3 Keys to Variety in the Bench Press
Auxilliary Bench Press
BFS highly recommends adding Towel Benches for three reasons. First, an athlete gets used to a heavier weight. Normally, ten to twenty more pounds can be used on the Towel Bench. This builds more confidence for new levels on the full bench. Second, it brings variety into the routine. Variety is important as this helps an athlete overcome plateaus. We guarantee that every athlete will break at least 8 personal records per week if our BFS Set-Rep System is used. Variety is the main reason we can make that guarantee. Third, and most important, Towel Benches will go a long way in preventing what is called “Bench Press Shoulder”, a mild to severe pain in the shoulder joints.
As a result of doing many clinics and talking to many coaches and athletes, BFS clinicians became aware of this problem with the Bench Press. It seems that many athletes who Bench Press three times per week have “Bench Press Shoulder”.
Specifically, this is a dull to sharp pain in the front shoulder-joint area where the upper arm, chest, and shoulder meet. This pain comes from working out too often with too much weight. Typically, an athlete will do benches three times a week with maximum or near maximum poundages. The real stress to this shoulder-joint area comes when the bar is one or two inches from the chest. When you think about it, stretching and putting stress on the shoulder-joint area three times a week with maximum poundages is bound to cause problems.
To perform the Towel Bench once a week all you need to do is put the Towel Bench Pad on the chest and bench. Bring the bar right down into the pad then drive up.
When training larger groups and teams the Towel Bench has one disadvantage which is that the towel or block takes time to get in position in a consistent manner. BFS has the solution - The BFS Bench Block. This sturdy foam block secures to the bar - not the lifter - so moving from athlete to athlete in the rotation is smooth and efficient.
This month, June 2019, The Bench Block and many other weight room essentials are on sale. Get a jump on 2019-2020 with the training equipment to make your program run smoothly!
