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On July 22, 2022, the Giants Live organization announced that strongman Pa O’Dwyer will join the 12-person roster for the 2022 Giants Live World Open and World Deadlift Championships (WDC). That contest will take place on August 6 at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
Before the announcement of O’Dwyer’s addition was made, there were two open slots — a Wild Card and a space that Adam Bishop vacated after a triceps tear in early July 2022. At the time of this writing, it is unclear whether O’Dwyer is the Wild Card or is replacing Bishop. Nonetheless, the Irish athlete’s addition to the roster should present him with a great opportunity in a strength contest.
According to Strongman Archives, O’Dwyer most significant victory is the 2018 UK’s Strongest Man. He is also a five-time winner of Ireland’s Strongest Man (2016-2019, 2021). In 2022, the athlete has stayed close to home for his strongman competitions. In February, at the 2022 Britain’s Strongest Man (BSM), O’Dwyer took home a fifth-place result. Later, in early April, the Irishman finished in 10th place at the 2022 Europe’s Strongest Man.
O’Dwyer will undoubtedly look to improve upon his recent results at the Giants Live World and World Deadlift Championships in early August. With his addition official, here is the confirmed full roster for the contest:
2022 Giants Live World Open & World Deadlift Championships Roster
Evan Singleton (United States) — 2021Giants Live World Open Champion
In his first Giants Live World Open and WDC, O’Dwyer joins a loaded field of top-tier strongmen.
Some names include defending Giants Live World Open Champion, Evan Singleton. Then comes stellar deadlifter and reigning WDC champ, Ivan Makarov. Rising strongman star Mitchell Hooper is also a part of the overall fray, as is Peiman Maheripourehir — whose 492-kilogram (1,084-pound) deadlift from March 2021 stands as the fourth-heaviest caught on camera.
Throw in former World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Champion (2020), Oleksii Novikov — who also won the recent Giants Live Strongman Classic — and this joint competition could prove to be a fascinating battle all around.
At the time of this article’s publication, the Giants Live organization has not revealed the event format or schedule for the World Open portion of the competition. The only fact known concerns the Max Deadlift — which doubles as the 2022 WDC.
Notably, if any of the athletes can deadlift 505 kilograms (1,113 pounds) during the contest, Giants Live will reward them with a $55,000 prize. That mark would surpass the current all-time World Record held by 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Hafthor Björnsson — who pulled 501 kilograms (1,104.5 pounds) in the World’s Ultimate Strongman “Feats of Strength” series in May 2020. O’Dwyer did log a 420-kilogram (925.9-pound) deadlift during a June 2022 training session, but he has work to do before he can challenge for that prize.
Only time will tell whether O’Dwyer can answer the bell and topple his peers in his first appearance at this competition. If his performance around the United Kingdom says anything, he’ll definitely be a competitor to keep an eye on.
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On July 21, 2022, weightlifter Kate Vibert announced that she had torn a meniscus during a training session in an Instagram post. Meniscuses are pieces of cartilage in people’s knees that function as shock absorbers between the shin and thighbone and help stabilize knees. The athlete did not disclose how her injury happened, which meniscus she tore, or what lift she performed. She only said that she knew something was wrong immediately after a rep.
That feel when you know you have to tell your coach you’re 99 percent sure you just tore your meniscus. (Spoiler alert: I was correct.)
As a result of her injury, Vibert says she will forgo competing in the 2022 Pan-American Championships, which will take place on July 24-July 29 in Bogotá, Colombia.
Vibert is one of Team USA weightlifting’s biggest stars. With a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games and a couple of American Records on the snatch (112 kilograms/246.9 pounds) and total (248 kilograms/546.7 pounds) in the 71-kilogram division — Vibert usually submits a stellar performance of strength for the Americans. Unfortunately, she’ll have to sit on the sideline for some time as she recovers from her knee injury.
Expected Recovery
In the caption of her Instagram post, Vibert didn’t seem too concerned about any lasting, negative effects of her meniscus injury. After a pending surgery, she appears ready to move forward as fast as possible.
“Awaiting a partial meniscectomy surgery sometime in the next week or two, I got about a 50 percent removal from the looks of it,” Vibert wrote. “Obviously, I’ll have to sit out from PanAms, but all things considered, I am confident I’ll be back to lifting in the next month or two. It was a scary few days navigating options, but I’m happy with my decision and excited to get back in the gym and recover as soon as possible.”
Based on a December 2016 study, Vibert’s total recovery from her meniscus tear could vary in time. In said study, the mean recovery period for the approximately 500 meniscus patients was around five weeks. Complete healing with no underlying issues usually took about three months. (1)
Unless otherwise noted, these patients were not world-class weightlifters like Vibert. The severity and degrees of tears also play a factor. That doesn’t necessarily mean Vibert will recover faster from her reported 50 percent meniscus tear, but it might offer a leg up given her established high-level conditioning.
Depending on how her recovery from her meniscus tear and surgery goes, Vibert’s absence from the competitive weightlifting scene might not last long. A contest that could line up with Vibert’s timeline is the 2022 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships.
The exact date for that competition isn’t confirmed but will occur this fall in Bogotá, Colombia. At the time of this writing, the IWF calendar has the World Championships slated for December 1-17, 2022. Notably, Vibert hasn’t participated in this contest since a gold medal result in the 71-kilogram division during the 2019 edition.
