Form
A barbell bench press starting position has the weight lifter lying on a bench, with the shoulder blades pinched together to create a stable, solid base for the press, also used in powerlifting to reduce the range of motion. The lifter keeps his feet flat on the ground or at end of the bench, with the buttocks always in contact with the bench. Powerlifters will arch their back to provide greater stability and to reduce their range of motion allowing them to move more weight. Different grip widths can be used to increase or decrease the range of motion and place more or less emphasis on particular muscles. The movement begins by lifting the bar off the uprights and lowering it until the bar is motionless on the chest before being pressed under control to the start position. After the desired number of repetitions, the weight lifter returns the bar to the uprights. Because the load on the bar above the chest can be heavy, a spotting partner increases the safety of the movement.
Read more about this topic: Bench Press
Famous quotes containing the word form:
“Modern women are squeezed between the devil and the deep blue sea, and there are no lifeboats out there in the form of public policies designed to help these women combine their roles as mothers and as workers.”
—Sylvia Ann Hewitt (20th century)
“The principle of majority rule is the mildest form in which the force of numbers can be exercised. It is a pacific substitute for civil war in which the opposing armies are counted and the victory is awarded to the larger before any blood is shed. Except in the sacred tests of democracy and in the incantations of the orators, we hardly take the trouble to pretend that the rule of the majority is not at bottom a rule of force.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)
“People sometimes inquire what form of government is most suitable for an artist to live under. To this question there is only one answer. The form of government that is most suitable to the artist is no government at all.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)