Why The Bench Press is Not the Best Chest Builder

What’s the most popular exercise in your gym ?
Well, if the place where you work out is anything like the majority of gyms, it will be the bench press. It seems that everyone wants a big bench. That’s hardly surprising. After all, the first question that you get hit with when people know that you lift is, "How much can you bench ?"That’s all good and well if you are going to the gym to become a powerlifter. If, however, you are using the bench press as a means of building your chest, you may have to rethink your strategy. While it is a decent chest builder, the bench is not the best move to pack on pec mass.
Let’s discover why  and what you can replace it with

Source: bodybuilding.com

(4) BENCH PRESS LIMITATIONS

➠ LIMITATION #01

The bench press exercise involves contraction and extension of the pectoral muscles in a vertical plane.

However, the plane of movement is restricted.

To see what I mean, take your hands off your computer keyboard and put them out to the sides as if you were benching. Now pull them back as far as you can.
Notice how they come back past your chest and almost to your lats?

You can’t do that on the bench press. That’s because your range of downward motion is limited by the bar hitting your chest. That means that you are being robbed of two to three inches of movement.
When it comes to stimulating your pecs, that is huge. You are not allowing your pecs to fully extend, and, therefore, not giving them the maximal stimulation they need to force growth.

➠ LIMITATION #02

Another problem with the bench press is that it is very easy for the deltoids to take the brunt of the stress of the exercise, rather than the chest.

To place the emphasis on the chest, you need to roll your shoulders back and bring your shoulder blades together, while pushing the bar inwards as well as down and up. But most guys do none of those things.
As a result, they end up with cannonball delts and puny pecs.

➠ LIMITATION #03

A third problem with the bench is that, for many guys, it becomes an ego exercise. Their sole concern is to lift more weight. Yet, if you are a bodybuilder, lifting more weight should never be your sole concern.

Rather it should be to maximally stress the working muscle group. Lifting weight is a part of achieving that goal, for sure. But, if all you are worried about is your bench press number, then you will hardly be thinking about isolating the working muscle. You’ll throw your hips, your back and legs into the obsessive quest to get the bar up. In other words, you will be completely wasting your time!

➠ LIMITATION #04

A fourth and final reason why the bench is not the best option has to do with safety. When you’re training alone, you are taking a chance that you’ll come unstuck under the bar when you go heavy.

Every year, people die as a result of benching alone.
The simple fact of the matter is that this is the one exercise that it is very difficult to extricate yourself from if you reach failure and don’t have a spotter standing by.

A BETTER OPTION:

So, if you’re not going to perform the most popular chest building exercise in the world, what’s left ?

The dumbbell bench press.

Source: kimbofit.com

Now, many guys don’t like the dumbbell version simply because they can’t lift as much weight. 
After all a 300 pound bench press sounds more impressive than a pair of 85 pound dumbbells, right ?

Maybe so. But, as we’ve already covered, it ain’t about the weight. It’s about the stress placed on the working muscle  and the dumbbell version of the press does a better job of providing that stress.

When you’re using dumbbells you’re not restricted by the bar hitting into your torso. That means that you can stretch all the way down, making use of that vital extra two to three inches of range of movement.

The dumbbell version also requires a lot more stabilization that the bench press. For a start you’ve got to get the weights up into position to start the movement. Then the small stabilizer muscles of your shoulders are required to keep them in place as you press. That’s a part of the reason you can’t go as heavy.
But is also makes the exercise more effective.

Because it’s not an ego exercise like the bench, you are less likely to cheat to get the weight up on the dumbbell bench press.
Your form will be stricter and you’ll be able to isolate the pecs more. Dumbbells also allow you to use a neutral grip, with palms facing each other.
This allows for a lower stretch, which you will really feel in the pecs.

Finally, the dumbbell bench press is a lot safer than the barbell version of the movement. If you are training alone and reach the point of failure half way through a rep, all you have to do is let go.
Rather than crashing down onto your chest, the weights will fall to the floor. You may get a glare from the gym manager, but at least you won’t end up in traction!

CONCLUSION:

The barbell bench press is a great exercise for getting strong. When it comes to building the chest, however, switching over to the dumbbell version of the exercise simply makes better sense.
You’ll be more directly stimulating the pecs, allowing for a fuller stretch, you’ll be a lot safer when doing the move and you’re less likely to cheat.
As a bonus, you won’t have to stand in line to wait your turn on the bench while all the other guys obsess on getting a bigger bench you’ll be too busy building a bigger chest !