Vibert may also elect to focus on her recovery entirely while retaining aspects like her leg and shoulder strength. The athlete has centered her long-term ambitions on the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Those are still roughly two years away, but qualifications will begin to ramp up soon. Notably, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) electing not to include Vibert’s recent 76-kilogram weight class at these Olympics, she has said over social media that she’d compete at her past division of 71 kilograms.
There’s a long road ahead for one of the United States’ top weightlifters. Given Vibert’s track record, she’s likely preparing for the long haul.
References
Pihl, K. et al. (2016). Over-optimistic patient expectations of recovery and leisure activities after arthroscopic meniscus surgery. Acta Orthopaedica. 2016 Dec 87 (6): 615-621.
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One of strength sports’ more illustrious achievements is the current deadlift world record of 501 kilograms (1,104.5 pounds). That lift belongs to 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Hafthor Björnsson, who pulled it in May 2020 as part of the World’s Ultimate Strongman “Feats of Strength” series.
Based on his recent ledger, Iranian strongman Peiman Maheripourehir could soon see himself broaching that mark. On July 19, 2022, Maheripourehir shared a clip from his Instagram page where he captured a massive 452-kilogram (996-pound) deadliftdouble. The athlete wore a lifting belt and utilized lifting straps for his training feat. Check it out below:
Maheripourehir has competed in elite strongman competitions like the World’s Strongest Man (WSM). However, of late, he appears to have centered on improving his deadlift. His casual success with this 996-pound deadlift double aligns well with previous pulling achievements.
Maheripourehir successfully deadlifted a monstrous 492 kilograms (1084.7 pounds) during a March 2021 training session. At the time, it was the third heaviest deadlift ever caught on camera. Only 2017 WSM champion Eddie Hall (500 kilograms/1,102.3 pounds) and Björnsson (501 kilograms/1,104.5 pounds) had pulled heavier.
Since Maheripourehir’s 492-kilogram (1084.7-pound) deadlift, powerlifter Krzysztof Wierzbicki lifted 502.5 kilograms (1,107 pounds) — the heaviest deadlift ever. However, Wierzbicki’s lift was performed in a sumo stance rather than a conventional stance. The former stance is not legal in strongman competition.
Maheripourehir is prepping for the 2022 World Deadlift Championships (WDC), a part of the 2022 Giants Live World Open, occurring on Aug. 6, 2022, at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales. It will be the Iranian strongman’s first appearance at the contest.
Of the confirmed 10 athletes on the 2022 WDC roster, Maheripourehir has the biggest deadlift by a comfortable margin aside from perhaps Ivan Makarov, who deadlifted 475 kilograms (1,047 pounds) to win the 2021 edition. That means Maheripourehir’s top filmed deadlift is 17 kilograms (37.5 pounds) more than the next best athlete in this year’s edition of the WDC.
At the time of this writing, here is the confirmed roster for the 2022 World Deadlift Championships:
If Maheripourehir stays true to his impressive track record in the gym, his first appearance at the WDC might be a memorable performance for all comers. If all goes well, he may break the deadlift World Record and put himself in an exclusive and esteemed strength sports club.
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John LaFlamme has been powerlifting in some competitive capacity for much of his adult life. Even with an absence between his youth in the late 1970s and his 60s in the early 2010s — according to Open Powerlifting — the 71-year-old athlete seemingly builds more strength and muscle by the day. His recent leg strength demonstration is an excellent example of his progress.
On July 20, 2022, LaFlamme (83KG) shared footage on his Instagram page wherein he completed a raw 193.7-kilogram (427-pound) back squat during a training session. It is a new personal record (PR) for LaFlamme. The figure is also 1.54 pounds more than his own International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Record in the Masters 4 (age 70+) division. The 83-kilogram athlete achieved that 193-kilogram (425.5-pound) record squat at the 2021 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships.
LaFlamme wore just a lifting belt and knee sleeves to score his new PR. Check it out below:
It’s not often a powerlifter breaks records across two divisions with one training feat, but that’s precisely what the LaFlamme accomplished. His new top squat PR unofficially exceeds the world records in two IPF Masters 4 weight class categories.
In addition to the 83-kilogram division, LaFlamme’s 193.7-kilogram (427-pound) squat is 2.6 pounds more than Christian Buch’s IPF Masters 4 World Record for the 93-kilogram class. Buch captured his official record squat mark of 192.5 kilograms (424.4 pounds) at the 2019 European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) European Masters Classic Championships.
LaFlamme at a Glance
At age 27, LaFlamme made his competitive powerlifting debut in 1978 during the AAU Maine State Powerlifting Championships. Since then, LaFlamme has participated in 48 sanctioned contests, winning 28 times over multiple divisions, sometimes competing raw and with wraps at the same competitions. After several promising podium results in the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships (2017-2019), LaFlamme finally broke through with a win in the Masters 4 83-kilogram division during the 2021 edition — arguably the top result of his career.
Here are LaFlamme’s raw all-time competition bests:
*Note: LaFlamme’s 210-kilogram (462.9) raw squat is from the 2018 USA Powerlifting Virginia State Championships. However, that number came as a 90-kilogram competitor and wouldn’t count as a World Record anyway because it didn’t occur in an international contest.
With his current pace, LaFlamme could soon garner a noteworthy milestone. Should he add 6.3 kilograms (13.9 pounds) to his squat, LaFlamme would become the first IPF Masters 4 powerlifter to squat at least 200 kilograms (440.9 pounds). At the time of this writing, the 71-year-old athlete hasn’t revealed when his next sanctioned contest will be.
