The Strength of gym Bench
The bench press and the push-up are 2 classic push exercises for strengthening the upper body also used to asses maximal muscular strength or muscular endurance, respectively. In addition, the biomechanical similarities between these exercises have been established several years ago.
Although the Gym Bench press usually requires dedication experience while exercising with fitness equipment, the push-up can be performed anywhere. Many exercises equipment has advantages and it disadvantage, the advantage of gym bench is the possibility for low, moderate, and high training intensities, whereas load during training is determined by weighted equipment.
Intensity is cardinal in training progressions, and high intensities (.750% of 1 repetition maximum [1RM]) are recommended to maximize muscular strength gains in advanced lifters. Performing push-ups with bodyweight only is unlikely to provide sufficient training stimulus in advanced trainees but with gym bench together with gym equipment gives you room for conducive exercise outcome. Thus, added resistance may be needed for push-ups to be effective beyond the initial training stage.
Because of benches low cost, adaptability, and portability, elastic resistance has become a feasible alternative to traditional resistance training.
Elastic resistance proved effective in inducing comparable electromyography (EMG) levels as those achieved with free weights or training machines during lower-body and upper-extremity resistance exercises. Added elastic resistance are sufficient for effective high-intensity Gym Bench training.
Electromyography exercise evaluation is frequently used to examine the intensity of muscular activity and consequently estimate the effectiveness of different exercises.
Heavy resistance exercise induces relatively high levels of muscle activity, which over a training period induce muscle strength gains and may improve athletic performance, musculoskeletal health, and alter body aesthetics. Thus, researchers generally assume that exercises with higher EMG levels provide greater muscle strength gains during a training period. Indeed, despite the percentage of maximal activity is influenced by several variables, it is considered that the level of EMG activation should reach 65% to induce muscle strength and structural adaptation.
This assumption has been used during years in several articles experience using the bench press, and they had experience in the use of elastic resistance during the bench press exercise since they used this variation where exercises with EMG values over this threshold were considered as effective to promote muscle strength adaptations. Likewise, biomechanically comparable exercises that yield similar EMG levels are assumed to be equally effective and capable of producing similar strength gains. However, research has been conducted to analyze either EMG values or to evaluate muscle strength gains after an exercise program rather than integrating both pathways, so the effects of applying an exercise with a certain percentage of maximum voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC) in the same subjects is only an assumption.
The purpose of research on adjustable bench press was twofold:
(a) to evaluate the EMG levels during 6 repetition maximum (6RM) bench press and push-up and
(b) to evaluate the strength gains after a training period with either the bench press or push-ups with the same loads and variables (i.e., intensity, volume, rest, exercise technique, and speed of movement) that were used during the data collection.
The bench press are common upper-body muscle endurance and strength exercises that target the pectoralis major and triceps brachii muscles. Muscular endurance is measured as the ability of a muscle to perform repeated contractions against a sub-maximal load. Whereas, muscular strength is measured as the force a muscle can exert in a maximal effort (Baechle, Earle, & National Strength & Conditioning Association (U.S.), 2008).
