Try These Bench Press Options
Are you tired of the bench press? Hopefully our goal was to make things interesting enough that you don’t dream of boredom from the bench press … but you might want to work out a few other muscles while lifting. Here are a few press options you might want to try.
Opt out of press
I’ve never actually done it because it looks a little intimidating . Maybe I should try. You lie on an incline bench with your head below your hips and push your weight straight towards the ceiling. This works your chest and lats (on the sides of your back) a little more than a standard bench press. Make sure you have a belayer, or better yet, a fuse stand , so there is no risk of the barbell dropping on your face. (You can also do this or any other dumbbell press.)
Incline press
This is the other way around: the bench is tilted up , so it’s like an A-Z-fight press . If today you can’t decide if you want a bench press or an overhead press, this is the perfect compromise.
Overhead press
It’s not really an option for the bench press, but it looks like it belongs to the same club. You lift the barbell (or dumbbells) from your shoulders up over your head. You can do this bench press while standing or sitting. Standing requires more stability from other muscles, but a sitting position can make it easier for you if you really want to focus on your arms and shoulders without the help of your lower body.
So how did you work on the bench press? My current program includes bench presses, overhead presses (sometimes with a barbell, but I find I prefer dumbbells), and sometimes I do circular exercises on weighted machines, including the shoulder press and incline bench press. What have you been raising lately?