Bench Press, Shoulder Press, Face Press?
Hopefully you're not doing this move or you will look really silly.
If you ever hear this phrase at your local gym or health club than immediately cancel your membership and walk, no run out the door as fast as you can because you my friend are not at a normal gym. I do not know where you are but never go back there again!
The all-elusive Face Press
You don’t hear too much about it in magazines or read about it in the latest exercise books…but it does exist. You probably see it performed all of the time and not even know it, perhaps you are even the perpetrator.
To do a Face Press is quite simple really. Start by laying face up on a normal bench. It can be done with either dumbbells or a barbell. Start in a typical Chest Press position and as you slowly bring the weights up, straightening out your arms, make sure the weights or weight is directly over your face. Figured it out yet?
In Your Face!!!
Let’s face it (pun intended) you are actually doing a Chest Press the wrong way. The Face Press, which sounds kind of like a skateboard trick, and it’s cousin the Face Fly, which oddly enough sounds like a pro wrestling move, are two exercises that are very commonly seen in the gym, but these moves actually prevent you from getting the most out of your workouts and can be harmful to your shoulders.
According to most exercise journals as well as “Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning” from the National Strength and Conditioning Association the proper form of any chest exercise is to bring the weight over your chest so that the chest, not the face, gets the brunt of the weight and the most development. On top of the fact that you are seriously hindering your chest development by working it incorrectly you are doing a lot of harm to your rotator cuff and could suffer problems later.
The Strategy
The best rule of thumb is to pick a spot on the ceiling directly above your chest and aim for that when you are pressing the weight upward. When all is said and done there is always a very good reason why personal trainers and bodybuilders stress the importance of proper form, they know that you get the most out of every exercise when it is done right.
Besides, if you have that barbell over your face and it slips out of your hands, well you do not want to see who is going to win that battle I can tell you that.
