The Barbell Bench Press is obviously the most common exercise for working the chest...yet it has a major flaw.

A good portion of the movement doesn't necessarily focus on the pecs. The top half of the movement involves a lot of triceps activation.

So how do we increase the specific tension being placed on the pecs during the barbell bench press? Easy. We focus more time on the bottom 1/4 of the exercise, where the pecs are under greater stretch.

This is done by using a technique called "one and a quarter reps."

And it's actually quite simple.

Start with the bar at the top position as you normally would (use a lighter weight than you think you'll need the first time you try this...we want to focus on tension, not simply moving weight).

Lower the bar to your chest and pause briefly (this technique should be done in a somewhat "robotic" fashion,

Press it back up to just below the sticking point (about 1/4 of the way up). DO NOT use this as an excuse to bounce the bar off your chest. It should be done under complete control, keeping solid tension on the pecs.

Lower the bar back down to your chest.

Then press back up to lockout.

This will essentially add an extra rep in the most productive portion of the movement for the pecs. You'll be spending more time under tension in that bottom position (great for building muscle) and developing strength out of the bottom of the bench (which will carry over to full-range reps).

One thing to note with breathing...I find it best to hold my breath while doing that 1/4 rep at the bottom. Breathe in as you lower down on the original negative from lockout, hold while doing the quarter, then exhale on the full press up, after you pass the sticking point.

This is a very easy technique to incorporate into your regular bench training and it has tremendous potential to improve your pec development.

This method can also be applied to dumbbell flyes and cable cross-overs.

If you're familiar with Positions of Flexion Training, this is what that would look like as a full workout.

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"

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