Push-ups from the floor or bench press. Pushups. Anytime, Anywhere

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Bodybuilding and "iron" sports in the 60s of the last century were very different from modern versions. And it's not just about improved training complexes. The chemical industry and sports nutrition of the new century have stepped far ahead. Today's athletes know exactly what their muscles need and how it works. However, even the most advanced athletes cannot always say what glutamine, creatine and others are.

Filling the gap: glutamine is an amino acid found exclusively in meat proteins. It is present in small amounts in dairy products.




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What is it for

Glutamine is one of the three essential amino acids that directly affect muscle structure. A reasonable question may arise - why consider it separately from proteins? Let's figure it out in order. The protein is broken down into dozens of different amino acids, including even rare compounds like arginine.

At the same time, the amino acids that make up the protein play the most important roles in the body:

• responsible for the functioning of the thyroid gland;
• regulate the functions of the gastrointestinal tract;
• transport polyunsaturated fatty acids;
• regulate metabolism.

The abundance of protein in your own diet does not mean a rapid increase in muscle mass.



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Effect on muscle protein synthesis

What is glutamine good for? Unlike other amino acids, it not only affects muscle protein synthesis, but also affects other functions that directly affect athletic performance. In particular, he is responsible for the opening of the transport depot. When insulin is released, carbohydrates that enter the muscles are converted into glycogen, but few people know that the glycogen depots themselves consist of protein cells. Glutamine allows you to significantly expand the number of transport cells.

In turn, an increase in the number of glycogen cells allows you to accumulate more glycogen. The result will be the following:

• less energy is stored in fat cells;
• increases endurance;
• muscle volume increases;
• reserve glycogen stores.

In addition, glutamine directly affects the synthesis of protein muscle fibers themselves. So, the body is able to independently convert protein into muscle in an amount of not more than 500 g per month. This fact significantly slows down the power progress. And that is why many athletes seeking to get a quick effect resort to the use of anabolics. Glutamine solves this problem in a safer way.

A significant increase in glutamine amino acids in the body allows the synthesis of a huge number of new cells during insulin opening. At the initial stage, this does not lead to a serious improvement in results. But when an athlete hits a power plateau, glutamine can trigger hyperplasia, which will lead to overcoming stagnation and further growth.

What foods contain amino acids

Not everyone likes to use sports nutrition in their training complexes. For this reason, athletes suffer from a deficiency of the necessary amino acids. In addition, BCAAs and protein isolate are quite expensive. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to foods that contain glutamic acid in large quantities.




Note: The table does not take into account the bioavailability of glutamic acid and many other features, due to which the actual absorption of glutamine from the product will be significantly less than indicated in the table.

The content of glutamine in 100 g of a natural food product
Product	Percentage of amino acid in protein	Total Glutamic Acid
	18,6%	3000 mg
Cottage cheese	15%	2400 mg
Eggs	12,8%	1800 mg
Hard cheese	23%	4600 mg
Pork	11,7%	1700 mg
Krill	18,9%	2800 mg
Sea bass	18,2%	1650 mg
Cod	17,5%	2101 mg
goose fillet	16,5%	2928 mg
Chicken fillet	16%	3000 mg
soy products	14%	2400 mg
Corn	13,1%	1800 mg
Green pepper	2,8%	611 mg
Cod	10%	1650 mg
Kefir	7,9%	2101 mg
Processed cheese	12,8%	2928 mg

An important point: beef is almost 20% fat, which must be taken into account when counting and consuming glutamic acid.

Another important aspect concerns heat treatment. Glutamine is found only in a complex protein. Therefore, with strong frying or long cooking, it can curl up into simpler amino acid chains that will not be as useful.



The benefits of glutamine in sports

The benefits of glutamine in sports are obvious to every bodybuilder. However, for other athletes with tight weight control, its usefulness is far from clear, since an increase in glycogen storage affects weight.

In general, glycogen affects the athlete's body as follows:

• increases maximum strength;
• reduces daytime fatigue;
• increases the endurance of the athlete;
• allows you to overcome power stagnation;
• preserves muscles during drying.

The latter is especially important. If you take glutamine directly (at the recommended dose of 4-10 g per day), then during each opening of the depot with the help of insulin, the amino acid will go directly to the muscle and compensate for the catabolic effects associated with the fact that the body will try to get rid of excess weight during weight loss. energy consumer (muscles).