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After the doozy of an inaugural edition in 2021, the next edition of the Arnold Strongman Classic UK will soon return. This year’s competition — which will test things like the respective athletes’ strength and conditioning — will take place on September 23-24, 2022, in Birmingham, England.
The official Instagram account of the 2022 Arnold Strongman UK revealed some of the participating athletes like Konstantine Janashia. On July 19, 2022, 11-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) competitor (2008-2019) and two-time Britain’s Strongest Man (BSM) champion (2012-2013) Laurence Shahlaei revealed the first 11 of the eventual 12-person lineup, along with the events, over his YouTube channel, Big Loz Official:
Winner of 2022 Scotland’s Strongest Man (to be determined)
Notably, the defending champion of the Arnold Strongman Classic UK, Evan Singleton, will not participate in this year’s contest. At the time of this article’s publication, neither Singleton nor the Strongman Classic UK organizers have revealed why.
That fresh-face sentiment also broadly applies to most of the 2022 roster. Pa O’Dwyer is the only returning competitor from the 2021 competition, which had 10 athletes in the lineup. This kind of set-up for competitors who haven’t experienced the Strongman Classic UK could make for a fascinating battle in Birmingham, England, this fall.
While Shahlaei diagrammed the expected events for this year’s contest, he did not reveal their precise order over the two September days in England. Those details will be confirmed at a later date.
Here’s a short breakdown of expectations for each of the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic UK events.
Super Yoke
A strongman staple, the titular “Super Yoke” implement will have a weight of 500 kilograms (1,102.3 pounds). The athletes will carry it for a current undisclosed distance and time. It has a nickname of “Beast Yoke,” named after 2017 WSM Champion Eddie “The Beast” Hall, for his former record-breaking deadlift of the same weight from the 2016 Europe’s Strongest Man (ESM) contest.
Rising star Mitchell Hooper might be someone to watch here. The Canadian athlete crushed the somewhat similar Car Walk during the 2022 WSM by walking his 430-kilogram (950-pound) car frame 20 meters (66 feet) in 11.64 seconds.
Deadlift
The deadlift portion of the Strongman Classic UK will task the competitors to perform as many reps as possible with 370 kilograms (815.7 pounds) on their barbells. Rauno Heinla, proficient with many deadlift variations, could be the favorite during this leg of the competition.
Sandbag Toss
Shahlaei did not disclose the weight of the sandbags for this event. That said, the general format will have the elite strongmen throwing a series of sandbags over some elevated bar or implement as fast as they can. Without knowing the precise standards, the Sandbag Toss currently likely sits as a free-for-all.
The dumbbell for this portion of the contest will weigh 100 kilograms (220.5 pounds). The competitors will try to lock out a complete one-hand overhead rep as many times as possible in a time frame. Once again, there might not be a true favorite with any dumbbell for reps specialists, but Bobby Thompson has shown excellent overall overhead strength in the past.
A 217-kilogram (478-pound) Log Lift (albeit two-handed) from the 2021 American Log Press Record Breaker is an example of what Thompson brings to the overhead table.
Arnold Stone Carry
The Arnold Stone Carry somewhat resembles the traditional and famous Dinnie Stones. The athletes will utilize two differently weighted Atlas Stones with handles attached. They will attempt to carry the respective 160-kilogram (353-pound) and 130-kilogram (286.5-pound) stones as far as possible — grip strength will be paramount.
Atlas Stones
As is often the case, the Atlas Stones are once again the final event of a strongman competition. There will be five stones ranging from 120 to 200 kilograms (264.5 to 440.9 pounds) that the athletes must place onto their corresponding pedestals. Those pedestals will start with a height of five feet before gradually decreasing to four feet.
In this event that could decide the eventual winner, Gavin Bilton could be someone to keep an eye on. The strongman lifted five stones in 27.3 seconds during the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic. That was enough to give him a fourth-place finish to noteworthy peers Maxime Boudreault, Oleksii Novikov, and Evan Singleton — none of whom will participate in this contest.
Whoever wins this year’s Arnold Strongman Classic UK will earn £30,000 ($30,580.56). Then, the rest of the athletes will split the remainder of £32,000 ($32,619.26), as everyone leaves with some reward. With the defending champion not a part of this edition, and an almost entirely new roster, it could be anyone’s competition to win.
The 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic UK will take place on September 23-24 in Birmingham, England.
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As far as bodybuilding talents who have competed outside of the National Physique Committee’s (NPC) parameters go, Michal Križánek is towards the top of the list. As the Men’s Open winner of the 2021 Mr. Universe Pro — a contest in the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Elite Pro League — it wouldn’t be a stretch to see Križánek attempt any relevant professional bodybuilding venture. Thanks to his building of a physique that features sterling arms and ripped legs, he may well excel, too.
According to a press release posted by the Evls Prague Pro organization on July 15, 2022, Križánek is doing precisely that. The bodybuilder has officially switched from the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Elite Pro League to the National Physique Committee (NPC). The NPC is the only amateur organization recognized by the IFBB Pro League.
At the time of this writing, per his social media, Križánek intends to earn his IFBB Pro Card. He hopes to parlay that into a qualification for the 2022 Mr. Olympia, which will take place on December 16-18, in Las Vegas, NV.
