par Prodij le 04/06/2004 21h54
Voivi un article qui parle de variante pour le bench:
BENCH PRESS VARIANTS
by Doug Daniels
Without question, the bench press is the most popular of weight exercises. No matter what your weight training goals are, bodybuilding or powerlifting, hard work on the bench can add size and strength to the pectorals, shoulders, and triceps like no exercise or combination of exercises known. Many lifters do not stop there and add other exercises like inclines, declines and dips to get maximal development and strength. What is overlooked by many is there are several variants of the good old bench press that are more convenient, cost effective and at least as productive. By properly integrating these variants into your routine, you can get better results without the need for any more equipment than a normal flat bench used for the regular bench press. These variants are the result of merely changing your grip width on the bar, elbow position, bar path, or range of movement.
The first way to vary your bench is to alter your grip width on the bar. By varying your grip width, you can emphasize different upper body muscle groups for specific goals. The most commonly used bench grip is slightly wider than shoulder width. This tends to emphasize the pecs, delts and triceps equally. By widening your grip, you shift more emphasis to the pecs and away from the triceps. I suggest only widening your grip one-inch on each side every 2-3 weeks, letting your flexibility and muscles and tendons become accustomed to this wider grip. Going too wide too quickly could result in injury, increase gradually. You may notice some new soreness in the pecs the first few workouts. This is due to the new stress placed upon them. You may also notice you have to use a little less weight at first. You may not possess enough pectoral strength to use the same weights with a wider grip. Give it time and you may soon surpass your old narrower grip poundage. By adding more involvement from the larger and potentially stronger pectorals, you now are using more available muscle power to bench than relying on the smaller triceps to carry the load. Most top powerlifters use wider grips to make use of their pec power.
On the other side of the coin, narrowing your grip will emphasize your triceps and lessen contribution from the pecs. However, I've seen many lifters using too narrow of a grip to work their triceps. Some go as far as being narrow enough to touch their hands together in the middle of the bar. This is a lose/lose situation, as an economist would say. First, going narrower than shoulder width grip does not work the triceps any more than shoulder width. Second, this narrow of a grip is extremely uncomfortable on the wrists and shoulders. Third, the lifter has little control of the bar and can lose control of it at any time, again risking injury. A shoulder width grip is a win/win situation that allows the lifter maximum tricep stimulus, greater comfort and safety. Lastly, more weight can be used for greater results. If I've just described your close grip bench press style, try mine and grow!
Bar path can also be varied to provide a twist to the bench. By bar path I mean where the bar hits the chest. During a regular bench, the bar would hit the chest near the nipple area. This is the position of best leverage and power. By varying where the bar hits the chest, different parts of the pectorals can be stressed. To work the upper pec, many lifters turn to the incline bench press. Though this can be an effective choice, similar results can be had by lowering the bar higher on the chest, near the shoulders, during a regular bench press. As with grip changes, don't go too high or heavy too quickly. Work into the weight gradually. Again, there may be some initial soreness due to the new stimulus on the pecs. Don't go too high on the chest. Some lifters lower the bar to the neck, which, of course, could be precarious, if the lifter fails to press the bar up to lockout. You should always use a spotter while benching anyway. Logic would assume that lowering the bar lower on the chest, more towards the waist would impact the lower pecs, like declines. Logic is correct.
Elbow position is the third method of varying the bench. Keeping your elbows out at right angles from the body (consult grade school geometry) will shift more load to the pec, similar to dumbbell flies, but a lot more weight can be used. Keeping your elbows in shifts the load away from the pecs and more to the delts and triceps.
The final variation of the bench is limiting the range or movement to less than a full up and down press. Pressing from the chest to 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up maintains tension on the pecs and builds power off the chest. Pressing from 1/2 to 2/3 of the way down to lockout switches the stage to the triceps. The third variant is pressing in the middle of the movement that spreads the load equally to all the muscle groups involved while providing continuous tension.
I'm sure many of you can now see that by combining a few of these variants together, you can design a bench workout that can fit whatever needs you have. For example, a powerlifter or bodybuilder who needed more pec work could include wide grip benches with elbows out. For a pump set, he could do partials from the bottom using the same grip and elbow position. For variety, some sets could be performed high or low on the chest as he feels fit. A lifter needing tricep power would add close grip benches with a finisher of part way down close grips, both with elbows in, of course.
The standard bench press is still your best bet for overall upper body size and strength. By merely varying your grip width, bar path, elbow position or range of movement, the simple bench press can be tailored to fit your individual needs whether you are a bodybuilder, powerlifter or average weight trainer. These bench variants can easily be integrated into your routine and require no additional equipment or space. Give some of these variants a try and I'm sure you'll receive positive results.
ProdiJ