainee. So to keep it simple I’m going to cover all levels from beginners to advanced and outline how you can incorporate “Power Reps” into your own workouts.

Beginners (less then a year of training)
Beginners should focus on simply learning proper exercise form. The easiest way to do this is to use light to moderate weights and really focus on feeling the muscles flexing and contracting with each rep. The best way to do this, especially at the beginner stage is by using slow and controlled form all the time.

Intermediates (more then a year of training)
As you progress with your training you will notice the naturally tendency to use more force and momentum to try and complete your reps as the weights get heavier. This is something you want to pay careful attention to. Used in the right way this can help you work the muscles harder. Used in the wrong way it will take stress off the targeted muscles.

My advice here is to start with a weight that allows you to maintain strict control for at least 6-8 reps Then you can use a bit of “Body English” to power out a few more reps at the end. This will allow you to perform extra reps that you normally wouldn’t have been able to do if you were “too strict” with your form.

Advanced (several years of progressive training)
Advanced lifters already know what works best for their body by the time they make it to this level of training. After all that’s what it means to be advanced. However for the purpose of this article I’ll outline some “Power Rep” guidelines here.

At the advanced stage you’ll have developed your own unique exercise groove from years of lifting. You’ll instinctively know if a little swing here, or a little leg drive there, will provide more muscle stimulation and deliver the maximum workload to the muscles. You’ll also know if you are over doing it and using too much momentum.

Some common things that advanced lifters do to handle maximum poundages include:

Bench Press:
A slight bounce off the chest at the bottom to help rebound the weight up and not fully locking out the elbows at the top. This tends to allow for more weight and / or more reps to be lifted and also provide maximum muscle stimulation.

Squats:
A slight rebound out of the bottom will help you get the weight back up. Again sometimes advanced lifters will not fully lock out the knees at the top and keep going, almost like a piston type of up and down motion.

Standing Presses:
A slight leg drive will help move maximum poundages while actually cushioning the impact from the exercise. This absorbs some of the stress from the spine down through your legs.

Bent Over Rows:
Like with the standing press a bit of leg drive will allow for heavier weights and can help move more weight and / or more reps.

Curls:
A little swing at the start and even a slight back arch at the half way mark can help get past the sticky point in the middle of the exercise.

Lateral Raises:
A little leg drive at the start and a slight swing in the middle will help you get more weight up. Also holding the dumbbells in the front vs. to the sides will help you lift more weight.

Lat Pull Downs:
Arching your back will help you move more weight and actually help you fully contract your lats. Trying to keep your back totally flat when doing any pull down or rowing exercise actually prevents you from getting a peak contraction in the back muscles.

These are some common exercises that work well for “Power Reps”. However, your own discretion is advised. This isn’t a free for all to go out and use crappy form. It’s just another tool in your tool box that can help you take your strength and muscular development to a higher level.

If you are going to use “Power Reps” in your training save them for the final all out work sets. Do your warm up sets using perfect form. Then as you work up to your top weight for a particular exercise you can give it that extra push to maximize the weights lifted and the stimulation to the muscles.

The average gym member will usually try to increase their bench press by doing more reps, sets, or weight on bench press. When in reality they will gain more strength and make better progress over the long term if they focused their effort on improving their bench press lifting technique rather then simply lifting more.

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The best way to make big strength gains in your bench press in the shortest period of time is to improve your form. The techniques listed below are used by the best bench pressers in the world. But keep in mind that changing your bench press technique can take a bit of getting used to and initially your poundages may go down before you get the hang of the new technique.

This is just like when you first learnt how to use a computer and started off as a two-finger typist. You can type with two fingers, but not very fast. Then when someone eventually taught you the proper way to type, using all fingers, you probably found it very frustrating at first. Most likely you couldn’t even type as fast as you could with just two fingers. But with a bit of practice you eventually got to the point where you can click away on the keyboard faster using the proper typing technique compared to the old two finger method. The same will hold true for your bench press, once you get used to the proper lifting technique your strength gains will progress much faster.

