The bench press, it is one of the benchmarks of measuring strength and progress in the gym. “How much do you bench?” is being asked in a gym somewhere in the world this very instance. It is also one of the most maligned lifts as well, members of the fitness community love to make controversial statements about the bench press, call it overrated or the most incorrectly performed movement only to switch positions a few months later when they run out of ideas of what to write next.

I believe in the basics and there is nothing more basic than the ‘big three’ the back squat, the deadlift, and the barbell bench press. With the addition of the Olympic lifts, and basically any lift you can perform with a barbell, there is nothing else under the sun that builds strength more efficiently. The fitness industry will disagree because it doesn’t sell whatever new products they are hocking that week. It is boring. Unfortunately, the tried and true does not garner as much attention as saying something inflammatory.

I brought into this a few years ago when ‘functional’ training was all the rage. I wouldn’t bench press with a barbell because it wasn’t as ‘functional’ as benching with dumbbells. That was leaving money on the table, it was excluding one good exercise for another good exercise instead of utilizing both. If injuries prohibit you from benching than avoid it, if your condition allows you to safely bench press, you should. Consider trying a slingshot for overloading or just to take some stress of the joints as well https://amzn.to/49nnQx7

The fact is the barbell bench press is so effective that when you come across an article entitled something along the lines of, “The barbell bench press is ineffective, what to do instead,” they go on to list variations of the bench press. It is not just limited to the barbell bench press either, but the barbell itself. “Ditch the barbell for a bigger chest.” No. The barbell itself is one of the most effective pieces of strength equipment on the planet.

There are two reasons you should be utilizing the barbell bench press; one is overload and the other it time under tension. The bench press is considered a chest exercise, but this is inaccurate, or at least it is incomplete. The barbell bench press is a full body movement. It is a strength exercise. The ability to load a barbell with significantly more weight than you ever could with dumbbells, coupled with the tension through your entire body is what makes the barbell bench press such an effective movement for building strength.

Hard work never goes out of style. Unfortunately, neither does the over promising, under delivering, re-packaging promises of the fitness industry.