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Weak-point training: quick fixes for your trouble areas. This month: the bench press

Men's Fitness, April, 2005 by Alwyn Cosgrove

See if this sounds familiar: You're on the bench, about to hit a new max, and your elbows lock up before you can lock out. The bar is stuck, with nowhere to go but down--when it's caught by your spotter before it can drop through your rib cage. Your record attempt was just KO'd by your sticking point.

But that doesn't mean you're weak; it just means you have a weak link in your otherwise mighty bench press chain. Correct that weakness with this exercise, called the Swiss-ball shock lockout. This move trains all your major bench press muscles to "turn on" and coordinate at once--at the end range of motion--helping you explode through that sticking point and hit that big number.

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HERE'S WHAT YOU DO

Get into pushup position with your hands on a Swiss ball [1]. Without moving the ball, quickly lift your arms and pull them out to your sides, allowing your body to drop onto the ball [2]. As you rebound upward, catch yourself in pushup position, extending your elbows. Do 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps between sets of bench presses. Balancing on the ball will give you a great core workout as well, making the bench press seem easy by comparison. In a few weeks, test that max again-your new personal best is a lock.

Alwyn Cosgrove is the co-owner of Results-Fitness in Santa Clarita, Calif. (alwyncosgrove.com).

Weak-point training: quick fixes for your trouble areas. This month: the bench press

Men's Fitness, April, 2005 by Alwyn Cosgrove

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