Alas, the gym is not the safest place on the planet. According to statistics, for every 3,000 hours of CrossFit training, at least 3 injuries, and in America alone about 10,000 people go to the first aid station or hospital immediately after visiting the gym or swimming pool. Unfortunately, there are no detailed statistics for our country, but the problem with injuries, judging by the number of outdated gyms and exercise equipment, may be no less urgent.
The situation is aggravated by another factor. Human. For example, lack of knowledge of exercise techniques or excessive confidence in one’s abilities. And many deliberately do not follow the rules for the sake of good results, because often breaking the technique can help lift weights that were previously impossible.
Unfortunately, some mistakes can be costly and result in serious injury or even death. We have collected the most critical of them and advise you never to do them under any circumstances, even if your coach is very much in favor.
Load
To understand how more effective “Guillotine” is than the basic execution, you should familiarize yourself with the results of electromyography performed for the same purpose. The essence of the study is to measure the electrical activity of muscle groups during exercise, the results of which can be used to draw a conclusion about the effectiveness of the work done in the gym.
Thus, the basic bench press turns out to be the most useless, since it loads the chest only in the following ways:
- top – 198;
- middle – 288;
- bottom – 345.
From here it is immediately clear why the majority of athletes who lift weights have a noticeably more developed lower chest. The load of the exercise goes almost entirely to the bottom and involves the top to a minimum.
In the “Guillotine” style, the barbell press demonstrates completely different activity indicators. The top of the chest receives a load of 302 units, the bottom - 502, and the middle - 511. With such research results, we can safely say that this exercise is almost 2 times more effective than the basic one. At the same time, the load on the middle and bottom of the chest is almost the same, which means they will develop together without noticeable differences. Even the upper muscles, which receive noticeably less load in the “Guillotine” exercise, work in it almost the same way as the lower ones in the basic bench press, and there this is the maximum limit! Based on this, there is no point in arguing about the effectiveness of the work done; the main thing is to do it correctly.
Shoulder exercises
Bradford press
Another old school exercise. It was invented by American weightlifter Jim Bradford, who competed at the Olympic Games in 1952 and 1960 and became a silver medalist both times.
Jim Bradford (far left) | Bradford Press Author
The Bradford press is two basic shoulder exercises combined into one: the military press and the barbell overhead press.
History of appearance
If one of the young people training in the gym has just learned about this exercise, then this is only his miscalculation. The Guillotine bench press style appeared back in the distant “golden era” of bodybuilding. One of the most famous trainers at that time was Vince Gironda, who invented this exercise through lengthy experiments on his own body.
Vince wanted to learn absolutely every technique to perform the exercise in order to maximize the effectiveness of his training. Thanks to his fanaticism, today all bodybuilders know the possibility of maximizing the development of the pectoral muscles. To do this, the bar should be lowered closer to the neck, making the work more difficult for the chest. It was its approach to the throat that became the reason for such a creepy name, because if the barbell is poorly fixed and dropped directly on your neck, the result will be disastrous.
Basic technique
To master the Guillotine exercise, you must first understand the basic technique. The main problem for most beginners is that the bench press is performed incorrectly or incorrectly. In the latter case, this indicates the correct technique, but not for the goals that the athlete faces. It often happens that a novice bodybuilder does everything as expected, but the muscles do not grow. The problem here is that different correct techniques are aimed at radically different results. You can press a barbell this way to increase muscle mass or increase endurance, that is, lift more weight.
Lifting weights
To increase your performance in lifting weights, the technique should be selected with maximum muscle unloading. The easier it is for them to work, the more the athlete will be able to take. By the way, this is the technique that is most often found in gyms. They call it the elevator operator.
The main task is to transfer as much load as possible from the chest to other muscles. To do this, you need to arch your back into a “bridge,” thereby reducing the amplitude of the barbell stroke. Lowering the projectile to the bottom of the chest also gives a similar result. During this exercise, your legs rest on the floor, which allows you to control your back.
https://youtu.be/iTUS35JU01A
Something in between
Barbell chest exercises can immediately train your endurance and help you gain mass. To do this, the technique described above is slightly modernized, making the arch in the back less pronounced. At the same time, the bar also lowers to the bottom of the chest, but due to the smaller “bridge” the load on the chest increases.
Professional bodybuilders do not recognize this technique at all, and it can only be found in amateur gyms. The fact is that the exercise does not have a clear focus, which means that the result will be poor in terms of gaining mass and increasing the weight lifted.
Bench Press Variations
Depending on the range of motion of the barbell, the position of the bench and the athlete on it, there are many types of bench press.
