A bench press percentage chart can help a person to determine teh amount of weights that they should lift during their bench press exercise. Bench press percentage charts use a persons one-rep max to calculate the weight that they should lift during their bench press workouts, and allow the person to set goals for there bench press strength and endurance. A persons one-rep max is the amount of weight that they can lift once during a bench press exercise.
This measurement allow for a person to calculate various percentages of their one-rep max for different training purposes. Bench press percentage charts use percentages of a person’s one-rep max to allow for the bench pressing of different goals. Bench pressing between 80 and 95 percent of a persons one-rep max will help to increase their bench press strength, and will require the lifting of between one and five repetitions of that percentage of one-rep max. Bench pressing between 65 and 80 percent of a one-rep max will help to increase the muscle masses of a persons upper body muscles (hypertrophy), and will require the bench pressing of between six and twelve repetitions.
How to Use a Bench Press Percentage Chart
Bench pressing between 50 and 65 percent of a one-rep max will help to increase a persons muscularly endurance, which requires the performance of between twelve and twenty repetitions of that percentage of one-rep max. Thus, the percentage of a one-rep max that an individual uses to bench press will indicate the goal that they are using for that exercise. In order to effectively use a percentage chart for bench pressing, a person must first calculate their one-rep max. To calculate their one-rep max, a person can perform a dynamic warmup, and then gradually increase the weights that they lift during their bench press sets. For instance, a person may perform sets of five bench press repetitions at 50 percent of their predicted one-rep max, sets of three repetitions at 70 percent of the one-rep max, and sets of two repetitions at 80 percent of the one-rep max. Finally, the person can attempt to bench press their one-rep max by lifting the heaviest weight once.
Alternatively, a person can calculate an estimation of their one-rep max rather than performing these exercises themself. The Epley formula use the weight that a person lifts and the number of repetitions that a person performs to calculate the one-rep max for that individual. The Epley formula is a way for a person to calculate their one-rep max without performing the test themself.
A person can use the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) value to alter their training regime as necessary. The Rate of Perceived Exertion scale ranges from a one to ten, and indicates the difficulty of the exercise for that individual performer. For example, a rating of an eight on the RPE scale indicates that the individual could perform two more repetitions of that exercise before becoming fatigued.
A person can use a lower RPE if they feel particularly tired, but could use a higher RPE if they feel particularly strong. As with most methods that use the RPE value, the more that a person utilizes this scale, the more accurately that measurement will be. By using both the RPE scale and the bench press percentage chart, a person can avoid overtraining and ensure that the intensity level is appropriate for their physical state.
Many training regimes use these percentages. For instance, one exercise regime may use a 5×5 training regime, which indicates that a person performs five sets of five repetitions. The percentage of one-rep max that can be used with this training regime may be 80%.
Alternatively, another training regime may use a 3×8 training regime, in which a person performs three sets of eight repetitions. The percentage of one-rep max that can be used with this regime may be 75% to help develop muscle mass. These are just two examples of the various training regimes that exist, and each regime may indicate the percentage of one-rep max that is to be used for those particular exercises.
There are, however, some mistakes that a person should avoid when training with the assistance of a bench press percentage chart. One mistake that a person should avoid is skipping warmups prior to the exercise. Skipping warmups can lead to the use of improper form during the exercise, which can lead to injuries.
Another mistake that a person should avoid is performing a one-rep max test too frequently. Performing a one-rep max test too often can interfere with the bodys ability to recover from that exercise. A person should also avoid any mistake with form during the bench press exercise; proper technique must be utilized.
Finally, a person should ensure that they have had enough protein and sleep to recover from the exercise that they performed with the percentage chart.