In particular, glutamine is effective for carbohydrate rotation and a rigid carbohydrate-free diet, as it allows you not to slow down your metabolism. It is best to take the amino acid separately from food within 5-12 minutes after the end of the workout - that is, before the protein and carbohydrate window opens. In addition, it is recommended to consume foods containing glutamine at night to reduce the effect of catabolism.

Possible harm

Like any other product associated with iron sports, glutamine is associated with various myths. Does glutamine have side effects? Given the fact that this amino acid is constantly supplied to the body in small quantities, glutamine does not cause any harm to the body.

The only harm from glutamine that athletes can see is associated with an overdose. If you consume it in an amount of more than 15 g per amino acid intake, you can get indigestion and acute diarrhea, which will end immediately after the excess amino acid is excreted by the body.

The product slightly changes the pH of the gastric environment, irritating the intestines. Otherwise, even with increased doses of glutamine, no effect on the liver and kidneys was found, since the acid dissolves even at the stage of digestion of food in the stomach, from where it directly enters the bloodstream, bypassing the liver filtrate.




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Top Glutamine Supplements

Glutamine is found in many sports supplements. The cheapest source is whey protein, which contains about 20% of the necessary amino acid. Those who want to buy good whey protein should pay attention to WPC 80%. Despite the fact that its benefits are overhyped and in fact it is a common whey protein, it still remains one of the cheapest products in its class, especially if you buy it directly from the manufacturer.

Those who are used to drowning their bodies with dollar bills should pay attention to BCAAs and a separate glutamine supplement. L

The best BCAAs containing glutamine:

1. Capsules from Optimum nutrition. The most expensive on the market, but having the largest number of quality certificates.
   
   
2. Weider company's bcaa are rich in glutamine and have a 4-2-1 structure versus the standard 2-1-1.
   
   
3. A separate glutamine from Ultimate nutrition is suitable for those who are used to using soy protein in their nutrition complexes.

Should I take the amino acid glutamine? If yes, how much and with what? Let's analyze a number of studies to answer these questions.

Athletes are divided in opinion about glutamine. Some talk about its benefits for muscle growth, while others consider it useless. Let's analyze the scientific facts to find out what glutamine really is and how to take it.

What is glutamine?

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the animal body. It can be found in muscle tissue, plasma, and almost all animal foods. On average, glutamine makes up 5% of all amino acids in meat, dairy and eggs. It doesn't seem like much, but glutamine is important for many physiological processes.

Note that important does not mean irreplaceable. Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid. This means that under normal conditions the human body synthesizes glutamine, but it is not enough to meet the daily requirement, especially in cases of stress.

Read also:

The biological role of glutamine

Glutamine is synthesized in the human body when the non-essential amino acid glutamate (glutamic acid) is broken down into pieces, each of which combines with a nitrogen-containing ammonia molecule. In other words, glutamine is a nitrogen sponge that absorbs and neutralizes ammonia, and then transports it in a non-toxic form to tissues, where nitrogen is used for cell growth, regeneration and other biochemical processes. About 30-35% of the nitrogen obtained from the breakdown of amino acids is transported throughout the body in the form of glutamine.

About 70% of glutamine is synthesized in skeletal muscle, from where it moves to the small intestine, kidneys, and white blood cells.

The intensity of synthesis and the amount of glutamine in the body decreases during pregnancy, illness, diet, growth and development, and stress. In these cases, the use of glutamine as a dietary supplement is appropriate and desirable.

The benefits of glutamine for the body

Glutamine, like other alpha-amino acids, regulates the synthesis and breakdown of protein molecules. In addition, it affects the metabolism of amino acids, the formation of glucose, the transport of water and the transmission of nerve impulses, supports the barrier function of the gastrointestinal tract and the immune system.

The kidneys are the main consumer of glutamine. They use ammonia molecules, which are released from the breakdown of glutamine, to help maintain the body's acid-base balance. Wherever there is ammonia, there is glutamine. Increased training and a high-protein diet upset the acid-base balance, and the kidneys need more glutamine to restore it. Studies have shown that after just four days of a high-protein, high-fat diet, plasma and muscle glutamine levels dropped by 25%.

If the body does not have time to synthesize enough glutamine, then a deficiency occurs, which manifests itself in muscle wasting, loss of strength and increased susceptibility to infections.