To get his Pro Card, based on the NPC’s standards, Križánek will have to qualify for and win at least one of the National Championships, North American Championships, or the USA Championships. A top-five finish in a National Qualifier would garner him a roster spot in the North American Championships. A top-three result would place him in The National Championships and USA Championships.
Should Križánek successfully earn his Pro Card in time, he will then have to qualify for the Mr. Olympia by either winning an IFBB Pro League contest, or by finishing in the top three in point standings in his Open division. To get in by points, the official qualification period for the 2022 Mr. Olympia ends on November 20.
Križánek has not confirmed when he’ll compete in a related regional contest at the time of this article’s publication.
The 2022 NPC USA Championships will occur on July 29-30 in Las Vegas, NV. The 2022 NPC North American Championships will take place on August 31 in Pittsburgh, PA. Finally, as a potential last step before the Olympia, the 2022 NPC National Championships will take place on December 2-3, in Orlando, FL.
Based on his IFBB Elite Pro career results, Križánek earning his IFBB Pro Card might be more of a formality than a question. According to Big Bodies, in 14 Elite Pro Contests, the bodybuilder has won 13 times and only failed to make the podium once. It’ll undoubtedly be more challenging for Križánek to maintain such an impressive ledger in a new league, especially if he competes against Open athletes like reigning two-time Mr. Olympia Mamdouh Elssbiay, Brandon Curry, Hadi Choopan, Hunter Labrada, and Nick Walker.
That said, Križánek’s already making a leap in competition. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him potentially become a household name in the NPC in the future.
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A powerlifter matching or surpassing a world record squat should be a tremendous challenge. Yet, for an elite athlete with the requisite leg strength like Chad Penson, he can make the difficult feats seem like a breeze.
On July 16, 2022, Penson shared footage on his Instagram page where he knocked out a 415-kilogram (915-pound) back squat with wraps during a training session. The strength figure is a new personal record (PR) for Penson and is 4.6 times his usual competition body weight of 90 kilograms (198.4 pounds). He wore a lifting belt and lifting straps for the squat, which you can view in the video below:
Penson’s new squat PR is 15 kilograms (33 pounds) more than his current all-time World Record of 400 kilograms (881.9 pounds) with wraps in the 90-kilogram class. He achieved that record at the 2021 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) Kern US Open, taking first place overall. At the time of this writing, Penson remains the only 90-kilogram powerlifter to squat at least 400 kilograms in a sanctioned powerlifting meet.
Per the caption of Penson’s Instagram post, he’s currently preparing for the 2022 WRPF American Pro, scheduled for July 29-30, 2022, in Manassas, VA. In reference to his new squat PR and other recent training feats like a 394.6-kilogram (870-pound) squat single from early July 2022, the powerlifter says he’s feeling some apparent fatigue. However, it doesn’t seem to be an obstacle that impedes any of his upcoming goals.
“Two weeks until showtime [the 2022 WRPF American Pro],” Penson writes. “I’m a little beat up, but considering all that, I’m happy how this moved!”
A Dynamic Battle
As it stands, the 90-kilogram powerlifting division is mostly a tug of war between two athletes. To notch his first victory since September 2021, Penson will have to overcome his friendly rival, John Haack. In late July 2022, before Penson eclipsed his wraps figure, Haack squatted 365 kilograms (804.7 pounds), matching the raw world record.
With wraps, Penson’s heaviest total of 997.5 kilograms (2,199.1 pounds) from the 2021 WRPF Kern US Open. Only Haack owns a higher raw total of 1,005.5-kilograms (2,216.8 pounds), which he scored at the 2021 WRPF Bucked Up Showdown.
Haack recently confirmed over social media that he would return to the 90-kilogram division for the 2022 WRPF American Pro. The powerlifter competed at 100 kilograms during the 2022 United States Powerlifting Association Hybrid Showdown 4. That announcement sets up a potentially enticing clash between Penson and Haack for the top of the podium. By the American Pro’s end in early August, the record books might have their names splattered all over.
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Some lifters hail the classic barbell bench press as the king of the upper body lifts, but its cousin the incline bench press could be a serious contender for the throne. Unjustly frowned upon in favor of the flat version, the incline bench press should be a staple for most lifters.
Credit: as-artmedia / Shutterstock
In fact, it is a more efficient version for many sports athletes. Just like the classic flat bench press, the incline bench press allows you to increase your pressing power in a functional and athletic way. You’ll also add size to your chest, shoulders, and arms.
Does using an incline really make a difference? Yes. Here are all the reasons why.
The incline bench press is a fundamental exercise that can be beneficial to every lifter. As a multi-joint, free-weight exercise, proper technique is paramount in order to reap the many benefits while minimizing the risk of injury.
Step 1 — Set Up on the Bench
Credit: Benoit Daoust / Shutterstock
Lie on a bench set to an inclined angle. Most gyms are equipped with fixed incline bench press stations. You can also setup an adjustable bench in a rack, which can allow you to use different angles for diverse muscle recruitment.
Adjust the seat position so the bar is above your eyes. You should be able to reach the bar with nearly straight, not significantly bent, arms. “Pack” your shoulders by pulling them back and down, which should arch your chest slightly up. Put your feet flat on the ground and tense your legs for stability. Grab the barbell with a pronated (palm-down) grip, slightly wider than your shoulders, and squeeze the bar hard.
