The bench press – it is one of the most common and popular lifts at the gym. It is the most frequently talked about lift that you brag about to your friends. The bench is as much a staple of weightlifting as the bicep curl is and in this article I will go over everything you need to know about it. This includes the history of it, what muscles it works, a video demonstrating how to perform it and the world record bench press.
The History of the Bench Press
I’m sure you all know about the physiques of the Greeks and Romans. The Greeks and Romans desired physique may lead you to believe that they were the ones who invented the bench; however, that is not true. Although the Greeks and Romans worked to attain these dream physiques this was to prove their worth as defenders of the community through sports games like javelin throwing and chariot racing.
The first bench press known to date was performed in 1899 by George Hackenshmidt. He was dubbed the ‘Russian Lion’ who was a wrestler and performed a ‘floor’ bench for the first time. He did this by laying flat on the floor and pressing over 350lbs over him!
The floor bench press was the most common way to bench up until around the 1950’s. This was when the world first got to see bench while using racks as we all know today. The first person to reach the iconic bench of 1,000lbs was Gene Rychlak from the United States. Watch the iconic moment when he reached the milestone here.
Muscles used during the Bench
The bench is considered by many as one of the 4 major lifts. The other 3 being the deadlift, squat and the power clean. The primary muscles that are used during your bench are your pectoralis major, pectoralis minor and triceps brachii.
There are also secondary muscles that the bench works. The bench press works the front deltoids, back and traps as well.
Video Demonstration of the Bench press
I could sit here and type out a very detailed and descriptive step-by-step tutorial on how to bench but it is much easier for both of us to just watch a video. Here is Scott Herman, an expert of everything weight lifting, explaining how to bench press properly.
World Bench Press Record
Now this is the moment you have all been waiting for. The official world bench press record was done by Jimmy Kolb where he benched a whopping 1,320lbs!
Now that you know all there is to know about the bench, go beat Jimmy Kolb’s bench record! If you want to read another article why don’t you read how to learn something new in 4 easy steps.