To avoid this, it is important to know how to drink glutamine.

The effect of glutamine on performance and fitness

With mild dehydration, the use of glutamine in combination with electrolyte drinks and glucose increases physical performance, restores water and electrolyte balance. Moreover, the intake of glutamine leads to an increase in the secretion of growth hormone during exhausting workouts.

An increase in extracellular glutamine concentration also activates the mTOR signaling mechanism responsible for muscle growth. However, glutamine will bring maximum benefit under additional conditions. For example, in the presence of other amino acids, in particular leucine, and sufficient cellular hydration.

In one study, a group of bodybuilders took 4 grams of glutamine daily for 8 weeks in combination with creatine in a loading and maintenance regimen. As a result, they gained more lean muscle mass than athletes who only took creatine.

Read also:

What are the types of glutamine?

In addition to the dosage, when choosing a glutamine-containing sports supplement, pay attention to the transport system. If you are buying powder, capsules, or tablets, the free form of L-glutamine will work best. That being said, remember that L-glutamine is unstable and avoid ready-made drinks or protein bars that contain it.

If you still prefer protein shakes or bars, then look for glutamine in their composition in the form of peptide molecules. It may be referred to as L-alanyl-L-glutamine, glycyl-L-glutamine hydrate, or glutamine peptides. Such compounds are 65-70% glutamine. That is, for every 10 grams of glutamine peptide, there are 6.5–7 grams of glutamine. Keep this in mind when deciding how to take glutamine.

In whatever form you take glutamine, up to 90% of the dose is inactivated during the first pass. Only a small part of glutamine bypasses the hepatic barrier and is absorbed by cells; the rest is eliminated by enterocytes and immune cells in the intestine.

Avoid sports nutrition containing N-acetyl-L-glutamine (not to be confused with N-acetyl glucosamine) or alpha-ketoisocaproyl-glutamine (also known as aKIC-glutamine). These compounds may be stable, but studies suggest that they are a poor transport system for glutamine and provide no benefit.

What to combine with glutamine

Take glutamine with sodium and other electrolytes. Glutamine transport occurs through sodium-dependent mechanisms; moreover, this combination increases the volume of cells, improves the absorption of water and minerals. In turn, hydration promotes muscle hypertrophy, so taking glutamine with calcium helps increase endurance and increase muscle mass. On the contrary, dehydration inhibits the mTOR signaling mechanism responsible for muscle growth.

Consider other substances that are suitable for combination with glutamine

BCAA

The combination of glutamine with BCAAs improves muscle growth and endurance for two reasons. Firstly, the concentration of nitrogenous compounds, and hence glutamine, in the blood directly affects the metabolism of BCAAs. Second, extracellular glutamine activates the mTOR signaling mechanism only in the presence of amino acids, primarily leucine.

citrulline

Glutamine transfers citrulline between tissues, which is necessary for the synthesis of arginine and nitric oxide. The combined intake of glutamine with citrulline increases the ability of the latter to synthesize nitric oxide, as a result of which more oxygen and nutrients enter the skeletal muscles. And these are prerequisites for high-quality recovery and muscle growth.

Alpha-ketoglutarate (aKG)

Like glutamine, alpha-ketoglurate is a breakdown product of glutamate. Depending on the dosage, this compound can slow down the breakdown of glutamine, activate the mTOR signaling mechanism and the powerful antioxidant glutathione.

Glucose or N-acetylglucosamine (NAG)

The lack of glucose negatively affects the absorption of glutamine, growth and viability of cells. Supplementation of NAG is of particular benefit to athletes on a low-carbohydrate diet. It restores the absorption and metabolism of glutamine, which stimulates cell repair and growth.

How to take glutamine

Let's start the instructions by reminding you that when taken orally, glutamine is absorbed by only 30%. Therefore, the daily dose should be high - at least 20-30 grams. It needs to be broken down into small portions to increase and maintain plasma glutamine concentrations. It is preferable to take glutamine with foods rich in carbohydrates.

