Body Pump Moves with Proper Technique: Bench Work; Tricep and Chest

Using A Bench:

When we do the chest track or tricep track in Body Pump, we are usually laying on a bench. It is so important to keep your abdominals engaged to support your back. This is going to protect your back from strain. When the lower back comes off the mat, it is not supported, resulting in pain.

Notice how arched my back is. This is not working the proper muscle groups and can really hurt.

Notice in this picture, my abs are engaged, supporting my lower back. My shoulders are drawn down away from my shoulders and my feet are hip width apart. This is perfect position for any bench work.

The second major issue when using benches for chest press or Tricep press is hyper extension of the clavicle. It is so important to keep your elbows in line with or above the bottom edge of the bench. Notice how my elbows are at a perfect right angle, no lower than the bench.

This is the perfect form for a chest press. My elbows are in a safe zone. We have to think this line as an imaginary floor. In the second image, you can see that this line is broken. Notice how it changes the position of the chest press.

You can see the strain in my neck, my shoulders struggling to stay down and back and even a little pressure on my back. If you find it difficult to feel this location, try doing these exercises on the floor. This will make it impossible to bring your elbows into a compromising position since you can't really put your elbows through the floor...

Triceps Vs. Chest:

The different hand position on the bar is important for targeting these specific zones. A chest press you keep your hands super wide on the bar. For Triceps, your hands stay in line with your shoulders. Both situations require a straight wrist, a straight line from your knuckle all the way to your elbow.

It is so important to keep your wrists in this straight position throughout the entirety of the exercise. A broken wrist, or bent wrist, places unnecessary pressure taking the weight of the exercise out of the muscles intended and into the joint. It's similar to locking your knees in squats or dead lifts; this movement takes pressure off the target muscles straining the joints instead. Definitely not ideal for results!

Broken Wrist:

Wrists in Good Form:

The broken wrist example applies to the chest press as well, but is easiest to see in the Tricep extension.

Elbows In for Tricep Wrok:

In order to keep the pressure of the bar in your triceps, it's important to draw your elbows in towards the center of your body. You want to keep your elbows in line with your wrists. This will isolate your triceps, giving you the best results possible.

Notice in this picture my elbows are in perfect alignment with my wrists which are in alignment with my shoulders. Below you can see my elbows going out as opposed to remaining parallel.

This is causing tension on my back, resulting in my shoulders rising up putting pressure on my traps.

Use these tips and see how much faster you get results!