For any bodybuilder, chest is the sign of his pride. The bigger is the chest, the more he has worked hard. Want to have iron ripping chest? Can you bench press for as long as you’d like to? Looking to refine your bench pressing technique? This article will guide you to train your upper body for optimum performance and improve the quality of your chest workouts. Bench pressing is often a frustrating task. While some lifters can naturally press quite a large amount of weight, the rest of us struggle with the exercise. Here are 10 kickass tips that will help you significantly improve bench press strength:

Patience Is a Virtue

Do not dream of adding 30 pounds to your bench press every month. Set realistic goals, focus on smaller steps and over time set the bar high.

Focus on consistent improvement instead of a big jump.

Rowing The Bar

While bench pressing, row the bar towards the chess. Keep your back tight. It is an important part of god form. Focus on rowing the bar towards the chest to achieve a tight back.

CNS Rules

The Central Nervous System has an important role to play in the drill. If you’ve failed to warm the CNS up, you will feel the weight is heavy. To help make a weight feel lighter than it is important to warm your CNS up and make sure you perform only a few reps every warm up set.

Leg Drive

This is one of the important aspects of bench press that doesn’t get talked about a lot.

While doing the drill, do not shuffle your feet and plant them firmly in a power position. Drive from the floor to start each bench press.

A Powerful Back Goes a Long Way

While training, focus on building a powerful back. It assists your bench press strength and helps prevent injuries. Your back, effectively, is your bench press table. Beef up your back with heavy and prolonged rows.

Eat Right

If you wish to increase your strength, follow a proper diet and do not worry about your abs. Do not eat to get fat, but don’t under eat either. The daily calories and proteins are important for building muscle.

Take Your Own Time

Between heavy sets, relax and take your time. When you are training at high intensity, it is important for you to give your body a chance to recover between two sets.

The goal is strength, not endurance or speed.

Squeezing The Bar

Once you’ve found your proper grip width, squeeze the bar while pretending to bend the ends inward towards the feet. This will keep your elbows in an optimal position and tighten your upper body.

Train The Triceps

You need to have powerful triceps, besides having a powerful chest, if you wish to be a strong presser. Use quality compound exercises to work on your triceps. Example- Dips, board presses, close grip bench presses.

Form Is Important

While bench pressing, do not try to ‘feel’ your chest if you wish to build strength.

Focus on your form to increase strength and avoid injuries. Your form must get your undivided attention at all times.

Want to know more gimmicks about building your chest? Read here to know how to build a chest like Hercules.