Push-ups are reverse bench presses. Also a multi-joint exercise. And this means that many muscles are involved in it, but only two "solo" - chest and triceps. Just like the bench press. Indirectly, the anterior bundles of deltas, forearms, small muscles of the hand, muscles of the lower back, abs and quadriceps work.However, this is a purely superficial anatomical view. And here is the qualified opinion of a sports physiologist, professor of sports medicine, US amateur bodybuilding champion, Bob Lefavy: " In fact, practically the entire musculature of the body is involved in push-ups. Another thing is that only some of the muscles perform dynamic work, while others are statically tense in order to maintain a straight body position. However, what a difference! Exercise has a huge metabolic effect! It works just like squats on the whole body!" (information taken from contact)

I’ll add on my own, I started doing full push-ups two days ago, before that only on my knees. To be honest, more than 10 times until I do push-ups ... on my knees I could do 20-25 push-ups.

The pecs are unlike any other muscle, Lefavi continues. In all muscles, the fibers run in the same direction, while in the pectorals they fan out from the collarbone. So any exercise involuntarily loads only a part of the fibers - only those that coincide with the load vector. Add to this all sorts of individual "deviations", and you will understand why amateurs usually have nondescript chests. "Classics" like bench presses and information "put" the load in the same areas of the chest, leaving others in virgin oblivion. Exercises with a barbell and dumbbells leave almost no freedom of maneuver. But with push-ups, it's different. It is enough to put your hands a little narrower or a little wider, a little further forward or move back, and you will "get" any "asleep" chest area. It can be objected that, they say, body weight is not a serious job. Whatever it is, guys! What are you sorry for? Put push-ups at the end of the complex and "bomb" them until you collapse face down on the floor. By the way, this is Kevin Levrone's signature trick - at the finish line, do push-ups until you drop. Moreover, he himself always practices only the "female" version - on his knees. There is simply no power for more!

Push-ups in a wide range

The opinion that push-ups should be used only if there are no barbells and dumbbells at hand is fundamentally wrong. Push-ups are a typical basic exercise, which, in addition, is devoid of the main pumping drawback, far-fetchedness. In fact, no one breeds accordion furs with a weight of 50 kg for each hand, and the role of a jack is rare for us. But the handstand, remember, this is the most natural position for a man. Sometimes it’s tempting to fall to the floor and do push-ups thirty times just for fun. Another thing is that in bodybuilding, push-ups have their own task. Push-ups should be done only for the purpose of correcting the muscular shape. And for this, take off your shirt and let someone watch you. Find a variation of push-ups that hits exactly where your weak spot is. Doing push-ups for the sake of stupid records is not worth it.

Always remember that push-ups are bench presses in reverse. The incline press with the head up stimulates the top of the chest, and the head down presses the bottom. Push-ups are different. A typical "head above the legs" option "loads" the lower area, but when the feet are on the support, and "the head is below the legs", the top of the pectorals works.

Push-ups with a wide setting of the hands act on the outer areas of the chest. However, it has been noticed that push-ups give the strongest effect when the hands and feet are widely spaced and stand on a high support. Due to this, in the starting position, you fall below normal and stretch the chest almost to the point of pain. Such stretching allows you to extremely quickly "mark" the outer boundaries of the chest or, as they say, "cut" the chest.

Push-ups with one hand - this is aerobatics at all. After a month of such push-ups, the chest ones look outlined, as if they were stamped with a blow of a molding press.

There is an opinion that push-ups should be "collected" into a complex and done at home. Like, it helps a lot with basic training. Try! If you are chest pumping once a week, add just one home workout at first and watch yourself. If busting with the load is not felt, add a second, and then a third. Work out in this mode for 3-4 weeks, then return to the beginning - for one additional home workout.

pushup rating

Difficulty level*:

MMMMM very high
MMMM
MMM Medium
MM
M Low
* This rating describes the difficulty of a movement. Complexity is not synonymous with efficiency. A difficult exercise can be useless and vice versa. This indicator is useful for assessing its applicability at different stages of bodybuilding. Complex exercises correspond to higher experience.

Push-ups with narrow arms

Difficulty level: MMM
Pros: Similar to the close-grip bench press, this move puts emphasis on the inner pecs.

Fulfillment: Take the position of emphasis on straight arms, placing the brushes so that the thumbs and forefingers touch each other (as in the photo). First, slowly lower yourself to the bottom position, and then push yourself up with a powerful effort. At the top, statically tighten your triceps for a count of "one-two" and only then lower yourself to the bottom position. This technique will increase the payload on the triceps.

Push ups

Difficulty level: MM
Pros: First of all, this variation of push-ups stimulates the middle chest area. At the same time, the top and bottom of the pectoralis major, deltas, and triceps work to a lesser extent. All back muscles are statically tense.

