For the longest time, workout benches have been invaluable both at the gym and at home. If you are a regular weight trainer, you can attest to this. Initially, work out benches were built for bench presses. However, they are now used for a wide range of exercises. Workout benches come in different styles. These include utility benches, barbell weight benches, flat weight benches, and so on.
Did you know most people make mistakes while using workout benches? Below are some of the common mistakes to avoid when using workout benches.
The High Positioning Of the Elbows
Most people tend to position elbows directly out on the sides during bench presses. What they don’t know is that this greatly strains their elbows and shoulder capsules. Besides that, this position makes the distance that the bar needs to travel, even longer. To avoid these needs, you need the barbell in a much narrower positioning. Your elbows should be kept close to the ribcage.
Avoid Bouncing the Bar on Your Body
Bouncing the bar on the body is one of the most common mistakes during bench presses. It helps to create some momentum and make the routine extremely easy. Such a movement makes the exercise less effective. Moreover, it makes it easier to injure your ribcage, especially when using a heavyweight. Bouncing the barbell tells you that you are probably using an exceedingly heavyweight. You can avoid this by reducing weight. Use a weight that you can handle without much difficulty.
Failing To Squeeze Your Shoulder Blades
When you lie on the bench to bench press, you need to form a strong foundation. It is not all about lying on the bench and lifting the weight. You should efficiently push the weight. While at this, most people forget to squeeze their shoulder blades together. This compromises the effectiveness of the exercise. If you want to steer away from this mistake, squeeze your shoulders blades together when you are pushing weight on the bench.
The chances are that a majority of your weight training sessions revolve around benches. It means that if you’ve been making these mistakes regularly, then you’ve been compromising the effectiveness of your workout routine. Furthermore, there is a possibility that you’ve been putting an extra strain on your physical health. Luckily, these are mistakes that you could easily avoid by learning how to use a workout bench properly.