Form Tip: Your grip width will play a role in muscle recruitment. A wide grip (well-beyond shoulder width) will target the front shoulders and overall chest, whereas a more narrow grip (equal to shoulder-width) will hit the triceps and upper chest more significantly. (1)
Step 2 — Unrack the Barbell
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Maintain tension through your whole body. Without moving the bar, try to bend it like a horseshoe. This helps to engage your lats and increase upper-body stability. Push your feet into the ground, as if you’re trying to slide the bench backwards. Take a deep breath and hold it as you flex your core during the lift-off.
Straighten your arms to lift the bar off the support hooks. “Pull” the bar to line up above your shoulders with your arms fully extended.
Form Tip: Only your arms should move during the lift off. Keep your scapulae (shoulder blades) together and down to protect your shoulder joints. If the bar is set too low and you need to perform a long range of motion to unrack the bar, you’re more likely to lose a stable position.
Step 3 — Lower with Control
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Lower the bar towards your upper chest or collarbones by bending your elbows. Maintain full body tension. Aim your elbows at an angle between your feet and shoulders. Keep your wrist upright, without tilting your hand forwards or backwards. Keep your forearms vertical and your elbows directly under the barbell.
Use a directly vertical bar path and lower the bar to touch the same spot on your chest with each repetition.
Form Tip: If you have stiff shoulders or upper body mobility issues, the full range of motion may be uncomfortable or even painful. If this is the case, work in a pain-free range of motion and stop a couple of inches before touching your chest. This should reduce stress on your rotator cuff and shoulder stabilizing muscles.
Step 4 — Drive the Weight Up Explosively
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From the bottom position, press the bar up as explosively as you can without being reckless. Keep tension through your body. Exhale as you drive the bar with force. Push steadily through your feet until the rep is complete, because the leg drive will transfer to your upper-body stability and power.
The barbell should end up over your shoulders, where it began after being unracked. Your arms should be locked and perpendicular to the floor.
Form Tip: Do your best to hold your breath until the sticking point (hardest part) of the movement is completed. This is most often near the transition from lowering the weight to pressing it up. Releasing your breath too early might cause your chest to cave in, resulting in a loss of total-body tension.
Incline Bench Press Mistakes to Avoid
The incline bench press is a relatively less technical animal than its flat bench counterpart, but flawed form is still a common sight in many gyms. Here are the main mistakes to avoid in order to progress efficiently and safely.
Flaring Your Arms
The incline bench press can put a lot of strain on the shoulder joint and greatly stretch the chest. In order to diminish this risk, you have to ensure optimal form at all times.
Credit: Jasminko Ibrakovic / Shutterstock
Monitor your elbows. Do they flare out towards your shoulders when you press the weight up? If so, you’re putting a lot of stress on your joints. Moreover, this position is less optimal for force production and you won’t develop as much strength.
Avoid It: Keep your arms around a 45-degree angle to your body. The exact angle will depends on your individual anatomy and bone length. Be sure to imagine “bending the barbell in half” because it will engage your lats and help prevent the flaring.
Bringing the Bar Too Low on Your Chest
Unlike the flat barbell bench press, in which you lower the bar in a slight arc, the incline bench press is most effective when you keep the bar path straight and vertical. It means that the bar should stay over your upper chest at all times and never drift towards your stomach.
Credit: DuxX / Shutterstock
Using a lower bar path will not only be detrimental to force production, but it will also rotate the shoulders into a weak position, which increases the risk for injury and decreases muscle tension.
Avoid It: Keep a vertical bar path by always having the bar approach the same spot on your chest for each repetition. Your wrists should be positioned vertically over your elbows vertically.
Lifting Your Feet
Unfortunately, many pre-set incline bench stations have steps or pegs where you can put your feet. Don’t use them. Unless, of course, you have a specific lower back condition that prevents you from comfortably and securely placing your feet flat on the floor.
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In order to press with power, you need a strong and stable base. Planting your feet on the ground and flexing your legs will produce more tension and stability throughout your entire body, which transfers into the lift.
Avoid It: Bring your feet almost under your hips and apply pressure into the floor for the duration of the lift. Push as hard as you can through your toes, as if you wanted to push the bench into the wall behind you. This leg drive will transfer stability to your upper-body, and ultimately the bar, allowing you to lift more weight.
Benefits of the Incline Bench Press
The incline bench press, being a slight variation of its flat counterpart, offers many of the same benefits. Both exercises load the upper body with relatively heavy weights while developing size and strength, but the incline brings its own set of results.
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Whether it’s added to a later part of the workout or prioritized on its own, the incline press offers distinct advantages.
The Best Upper-Chest Builder
For a complete, aesthetic chest development, you need a well-developed upper chest. Any type of incline over overhead press will recruit the clavicular (upper) head more than the sternal (mid-chest) muscle, but nothing trumps this movement for specifically building upper chest size. If that body part is lagging, you should make the incline bench press your main pressing exercise.
The angle of the bench is hugely important. A steep angle will target more the anterior deltoid (front shoulder) as well as the clavicular portion of the chest muscle. For overall chest development, a moderate incline of 15-30 degrees has been shown to be highly effective. (2)
Improved Athletic Performance
In many cases, the flat bench press isn’t the best bet for athletes because you rarely, if ever, press in a directly horizontal motion during sports events. Take rugby or American football, for instance. Your arms have to press at an angle relative to your torso if you want maximum efficiency and power. Athletes can use the incline bench to improve their on-field performance, as well as diversify their pressing strength and address muscle weaknesses.