Execution: Take the position of emphasis on straight arms. Do not lift your head or lower it down. Keep it strictly on the line of the spine. Spread your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. First, lower yourself to the bottom position, and then with a powerful effort squeeze yourself into straight arms. In the upper position, statically tighten the pectoral muscles at the expense of "one-two". Only then lower yourself to the floor. Do not straighten your elbows to the stop! Leave them slightly bent. Keep your abs tight. Don't let your belly sag!

Push-ups head up

Difficulty level: M
Strengths: When the body assumes a tilted position and your head is well above your feet, the emphasis shifts to the lower pectoral area. Because this variation takes on more of your weight than regular push-ups, it feels less challenging.

Fulfillment: Place a bench in front of you and rest your hands on its edge a little wider than your shoulders. Bend your arms and lower yourself down until your chest lightly touches the edge of the seat. Powerfully push yourself up.

Head down push ups

Difficulty level: MMM
Advantages: This option shifts the focus to the upper region of the pectoral muscles. The exercise is difficult, since the arms here account for most of the body weight.

Execution: This is exactly the same movement as regular push-ups, with the difference that your socks do not rest on the floor, but on the surface of the bench. The hands should be placed slightly in front of the shoulder line. This will not affect efficiency in any way, but it will help balance in the starting position.

Knee push-ups

Difficulty level: M
Advantages: This option is for the case when there is already no strength, and there are more than a dozen push-ups in the plan. You can use push-ups from the knees for a complete "squeeze" of the chest, after you reach the "failure" in regular push-ups.

Execution: Take the position of emphasis on straight arms. Place something soft under your knees, such as a gym mat. Keep your back extremely straight. Do not lift the pelvis up - the torso, together with the hips, forms a straight line.

Push-ups with a jump

Difficulty level: MMMMM
Pros: A variant of the plyometric push-up, develops explosive strength and coordination.

Execution: In order not to hurt your hands or wrists, perform this movement on some soft, springy surface. In the starting position, rest your palms on two supports 15-20 cm high. Pushing up, push off from the supports and "land" on the floor between them. The brushes should be at the width characteristic of ordinary push-ups. Immediately bend your elbows and gently lower your chest to the floor. From the bottom position, explosively push yourself up and "jump" back onto the supports. The secret is not to divide the movement into phases and perform in one breath.

Push-ups with one hand

Difficulty level: MMMMM
Pros: This circus variation is great for building shoulder strength. It acts on the pectoral muscle, as they say, from top to bottom. Along the way, the triceps are extremely heavily loaded.
Execution: First, take the usual starting position for push-ups, then move one leg to the side. Shift your body weight to the opposite hand and place the other hand behind the belt. When you learn how to confidently balance, start push-ups. They may not come out right away. Then start small - go down 10-15 cm, not deeper. As soon as you confidently master this "depth", try to go lower - another 5-10 cm.

Plyometric push-ups

Difficulty level: MMM
Pros: The goal of any plyometric exercise is not so much to increase muscle mass or endurance as it is to develop explosive strength; a fast and powerful reaction mobilizes the nervous system and involves more muscle fibers in the work. It is very useful for bodybuilders. Such a load stimulates the nervous innervation. Simply put, the nervous network becomes thicker and denser. This responds with an increase in mass when performing basic exercises with weight.
Execution: The starting position is the same as for regular push-ups. Quickly lower yourself down, then with a powerful jerk, lift yourself up so that your hands are off the floor. "Land" on your hands and at a pace repeat the movement again. "Advanced" option: at the top, clap your hands.

Push-ups with wide arms

Difficulty level: MMM
Benefits: Spreading your arms wider, as with a wide-grip bench press, you thereby take some of the load off the triceps. At the same time, the pectorals are more stretched, and this shifts the focus to the outer regions of the pectoral muscles, while stimulating the entire muscle at the same time.
Execution: Turn the hands outward at a 45-degree angle so as not to overload the muscles that rotate the shoulder, and spread them as wide as possible. The lower you go, the better. The same movement can be performed on supports, as well as head up and head down. These options are for experienced jocks who are concerned about the nuances of form.