Classic bench press
The classic bench press is performed in a horizontal position on a bench. The initial position of the barbell is on outstretched arms, after which it is lowered with the bar onto the chest and, after a short pause, returns to its original position. There is an alternative option for performing this exercise, when the bar takes its initial position on the stops in the frame at the level of the athlete’s chest, and then from this position it is pressed up until the arms are completely aligned and returns to the stops again.
The press, in which the legs, unlike the classic one, are not on the floor, but are pressed against the body on a bench press, is excellent for those who have problems with the spine due to strong deflection during the exercise according to the classical scheme.
The so-called “touch” press is performed similarly to the classical technique, only the pause during which the bar touches the chest should be as short as possible. However, competitive technique in powerlifting involves squeezing the barbell up only after a command that allows it to be done.
The rack press reduces the range of motion of the barbell using limiters that are installed at the level of the athlete's chest in the power rack. This training option is convenient in cases where the athlete is just recovering from an injury or when there is no partner nearby who can back up.
There are a class of exercises on an inclined bench, including:
- The incline bench press most uses the upper part of the pectoral muscle, in this case it is the execution technique that plays a big role, not the weight of the barbell. At the same time, the greater the angle of inclination of the bench, the more load falls on the anterior deltoid muscles;
- Bench press with an incline strengthens the lower part of the pectoral muscle; to achieve maximum effect, it is advisable to straighten your arms as much as possible at the top point, however, this exercise is quite dangerous, so it is better to use insurance, and for those who suffer from increased intracranial or intraocular pressure or have problems with cardiovascular -vascular system, it is better to avoid this exercise altogether;
The reverse grip press mostly loads the top of the pectoral muscle and the shoulder joint, while removing the barbell from the racks on your own is quite inconvenient and dangerous, so it is better to perform this exercise with a safety net.
The advantage of bench pressing with dumbbells instead of a barbell is that in this exercise the apparatus can be lowered much lower, which allows you to use the muscles being trained to a greater extent.
The bench press with a back arch due to the decrease in the trajectory of the barbell allows you to take on more weight, while the load is redistributed to the lower chest. This exercise is not recommended for those who have back problems.
Pressing on a Smith machine is relatively safe due to the fact that the bar moves vertically in the frame, but the development of some strength indicators during such training remains incomplete.
The close-grip press improves the shape and size of the triceps, and also engages the triceps, deltoids, and upper pectoral muscles. The distance between the fingers when gripping the bar directly in this exercise should be no more than 40 cm.
The wide grip press is often used in powerlifting to train the chest push.
This exercise is characterized by a small range of motion of the stay due to its close proximity to the chest, but this allows for greater weight and greater emphasis on working the pectoral muscles, rather than the triceps, as with a close-grip bench press. This exercise is effective for chest and shoulder growth.
The French press is recommended to be performed using a curved barbell in order to remove the stress from the forearm. This exercise is aimed at developing the triceps. It is performed with a narrow grip, but at the same time the bar of the barbell is lowered not to the chest, but to the head. In this case, the legs should rest solely on the floor, and not on the bench, so as not to lose balance and avoid injury.
Pumping up muscles
Now it’s time to talk in detail about the “Guillotine” exercise. It is this pressing technique that makes the work of the chest muscles as difficult as possible and allows you to maximize their size. To perform a bodybuilding bench press, arching in the back should be completely eliminated so that all the load goes to the chest. To do this, the feet should be placed on a bench, closer to the buttocks, or even raised up, keeping the legs bent at the knees.
It is necessary to lower the projectile closer to the neck, which increases the amplitude of the barbell stroke and increases muscle stretching.
Performance nuances
To increase the load on the muscles to the maximum, you should work with the projectile only within the amplitude. Simply put, you cannot fully extend your elbows while lifting the barbell. For safety, only a wide grip should be used in this exercise. This will take the pressure off your triceps and help you maintain balance. Also, a wide grip will allow you to stretch your pectoral muscles more, and therefore accelerate their growth.
Reviews of the Guillotine exercise from professionals also indicate the use of only a closed grip to protect yourself when lifting medium weights. The thumb should form a ring around the bar along with the rest and lie between the ring and index fingers.
It is the increased load on the muscles being worked in bodybuilding that accelerates the growth of muscle mass. If you simplify the work of your body, the result will be completely different. Endurance, strength and speed of work will increase, but the mass will remain the same.