Increased Upper Body Size and Strength
The incline bench press is one of the best investments you can make to pack on muscle and strength. Because you recruit the chest, shoulders, and triceps, you can use heavier weights than many upper body pressing exercises. This delivers a superior stimulus and you’ll progress more quickly and become stronger than with many other pressing exercises.
Muscles Worked By the Incline Bench Press
The incline bench press is not a single-joint isolation movement, so it will work all the pressing muscles of the upper body. As such, it is one of the best ways to develop these essential muscles for both beginners and experienced lifters.
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The incline bench press is sometimes seen as a “hybrid” between chest exercises and shoulder exercises because the incline angle alters muscle recruitment in the pressing muscles. This can be used to your advantage when programming the exercise for your specific goals.
Pectoralis Major
The pecs are the main and the largest chest muscles. Their function is internally rotate the humerus (the upper arm bone) as well as adduct it (bringing it closer to the body). This last function is mainly responsible for the incline bench press motion. The pectoralis has two main heads, the sternal (mid and lower chest) and the clavicular (upper chest). The incline bench press develops the chest as a whole, but will put more emphasis on the clavicular head than the flat version.
Deltoids
The deltoids are the shoulder muscles, composed of three heads: the anterior head (front of the shoulders), the lateral head (middle of the shoulder), and posterior head (rear of the shoulders). Their function is to raise and rotate the arms in their corresponding directions. Because the arms are in front of the shoulders during the movement, the anterior deltoid will be hit the most. As the pressing angle gets more steep and approached upright, your mid and rear delts will contribute more to the movement. (3)
Triceps Brachii
This is the muscle sitting on the back of your upper arm, responsible for extending and straightening it from a bent position. The triceps are essential to every pressing movement and will contribute greatly to the lockout portion of the incline bench press. They are more heavily activated if you use a closer grip width and/or a steeper angle.
Back
The lats and upper back muscles are involved in supporting the incline bench press, even though they really aren’t prime movers in this movement. They do contribute to its execution. The latissimus dorsi (lats), the largest back muscle, mainly serve as a shoulder joint stabilizer and will prevent your elbows from flaring.
The upper back muscles — the trapezius, rear deltoids, and rhomboids — support shoulder and scapular (shoulder blade) stability, allowing for proper force transfer. They are taxed more significantly during high-angle incline pressing.
Who Should Do the Incline Bench Press
This exercise is a staple for upper body pressing strength and size. It will serve experienced and beginners alike because it is as efficient and effective as the flat bench press. (4) Everyone from general athletes to strongmen and strongwomen and everyone in between can benefit from putting more emphasis on the incline than flat.
Strength Athletes
Strongmen, strongwomen, and Olympic weightlifters will benefit the most from incline benching. They need tremendous shoulder strength. Because the flat version is never seen in their competitions, the incline press is an ideal complement to direct overhead pressing. Powerlifters and CrossFit athletes can also benefit from using the incline bench press to improve weaknesses, such as the mid-range of the bench press for powerlifters or carryover to overall pressing strength for CrossFitters.
This lift will greatly build overhead stability and force production, so any athlete or lifter that wants to move heavy weights overhead should consider it.
Athletes in Contact Sports or Track and Field
Strong shoulders are a staple for these athletes and the inclined angle is more sport-specific to their activities. Whether it’s throwing punches, throwing a discuss, or throwing a ball, the incline bench press a superior and more relevant alternative to build transferable pressing strength because their sports rarely involve direct overhead or direct horizontal pressing. It’s also a good way to add variety to training, prevent overuse injuries, and shape a complete athlete.
Regular Gymgoers
Most lifters learn to prioritize the bench press, but adding a little variety certainly won’t hurt the non-competitive gymgoer and it will provide a fresh training stimulus. It’s as effective for building size and strength, and it’s typically believed that having well-developed shoulders (from the added incline training) will shape your frame in a more aesthetic way. The incline bench press will prove a fantastic variation to anybody who wants a bigger, broader, physique.
How To Program the Incline Bench Press
The incline bench press is a formidable choice to improve strength and size because a variety of training schemes can be used. Low reps with heavy weight or relatively lighter weight with high volume — you decide depending on your objectives. In any case, you should perform the incline bench press when fresh in a session, as the first or second exercise of the workout, to apply the most focus and effort.
Heavy Weight, Low Repetitions
If you want to build maximum strength, this is the way to go — three to six sets of three to five repetitions. If you’re experienced, you could even use heavier weight for two or one repetitions. Keep one or two reps in the tank to ensure proper form at all times because technique is crucial in developing strength. (5) In the same spirit, use long rest periods of three to five minutes so that you can repeat the same effort and your form doesn’t degrade.
Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetition
If you want to build size, three to four sets of six to 12 repetitions is your best bet. You should still keep perfect form at all times, but approach, or even achieve, muscular failure on each set. Rest periods should be two to three minutes long if you want maximal results. (6) Use the lower end of the rep range with a longer rest the majority of the time. But consider shortening the rest to 60 to 90 seconds with higher reps if you want to enjoy a nasty pump.
Moderate Weight, Low Repetitions
This approach should interest athletes. Roughly six to eight sets of two to five repetitions is excellent for building explosive strength and power. This is the least efficient scheme for building muscle, but it will improve your speed, power, and technique. Use a moderate weight that you can accelerate and press it as fast as you can. You should never feel fatigued or approach muscular fatigue, so keep your rest periods between one to two minutes to keep your nervous system fresh. Resist the urge to rest less.