Bench press and push-ups. Question for bodybuilders! and got the best answer

Answer from Oh my god what a man[guru]
there is no fundamental difference. Many pros periodically arrange a psychological relief for themselves, training only with their own weight. Joe Vader and Arnie wrote about this. and many pros described in some books

Answer from GABEN[guru]
Anytime, Anywhere
Push-ups are reverse bench presses. Also a multi-joint exercise. And this means that many muscles participate in it, but only two "solo" - pectoral and triceps. Just like the bench press. Indirectly, the anterior bundles of deltas, forearms, small muscles of the hand, muscles of the lower back, abs and quadriceps work. However, this is a purely superficial anatomical view. And here is the qualified opinion of a sports physiologist, professor of sports medicine, US amateur bodybuilding champion, Bob Lefavi: “In fact, almost all the muscles of the body are involved in push-ups. Another thing is that only part of the muscles performs dynamic work, while others are tense statically for the sake of maintaining a straight body position. However, what's the difference! Exercise has a huge metabolic effect! It acts just like squats on the whole body!"
The pecs are unlike any other muscle, Lefavi continues. In all muscles, the fibers run in the same direction, while in the pectorals they fan out from the collarbone.

Answer from User deleted[guru]
I did it simply: I did push-ups, and my daughter sat on my back. my daughter grew, put on weight, the load increased. I also pulled myself up: she got on my feet and here she is, a good workout. conclusion, our children are everything.

Answer from All[guru]
in the bench press, the load falls on a smaller number of muscles, with push-ups you do not work with all your own weight, because there is support with your feet, with push-ups from the floor you push the weight with the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe palm, in the press you tightly squeeze the barbell in your fist. . basically all the major differences. .
if you want to bring push-ups from the floor closer to the bench press in effect - put a support 20-25 cm high (several books) under one arm, while doing push-ups, make sure that you do push-ups straight without falling on one arm. . hands need to be changed, for example, wrung out 10 times leaning on the stand with the left hand, the hand was changed and wrung out 10 more times - this is one approach. . a very effective exercise, although not as effective as a bench press, but for the home - the very thing

Answer from Vlad. TO.[guru]
Great and easy exercise. If you put your feet on a small stand, it will be harder. And if you also put your hands on stands so that you can lower yourself lower, it will be even tougher. And if you put more disks on your back ...)

Answer from Uncle Gloomy[guru]
Comparing push-ups and bench press is like comparing constipation with a Mercedes - both vehicles.
Push-ups - 70% of the load - body stabilizers, abs. and 30% share triceps, chest, front delts and lats
Bench press - 20 percent for oblique abdomen, everything else - chest, triceps and delta.
I don’t think that all these smart people who do push-ups instead of bench press have a good massive boob.
For reference, the muscle adapts to the load in the second week of exercise. If there is adaptation, there will be no growth. In the press you change weight, but in push-ups? Are you sticking bolts in your mouth? even with a pancake on your back - you will feel the press more.

Answer from Alexey Kuznetsov[guru]
The pectoral muscles have three main bundles. It all depends on how you spread your elbows. You can not press them to the body, spread them as wide as possible - along the line of the neck of the bar. Otherwise, the Triceps and the front bundle of the shoulder will take the main. The bench press can be replaced with push-ups, but the legs must be raised on a stool, otherwise the “pendulous chest” will swing. And here it is hard with weights, it is difficult to hold the load on the neck, and the rubber is non-linear. He also works on tricky beams.

Answer from Kostya Suschevsky[expert]
push-ups can replace the bench press! as well as pull-ups, running and abs on the uneven bars, here's a complete set of exercises for almost all muscle groups!

Answer from Irek Mutaev[active]
I know people who did good boobs on push-ups and benched a lot of weight. But there is a limit. In general, if you only do push-ups, it’s better with a pancake. i.e. with weights. If you are a bodybuilder, then the barbell + push-ups at the end is better. True result! Good luck.

If your goal is to develop strength, increase muscle mass, improve athletic performance and overall fitness, then the bench press is truly the best exercise for the upper body.

The bench press is a very simple exercise. You lie on a horizontal bench and push a symmetrical projectile away from you. " And in what case do we do something similar in everyday life?" - you ask, - " And in what sport is a movement similar to the bench press performed?»

Yes, good bench pressers are often quite massive and slow, with barrel chests and tyrannosaurus-like arms. However, it is difficult to find an equivalent replacement for this exercise. If you need to increase strength in the pushing movement, then you need an exercise that mimics this movement. And if you are interested in developing the chest, deltoids, triceps and lats, then you need an exercise that includes all these muscles.
So let's compare the bench press with other upper body exercises that various trainers find to be the most effective.

