The bench press has established itself as a staple in the world of powerlifting. Known as a rite of passage and a key member of the powerlifting “big three,” this exercise has earned its reputation over the years. It is so popular that it has its very own day of the week — “International Bench Day” on Mondays in many gyms.
When it comes to building size and strength in your chest, shoulders, and triceps, the bench press is a go-to exercise. The stable bench and fixed range of motion of the barbell allow you to lift heavier weights, leading to increased size and strength.
If you’re looking for a workout focused on the bench press to increase upper body strength and muscle, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into the best bench press workout below.
Best Bench Press Workout For Muscle and Strength
To build absolute strength, focus on lifting heavier weights, working around 85-90% of your one-repetition maximum. The cluster set technique involves performing multiple “mini-sets” of low repetitions with heavy weights to accumulate significant volume. This lays the foundation for muscle growth as a stronger muscle has the potential for more size. Following the heavy work, two different supersets target exercises that effectively increase chest size and strength.
The Size and Strength Routine
Perform this workout once a week as part of your upper/lower body split routine. To progress with the first exercise, start with three complete cluster sets, then increase to four the following week, and finally five. Once you can do five cluster sets, add weight. The other three bench exercises start at the lower end of the rep range and add one repetition each week. When you reach the upper range, increase the weight by five to 10 pounds and repeat the process.
Bench Press Cluster Set
The flat barbell bench press should be a staple in your routine when aiming to increase size and strength. This variation of benching focuses on both your upper and lower chest, promoting overall muscle development.
How to Do it: Lie on the flat bench, arch your lower back slightly, and plant your feet on the floor. Enhance stability and upper back strength by pulling your shoulder blades together. Grip the bar, squeeze your hands tightly to activate your arm and grip muscles, then lift the weight. Lower the bar to your sternum/chest base, press it up, and maintain tightness in your back and shoulder blades.
Sets and Reps: 3-5 x (4×2) — Perform four mini-sets of two reps, repeated a total of three to five times.
Rest time: Rest for 10 seconds between each mini-set and three minutes after each full set.
Close-Grip Bench Press
The close-grip bench press involves placing your hands shoulder-width apart and shifting the focus to your triceps and inner chest. While you may not lift as much weight, this exercise targets your chest and triceps from a different angle for improved muscle development.
How to Do it: Set up similar to the flat bench press but position your hands inside shoulder-width with your elbows tucked in. Lower the bar to your chest while keeping your elbows close to your ribs. Press back up until lockout.
Sets and Reps: 3-4 x 4-6
Rest time: No rest before moving to the next exercise.
Seated Band Pull-Apart
After two pressing exercises, give your upper back a break with this simple pulling exercise that strengthens your upper back and maintains shoulder health. This seated band pull-apart enhances upper back engagement while keeping you seated on the bench.
How to Do it: Sit upright, hold a looped band at shoulder height with your hands shoulder-width apart, and pull the band apart while keeping your arms nearly straight. Ensure your shoulders are down and chest is up. Pull until your shoulder blades are together and arms are extended to the sides. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Sets and Reps: 3 x 15-25
Rest time: Rest for two minutes before repeating the previous exercise.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
This unilateral exercise targets imbalances between sides of your body, leading to improved muscle development and joint health. It offers more freedom of movement, allowing you to adjust your grip and arm angle for a comfortable pressing path that suits your wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints.
How to Do it: Place one dumbbell on your knee while sitting on a flat bench. Lean back, drive the dumbbell towards your shoulder using your knee, and press it up. Lower the dumbbell with your elbow at a 45-degree angle from your body. Press the dumbbells up to lockout and repeat.
Sets and Reps: 3-4 x 8-12 reps per arm
Rest time: Rest for 60 to 90 seconds before moving to the next exercise.
Dumbbell Chest Flye
The dumbbell chest flye isolates the chest muscles, removing the triceps from the movement and stretching the pecs for a broader range of motion, enhancing muscle-building potential.
How to Do it: Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, start with arms locked out above your chest, create a slight bend in your elbows, lower your arms out to the sides in line with your shoulders, feel a stretch in the pecs, then reverse the motion and squeeze the chest muscles to return to the top position.
Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-15
Rest time: Rest for 60-90 seconds before repeating the previous exercise.
Chest Anatomy
The chest comprises the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles. The pectoralis major has two attachment points — the clavicular head on the upper chest and the sternal head on the mid-to-lower chest. These muscles play a vital role in shoulder flexion and horizontal adduction.
Besides developing a muscular chest, strong pecs are essential for activities like tackling, throwing, and swinging in sports like football, baseball, or tennis.
How to Warm-Up for Your Bench Workout
Proper warm-up is crucial before a bench workout to prevent injuries and enhance performance. Engage in upper back movements like face pulls with external rotation or band pull-aparts to prepare your shoulders and rotator cuffs for benching.
Follow this upper-body prep routine for a thorough warm-up, focusing on your upper back to protect and prepare your shoulders and rotator cuff for chest day.
- Face Pull with External Rotation: Perform two sets of 15 reps.
- Scapular Push-up: Perform two sets of 10 reps.
- Rear Delt Fly: Perform two sets of 12 reps.
- Spiderman With Rotation: Perform two sets of five reps per side.
- Incline Plyo Push-up: Perform two sets of eight reps.
Happy Benching
The bench press remains a popular and effective exercise for building muscle and strength. By incorporating key movements alongside the bench press, you can maximize your chest, shoulder, and triceps development. Remember to warm up adequately before your bench workout and follow the detailed workout plan provided above to elevate your Monday gym sessions.
References
- Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Van Every, D. W., & Plotkin, D. L. (2021). Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 9(2), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9020032
- Lockie, Robert & Moreno, Matthew. (2017). The Close-Grip Bench Press. Strength and Conditioning Journal. 39. 1. 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000307.
- Baroni, B. M., Pompermayer, M. G., Cini, A., Peruzzolo, A. S., Radaelli, R., Brusco, C. M., & Pinto, R. S. (2017). Full Range of Motion Induces Greater Muscle Damage Than Partial Range of Motion in Elbow Flexion Exercise With Free Weights. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 31(8), 2223–2230. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001562
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