Big Boys and Bench Presses
Greetings Bears!
This week I want to talk to you about two of my favorite exercises in the gym: Bench Presses and Bent-Over Rows. It probably comes as no surprise that the Bench Press would be one of my favorites. Who, among men who lift weights, doesn't love the Bench Press? I believe weightlifting Bears especially love the Bench Press to build up our pecs. Let's face it: We're big boys and a big, powerful set of bulging, manly pecs is a true testament to our bearishness. And I love that hard pump I get in my chest after a hard chest workout, even more so the next day. This is a conceit, but I have advanced far enough in my chest development that I am just now becoming able to flex my pecs in a relaxed state and make them bounce. I've always wanted that!!
For my chest workout, I alternate between flat and decline bench work each time I work chest. I always start with bench presses. I perform two warm-up sets of eight reps with just the bar, with some neck and chest stretching between them. With my starting weight, I perform 8 reps. Then I increase the weight and perform 6 reps...I follow this pattern through 4 reps and then 2 reps. After the two rep set, I increase the weight to a weight I have never lifted before and focus on performing one perfectly executed rep. I do this for two reasons: One, I want to make sure I grow with every workout. And two, It helps me determine my starting weight for the next chest workout. After I complete the bench presses, I move to dumbbell presses. For the dumbbell presses, my routine is a little different. I start with the heaviest weight I can lift for 20 times, then drop 5 pounds and perform 20 more presses...I follow this pattern until I get to the 10-lb dumbbells, which are my last set. To finish off my chest routine, I perform one set of dumbbell flyes with a moderate weight. This is just the exclamation point of my workout...one final polishing and rounding set.