Incline Bench Press Variations
You want to add incline pressing to your training regimen, but the barbell hurts your shoulders? You don’t feel your chest working? You crave new exercises? Don’t worry, you’re covered with these variations that can add variety while still developing incline strength and building chest, shoulder, and arm size.
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
If you have upper back or shoulder mobility issues, the barbell incline bench press can sometimes force your shoulders into a compromised position. This can strain your joints and and potentially cause injuries if you suffer from shoulder impingement or a poor subacromial space (the area between where your humerus connects to the shoulder joint). If barbell pressing is painful, try the dumbbell version.
You won’t use as much total weight, but the freedom and range of motion allowed by the dumbbells ensures less stress on the shoulder joints. It can actually be an even more efficient way to target your chest muscles. (7) Plus, as a unilateral exercise (making each side of the body work on its own), it is a great way to address muscle imbalances.
Decline Push-Up
Let’s go back to the bodyweight basics. This push-up variation can be done anywhere, at any time, and does not need equipment other than something to prop your feet onto. It’s essentially a traditional push-up with your feet elevated, on a bench for example, to mimic the incline angle. Keep your body in a straight line. Support yourself on your hands and toes, and do not let your elbows flare out.
This is a harder variation of the standard push-up. As an unweighted bodyweight exercise, it will be best used for higher reps with shorter rest periods. It’s the same principle as with the bench: the higher your feet, the more challenging the exercise will be and the more you’ll recruit the shoulders.
Incline Pin Press
The low end of the range of the incline bench press can be an issue for some lifters, since it’s the position where the muscles and joints are under the greatest stretch. If it’s painful or problematic, why not avoid it? Set pins in a rack so that the barbell is just a couple of inches over your chest to limit the range of motion. Lower the bar to gently contact the pins on each rep to ensure the same range of motion on every rep.
As a bonus, let the bar rest in a dead-stop for one to two seconds before pressing each rep back up. This will elicit tremendous muscle activation and help develop both tightness in the lift and explosive power.
Incline Bench Press Alternatives
If you train in a home gym without an adjustable bench, or if they are all taken because it’s Monday evening and everyone in the world is training their chest, don’t panic. Here are some alternatives to work the same muscle groups and provide almost-similar benefits.
Bench Press
As expected. The bench press being (arguably) the king of upper body pressing exercises, it is a natural choice if you cannot perform the incline bench press. It offers many of the same benefits, though it works the middle part of the chest more and the shoulders less.
This is the pressing movement with which you’ll most likely use the most weight, so it is a fantastic overloading movement to increase strength and size, and can be a staple in many performance programs.
Floor Press
The original “bench press”, originally performed before flat benches were in gyms, is a very good substitution for the incline. It’s very simple: you lie on the floor and press from there, either taking the weight from pair of low-set safety pins or carefully hip thrusting the weight into the lockout position to begin. Lower the bar slowly so you don’t smash your elbows into the floor, pause for a second, and drive up hard to lockout.
Because it uses a partial range of motion compared to lying on a bench, it will emphasize your triceps and lockout strength while avoiding stress on your shoulders. As such, it is a great variation for experienced lifters who’ve developed poor shoulder joints over the years. It also has the particularity of not using the legs — just like on the incline, you cannot cheat.
Seated Shoulder Press
Do you want cannonball delts? Done. Take the incline to the extreme — completely vertical. This variation hits the shoulders way more as a whole, but still works the clavicular portion of the pectoralis. If you want a bit more chest activation, use a slightly-less-than-vertical angle, anywhere from 60-degrees to 85-degrees will do the job.
It is not a bad idea to rotate more shoulder-focused exercises in your routine because this muscle group is usually a weak link both in aesthetics and performance.
Smith-Machine Incline Bench Press
The Smith Machine is an often overlooked piece of equipment which can provide great muscle-building benefits. This is a nearly identical variation as the barbell incline bench press, but the Smith is more geared towards hypertrophy instead of strength because it cannot safely accommodate very heavy loads.
The Smith machine requires much less stability and can push yourself closer to muscular failure than with the barbell. Because you don’t have to recruit as many stabilizing muscles, it can be a good choice for beginners learning the movement pattern and basic technique.
FAQs
Can I do the incline bench press as my main chest exercise?
Indeed you can. It has been shown to be as efficient as the flat bench press for beginners. Many experienced lifters use the incline press as their go-to chest movement, including six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates, who swears by it.
Unless you’re a powerlifter, who must prioritize the flat bench press for competition, you don’t “have to” do the flat bench press to build an impressive physique with strength to match.
What should I do if I feel pain in my shoulders in the incline bench press?
Any time you feel pain, you have to address the cause of the issue before anything else. If it’s not a diagnosed medical condition involving joint pain, switch to a different exercise at least for a while.
Most of the time, feeling pain during a specific exercise is either due to poor technique or overuse issues. So, work on your form (hire a qualified coach if needed) and decrease the training volume (number of sets) on this exercise until you figure it out or until it clears up.
Another culprit could be an anterior to posterior imbalance, meaning that your back and rotator cuff muscles are too weak compared to your chest and front shoulders. Adjusting your training program to include more pulling exercises, especially for the upper back, should help to address the imbalance.
Can I use both the flat and incline bench press in my routine?
Sure. But since they are quite similar, you have to be smart about programming because you don’t want any redundancy. It would be more effective to either use them in separate sessions (if you train your chest or shoulders twice a week) or use different rep schemes when performing both exercises in the same workout.