Proper Bench Press Technique

Many people do not realize how much strength they lose by making the bar travel further than necessary. The less distance you have to move the weight the stronger you will be. To shorten the distance that you press the bar you need to expand your rib cage and stick your chest out. While at the same time squeezing your shoulder blades back together behind you.

You can even try this now while sitting hear reading this. Right now sit up tall in your chair and take a deep breath, expand your rib cage, and stick your chest out as far as you can. At the same time squeeze your shoulder blades back as far as you can. Now do it again, but this time hold your arms out in front of you as if you were doing a bench press. You can even alternate holding your arms out in front with your upper body relaxed and then holding your arms out in front with your chest out and shoulders back.

There will be at least a few inches of distance in the difference. By expanding your chest you can shave an inch or two off your bench press stroke. And by pulling you shoulder blades back together you’ll reduce the distance by another inch or two. Look at the picture below and you’ll see the difference. See how far the elbows are in front of the torso in the first pic compared to the second pic. Yet, the arms are straight and locked out in both pictures.

In addition to proper upper body positioning, you also need to drive through your legs to be a good bench presser. When you set up on the bench your feet should be firmly planted on the floor and you should push with your legs as if you were trying to slide your back up the bench, without actually letting your back slide up the bench. A lot of powerlifters will put lifting chalk along their upper back to help create more friction on the bench and allow them to drive with their legs without sliding up the bench. This will help stabilize and support the entire body and also help you hold the “chest out and shoulders back” position even better.

When you position yourself on the bench press, set up so that your eyes are in direct line with the bar. This is the ideal place to take the bar out of the rack and maintain your proper body position as outlined above.

To handle maximum weights you need to keep your entire body tight. Once you are set up on the bench, grasp the barbell and squeeze it hard and try to pull outwards while keeping that tight grip on the bar. This will instantly tense and activate the muscles in the upper back and create a more solid base.

Once you un-rack the bar hold it at arms length for a couple seconds and let the weights settle. Focus on keeping your proper set up by sticking your chest out, pulling your shoulders back, and driving with your feet. Then take a deep breath and hold your air. By holding your air you’ll stabilize your torso and keep more tension in your body. (Note: you can breath in and out normally in between reps, but during the actual lift itself hold your air in).

Lower the bar somewhere between your nipples and where your chest and upper abdominals meet. The actual spot where you touch the bar may vary from person to person, and depends on your individual body structure.

As you lower the bar keep your elbows tucked in so that your upper arms are at a 45 degree angle with the sides of your torso. By keeping your elbows tucked in like this, and not letting them flare straight out to the sides you’ll keep more strength in the bottom of the lift and place less stress on your shoulder joints.

When you lift the bar back up the chest muscles will start the initial drive off the body, but once you get half way up the triceps will take over and finish the lift. To help activate the triceps more and lockout the lift, visualize straightening your arms out underneath the bar. Rather then trying to keep pressing the bar up. Another way to think of it is to visualize shoving yourself away from the bar, rather then pressing the bar.

To show you what I mean, stand up against a wall and assume a push up position. Lean in and push hard against the wall, almost like you are trying to push a stuck car. In this position you are pushing hard, but your elbows are still bent. Try it again, but this time stand up against the wall, and instead of pushing hard against the wall, just focus on straightening your arms out and shove yourself away from the wall.

This is what you should do when you get to the half way point of the rep, rather then just pushing against the bar, focus on straightening out your arms underneath the bar and shoving yourself away. This change in focus can really help you finish off the lift when you hit the sticky point half way up.

Implementing these technique tips into your bench press workouts will take a bit of practice, but once you get good at them the results are amazing. You’ll feel solid and strong during your lifts and most importantly you’ll be able to lift more weight, with better form, and less risk injury as you will not be placing excess stress on the shoulder joints.

To get more workout tips for improving your bench press while building lean muscle mass; check out the Blast Your Bench website and sign up for the FREE 5-Part Bench Press Training Tips e-Course.