Should I Put Bench Press on Shoulder/Tricep Days or Back/Biceps?

Overview of Bench Press and Its Benefits

The bench press is a fundamental exercise for strengthening the chest muscles, which also engage the front deltoids and triceps. Incorporating it into your workout routine can significantly enhance overall upper body strength. If you're not dedicating a separate day to chest exercises, I recommend adding the bench press on shoulder or tricep days. This approach ensures that these muscles, which are engaged during the bench press, receive adequate stimulation.

Workout Split Proposal

An effective alternative is to structure your workout split as follows: Chest/Triceps Shoulders/Traps Back/Biceps Legs/Calves Day Off Mixing up the order is crucial to allow the primary muscle groups targeted to recover adequately. This method keeps your routine interesting and prevents overtraining.

Programming Bench Press

To program the bench press, consider the following: Push Day: If you're training shoulders and triceps, the bench press is a logical choice since these muscles are engaged during the exercise. Pull Day: While it might seem counterintuitive to include the bench press on a pull day, focusing on your weakest link, your triceps, can improve your bench performance. Cable flys and dumbbell flys can help strengthen this link. Push/Pull Split: Another effective strategy is to train the chest and back on separate days. This allows for more focused and intense workouts, enhancing overall muscle growth and strength.

Expert Opinions on Benchmarking

Several fitness experts offer valuable insights on this topic: Personal Experience: I recommend training chest muscles first, followed by shoulders, and then triceps. This sequence can help target the primary muscles more effectively. Christian Thibadeau: Thibadeau discusses the 'Pressing Spectrum' which includes shoulder press, incline bench press, and bench press. He suggests that starting with the shoulder press, then the incline bench, and finally the bench press can be beneficial for shoulder health. The shoulder press is a natural movement for the shoulder complex, while the bench press is not a true natural movement relative to the weight being moved. Proper Technique: It's essential to focus on form and technique during the bench press. Alternating between dumbbell and barbell work can provide variety and improve overall performance.

Practical Tips and Recommendations

To optimize your bench press performance and overall fitness journey, consider the following: Eat Clean: Maintain a nutritious diet to fuel your workouts and aid recovery. Supplements: Use appropriate supplements as recommended by your fitness trainer or nutritionist. Hydration: Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Sleep: Prioritize sufficient rest to allow muscles to recover and grow.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the choice of when to include bench press in your workout routine depends on your individual goals, fitness level, and training preferences. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your workout routine is effective, balanced, and keeps you on track towards a stronger, healthier you. Happy training!

Happy Holiday! A common workout is Pecs/Shoulders/Tris as shoulders and tris are the synergist to the prime mover the pecs. When you fail benching you fail because of your weakest link hence the importance of cable flys and/or db flys. Another popular workout option is push/pull hence training back and pecs on the same day. The choice is really up to you where you are in your development and if it’s simply time to change up your workout as a shocking principal. Personally since I lift to eighty percent of my max I like to train my pecs one day and back on another as I feel I am getting a better workout by not attempting to do too much which would lessen the quality of my workout. Hope this has been helpful :)