For instance, you could start the session with the flat bench press using heavy weight and low-rep sets and move on to the incline bench press with moderate weight, higher-rep sets. This diverse approach could also be done if you split the exercises between two sessions, as well, having one day focused on heavy weights and the second workout several days later using relatively lighter weights.
You’d Be Inclined to Get Results
The incline bench press is a fantastic addition to any lifter’s repertoire, and is one of the best upper-body size and strength builders. Use it to improve performance, get a broader chest, cap your shoulders, diversify your training, or work on your weaknesses. That’s a lot of bang for the buck, considering all it takes is tilting the bench and pressing away.
References
Barnett, Chris1; Kippers, Vaughan2; Turner, Peter1 Effects of Variations of the Bench Press Exercise on the EMG Activity of Five Shoulder Muscles, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: November 1995 – Volume 9 – Issue 4 – p 222-227
Rodríguez-Ridao D, Antequera-Vique JA, Martín-Fuentes I, Muyor JM. Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Oct 8;17(19):7339. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17197339. PMID: 33049982; PMCID: PMC7579505.
Campos YAC, Vianna JM, Guimarães MP, Oliveira JLD, Hernández-Mosqueira C, da Silva SF, Marchetti PH. Different Shoulder Exercises Affect the Activation of Deltoid Portions in Resistance-Trained Individuals. J Hum Kinet. 2020 Oct 31;75:5-14. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2020-0033. PMID: 33312291; PMCID: PMC7706677.
Chaves SFN, Rocha-JÚnior VA, EncarnaÇÃo IGA, Martins-Costa HC, Freitas EDS, Coelho DB, Franco FSC, Loenneke JP, Bottaro M, Ferreira-JÚnior JB. Effects of Horizontal and Incline Bench Press on Neuromuscular Adaptations in Untrained Young Men. Int J Exerc Sci. 2020 Aug 1;13(6):859-872. PMID: 32922646; PMCID: PMC7449336.
Wilson, Gregory J., Bruce C. Elliott and Graham K. Kerr. “Bar Path and Force Profile Characteristics for Maximal and Submaximal Loads in the Bench Press.” International journal of sport biomechanics 5 (1989): 390-402.
Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, Hester GM, Sellers J, Nooner JL, Schnaiter JA, Bond-Williams KE, Carter AS, Ross CL, Just BL, Henselmans M, Krieger JW. Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Jul;30(7):1805-12. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001272. PMID: 26605807.
Farias, Déborah & Willardson, Jeffrey & Paz, Gabriel & Bezerra, Ewertton & Miranda, Humberto. (2016). Maximal Strength Performance and Muscle Activation for the Bench Press and Triceps Extension Exercises Adopting Dumbbell, Barbell, and Machine Modalities Over Multiple Sets. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 31. 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001651.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Ivan Makarov has made a name for himself in the strongman sphere because of his deadlift proficiency. He is the reigning champion of the annual World Deadlift Championships (WDC) contest, thanks to his competition-best pull of 475 kilograms (1,047 pounds). The Russian strongman recently released a clip on his Instagram page that suggests he is prepared to retain his title.
On July 18, 2022, Makarov shared footage of himself capturing a 470-kilogram (1,036.1-pound) deadlift during a training session. Julian Howard (@worldsstrongestfan) shared the clip on his Instagram profile. The strongman wore a lifting suit and completed his massive pull in his socks.
Makarov’s strength mark is only five kilograms (11 pounds) less than his top lift of 475 kilograms (1,047.2 pounds) from the 2021 WDC. Makarov’s all-time deadlift PR on camera is 490 kilograms (1,080.2 pounds), which came during a September 2021 training session.
Makarov’s staggering deadlift training is undoubtedly part of his preparation for the 2022 WDC. That contest is a part of the broader 2022 Giants Live World Open & World Deadlift Championships, taking place on Aug. 6, 2022, at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
Here’s the list of expected competitors who will try to prevent a Makarov repeat victory:
*Note: Adam Bishop was previously on the 2022 WDC roster, but after suffering a triceps injury in early July 2022, he withdrew. At the time of this writing, Giants Live has not yet announced Bishop’s replacement.
The Giants Live organization has presented a fascinating challenge to Makarov and each of his 2022 WDC peers. Should any of the athletes lift 505 kilograms (1,113 pounds) during the contest, Giants Live will reward them with a $55,000 cash prize. That lift would eclipse the current all-time world record held by 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Hafthor Björnsson, who pulled 501 kilograms (1,104.5 pounds) in the World’s Ultimate Strongman “Feats of Strength” series in May 2020.
Over the past couple of years, Makarov has made a variety of training attempts at both the world record and 500-kilogram deadlifts. If Makarov deadlifts at least 500 kilograms (1,102.3 pounds), he would become the third strongman to join that exclusive club. Only Björnsson, 2017 WSM champ Eddie Hall, and powerlifter Krzysztof Wierzbicki have ever pulled at least 500 kilograms.
Wierzbicki notably surpassed Björnsson’s World Record with a 502.5-kilogram (1,107-pound) deadlift during a late April 2022 training session. However, the figure would not count in an official strongman competition because Wierzbicki used a sumo stance. While not a record, it remains the heaviest filmed deadlift in history.
Makarov and some of the world’s elite deadlifters will compete at the 2022 WDC on August 6, 2022, in Cardiff, Wales.
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