Press for girls
Girls quite often avoid barbell bench presses, preferring to work with light weights. Many people assume that when using a projectile weighing more than 5-7 kg, they will either begin to hypertrophy their pectoral muscles in a male pattern, or reduce their breasts by several sizes, causing local weight loss (which is impossible, since fat is lost only from the entire body).
To really acquire muscles similar to men’s, it is necessary to engage in strength sports with heavy weights and at the same time use appropriate hormonal drugs, since normal female hormonal levels are simply not suitable for building up such an amount of muscle mass.
Breasts shrink due to loss of fatty tissue
Professional athletes resort to drugs because they have the task of increasing muscles for competitions and performances.
In other cases, your figure will remain feminine, but will acquire beautiful relief and developed muscles.
Don’t be mistaken and think that there are exercises that can change your breast size for the better. To understand this, it is enough to once again turn to the anatomy of the breast.
In the case of male breasts, the loss of adipose tissue, on the contrary, helps to better show relief and make the pectoral muscles drier
The male chest has a significantly smaller layer of fat, which is immediately followed by muscle, so it lends itself well to hypertrophy. A woman's breasts have a layer of fat around them, inside they consist of the mammary gland, and then come the muscles, so you can only strengthen and tighten them, which will visually make the breasts more attractive.
For girls, the lower bundle of muscles plays a more important role, so the horizontal bench press is quite suitable for them.
You should also periodically use a narrow forward and narrow reverse grip to work the shoulder area. This is often a problem area for women.
It will be more convenient to use a lightweight bar weighing up to 10 kg. And the weight of the projectile itself can reach 30–40 kg. It makes no sense to take more if you do not play sports professionally. 3-4 approaches will be enough.
Gironde recommendations
It is already clear which muscles the “Guillotine” exercise affects; the main nuances of its implementation are also listed, but there are several more tips from the very discoverer of this type of barbell press.
The founder of the “Guillotine” style emphasized the need to increase the amplitude of the barbell stroke to the maximum, which means lowering it strictly on the throat, as close to the head as possible. Ideally, the legs should be held suspended with knees bent and ankles crossed. This will make it possible to completely eliminate arching in the back, even if the muscles contract uncontrollably. In addition, a wide grip will further increase the amplitude, stretch the chest muscles more strongly and minimize the work of the triceps.
Hand exercises
Tate press
Dave Tate is a modern powerlifting legend, bodybuilder, author of books on the theory of strength exercises and owner of the largest online store selling sports equipment around the world.
Dave Tate | Posted by Tate Press
It was he who came up with this rather rare exercise for triceps and gave it his name. The Tate press is not a basic exercise, but rather an isolated exercise, an updated version of the French bench press, so to speak.
Reviews
According to reviews from bodybuilders who have tried this exercise on themselves, the main difficulty is maintaining balance. To perform a clean bench press, you should start with light weights and place your feet on the bench.
In the future, you can use a footrest and only then begin to work with the recommended technique. Athletes are also advised not to experiment with grips, but to strictly follow the technical recommendations. The fact is that open and narrow grips cannot provide the necessary balance and safety. When lifting a medium weight, an insecurely grasped barbell can fall straight onto your neck.
To avoid sad consequences, even light weights should be lifted only with a partner and until the technique is clean, do not increase the load.
Mistakes when pressing - how to grip the bar correctly, breathe, where to lower it
There are many disputes regarding the technique and variations of the bench press to this day, but there are generally accepted mistakes that are made quite often.
- The grip should be closed. With an open grip, the bar is likely to slip out and fall on you.
Left - closed grip, right - open - The hand should not be tilted back, keep your arm straight.
- The belay should be carried out by someone who knows how to do it, and not by someone who is simply in the right weight category to support the barbell if something happens.
- Don't "kick" the barbell at the bottom. Many athletes, for various reasons, take a weight that is too heavy for them and, having lowered the bar to their chest, hit the chest to make it easier to press the bar up. It is clear that this can lead to injury.
- When you have removed the barbell and brought it up, make sure that you have taken the correct position of your body and arms, there is no need to rush. This will only lead to the technique being incorrect.
- Do not arch into a strong bridge. This position can lead to injury and make the exercise easier, which will hinder progress in strength development.
For powerlifters, this option is a way to win at any cost; when training for yourself, strong bending should be avoided - Do not lift or turn your head during any phase of the exercise. This can lead to pinched vertebrae.
- A short range of motion can also be considered a mistake. This happens when the muscles are weak, and many beginners are guilty of this. In this case, the muscles will remain weak. To get stronger, they need to receive more load and work in a larger range.
- Don't forget about breathing.
