Improving my Bench Press – what muscles are used during what phase?
6 min read
Asked by: Jennifer Melvin
Muscles Used In Bench Press (A Complete Guide)
- In general, the muscles used for bench press are the pecs, shoulders, and triceps. …
- The chest will largely be activated during the descent of the movement and at the bottom-end of the range of motion during the lifting phase.
What muscles are you using when doing a bench press?
A bench press is an exercise that can be used to strengthen the muscles of the upper body, including the pectorals, arms, and shoulders.
Muscles worked by a bench press
- pectoralis major.
- anterior deltoid.
- triceps brachii.
- biceps brachii.
- serratus anterior.
What is the eccentric phase of a bench press?
The bench press has two phases: eccentric and concentric. The first phase, as you lower weight toward your chest, is called the eccentric, or muscle-lengthening motion. The second phase, as you raise the weight back up, is called the concentric, or muscle-shortening phase.
When performing the bench press which muscle group is the antagonist?
Benefits of the Bench Press
The prime movers in a bench press are the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, and anterior deltoid, whereas the triceps and serratus anterior work to stabilize the movement. The antagonist muscles are the latissimus dorsi, posterior deltoids, and biceps.
Which 2 muscle groups are being used in the deadlift?
Deadlifts train multiple muscle groups including the: hamstrings. glutes.
What is concentric phase?
The concentric phase is when you shorten (i.e., contract) the muscle. The eccentric phase is when you lengthen the muscle. And if you hold a contraction (e.g., pause halfway through each rep in the biceps curl), you add an isometric phase to the exercise.
Is bench press a flexion?
The primary joint actions that occur during the bench press include: Eccentric (lowering) Phase, Horizontal shoulder abduction, Elbow flexion, Concentric (lifting) Phase, Horizontal shoulder adduction, Elbow extension.
What is the synergist muscle in a bench press?
anterior deltoids
In many outward movements such as the bench press, the anterior deltoid works as a synergist, or assisting muscle, to the pectoralis major. In the bench press, when your elbows are wider apart than are your shoulders, your anterior deltoids are engaged.
What is the eccentric phase of a deadlift?
In a deadlift, for example, the concentric phase (mainly for the hamstrings, glutes, and low back) is the phase of lifting the barbell off the ground to your waist. The eccentric phase is when the barbell is lowered back down to the ground.
What are agonist and antagonist muscles?
In an antagonistic muscle pair as one muscle contracts the other muscle relaxes or lengthens. The muscle that is contracting is called the agonist and the muscle that is relaxing or lengthening is called the antagonist.
What muscles are working concentrically and eccentrically during a deadlift?
Legs and Hips
The primary movers of the deadlift are the muscles that extend your knees and hips. These powerful muscle groups contract concentrically, shortening, producing enough force to drag the barbell up your legs into a standing position. The knee extensors are the muscles of the quadriceps group.
What does eccentric phase mean?
Finally, the eccentric phase is the portion following the isometric phase, in which the muscle is lengthened under load to return to its starting position. Eccentric training focuses on this last portion of the movement, making it more challenging by slowing down the cadence, or speed, of the eccentric phase.
What are the phases of a deadlift?
There are three specific phases: the setup, the pull and the lockout.
What is isotonic muscle contraction?
Contractions that involve shortening of the muscle are referred to as isotonic or concentric contractions. This type of contraction occurs when the force generated by the muscle is greater than the constant load acting on the muscle.
What is eccentric muscle work?
An eccentric (lengthening) muscle contraction occurs when a force applied to the muscle exceeds the momentary force produced by the muscle itself, resulting in the forced lengthening of the muscle-tendon system while contracting (Lindstedt et al., 2001).
Is concentric or eccentric stronger?
eccentric contractions
Muscles are stronger in eccentric contractions than in isometric and concentric contractions. Following eccentric action, muscle force is increased—a phenomenon referred to as residual force enhancement (RFE).
What is eccentric and concentric muscle contraction?
In a concentric contraction, the muscle tension rises to meet the resistance then remains stable as the muscle shortens. During eccentric contraction, the muscle lengthens as the resistance becomes greater than the force the muscle is producing.
What is isotonic and isometric muscle contraction?
Isometric contractions are contractions in which there is no change in the length of the muscle. No joint or limb motion occurs. Isotonic contractions occur when the muscle changes length, producing limb motion. Concentric contractions occur when the muscle shortens.
What is isometric muscle action?
Isometric exercises are tightening (contractions) of a specific muscle or group of muscles. During isometric exercises, the muscle doesn’t noticeably change length. The affected joint also doesn’t move. Isometric exercises help maintain strength. They can also build strength, but not effectively.
Is flexion concentric or eccentric?
concentric
Barre Training Tip: Flexion typically is concentric in the anterior muscles and extension is concetric for the posterior. One exception is in the knee: the quadriceps concentrically contract to extend the knee, while the hamstrings concentircally contract to flex the knee.
What is an example of an eccentric motion?
Eccentric exercises are exactly that; they are slow, lengthening muscle contractions that are for a specific muscle. For example, if you imagine slowly lowering yourself down to sit into a chair, the slow motion of you going from a standing position to sitting is an eccentric contraction, or “negative”.
Is contraction a flexion or extension?
“Flexion” is a bending movement where the angle between two parts decreases. Contracting your biceps exhibits flexion, i.e. it brings your forearm closer to your upper arm and decreasing the angle between the two.
What are examples of eccentric exercises?
Examples of eccentric exercises include:
- Lowering the barbell toward your chest in a bench press.
- Lowering into a parallel squat position in a squat.
- Lowering into the bottom of a pushup.
- Bringing a barbell back to the ground at the end of a deadlift.
- Lowering your torso back to the ground in a situp.
What is the concentric phase of a push up?
For the press up, the concentric (up) phase occurs when you push yourself up off the floor. Depending on how you position your hands, either flexion or horizontal flexion occurs at the shoulder. There will also be elbow extension. For the squat, the concentric (up) phase occurs when you stand up straight.
What is concentric eccentric and isometric movement?
A concentric contraction causes muscles to shorten, thereby generating force. Eccentric contractions cause muscles to elongate in response to a greater opposing force. Isometric contractions generate force without changing the length of the muscle.