Exercises

The problem with this exercise is that you can only squeeze 40% the weight of your body. It sucks because anyone can do it! Some may argue that no one needs the ability to squeeze more than 40% of their body weight. But this is nonsense.
What many people forget is that if you have to push a stable object, like an American football offensive lineman, then together you form a more stable base to make that move. This increased stability allows you to develop more powerful force. This is why an offensive lineman who can only press 40% of his body weight will be swept off his feet.

One of the best exercises for increasing pushing strength is the bench press. The bench press increases strength in the standing crossover chest press, but this rule does not work in reverse. So, if you're interested in improving strength in your crossover bench press, then you need to include the bench press in your training program.

Dumbbell press lying on a fitness ball. Another favorite of functional training enthusiasts. If you are going to bench press, why not do it while lying on a ball? There are several reasons for this.

A fitness ball is good for rehab exercises, but it reduces your strength when doing dumbbell presses while lying on it, as an unstable body position reduces the activation of muscle fibers in working muscles. Bench press on the ball can be a serious test for the muscles of the “core”. But understand, if you are trying to solve two problems with one exercise ( work out both the “core” and the pectoral muscles at the same time, in this case), the working muscles are seriously underloaded.

If you want to work your core muscles, use a gymnastic roller, sit-ups on a bench inclined down, or a plank. If you want to “pump up” your pushing muscles, then use a stable bench for support!

And although it will take some time to master the technique of the exercise, a good bencher will be able to demonstrate a decent result in the bench press on a fitness ball. But the one who performs the bench press exclusively while lying on the ball will not be able to prove himself in the bench press while lying on the bench.

Push ups. Push-ups are a great exercise, but the main problem with them is that they are too easy to do. Pushing up from the floor, we raise approximately 60% its weight, which is very small.

Many do push-ups with incomplete amplitude, do not touch the floor with their chest. Push-ups often use "cheating" and are not very suitable for maximizing muscle mass and strength.
Bench press increases the result in push-ups. If you are able to press your body weight or 150% body weight, then push-ups become incredibly easy.
But push-ups do not really increase the result in the bench press. There are guys who can do push-ups 50-70 times but cannot do 10 bench presses with a barbell that is the same weight as their body weight. Who the hell needs this kind of functionality?

A good exercise, but it can't match the effectiveness of the bench press. Push-ups on the uneven bars can damage the shoulder joints due to the peculiarities of your anatomical structure. The bench press can also injure your shoulders, but as soon as you grab the barbell with a medium grip or a little narrower, the load on the joints is significantly reduced.
You can shorten the range of motion of dips on the bars to solve the problem of traumatic stress on the joints, but then you will be doing partial repetitions.
In push-ups on the uneven bars, it is difficult to increase working weights. Of course you can hang 20 kg to the belt. But hang up 70 or 90 kg and you will feel that your deltas are about to break.
Finally, you will be surprised to know that when doing push-ups on the uneven bars, the pecs get very little load. Most people feel little work of the pectoral muscles in this exercise. Even tilting the body forward does not help in most cases. It's just that this exercise works the deltas and triceps to a greater extent than the pectoral muscles.

Push-ups on one arm. Exercise for "cool" guys! Performing it, you immediately remember the movie "Rocky". They also work well on the core muscles. But the load is again too small for most strong people - about half the body weight. Plus, one-arm push-ups have no effect on strength gains in other pressing exercises.

Of course, the bench press also does not really affect the result in push-ups on one arm. But the bench press absolutely helps to increase the result in regular push-ups, and this has a positive effect on the number of push-ups on one arm.
In short, one-arm push-ups are a great show of strength and athleticism, but they don't help you get stronger in other pressing exercises.

Push-ups on gymnastic rings. Another exercise that will not bring you a significant increase in muscle mass and will not make you stronger in the bench press or dips.

Bench press in the Smith machine. And this exercise is unlikely to help you make progress in other pressing movements and certainly will not be useful in life. It can help you increase muscle size as it allows you to use very heavy weights. However, movement along the trajectory set by the simulator does not contribute to the development of general neuromuscular coordination.
Spend a year doing bench presses exclusively on the Smith machine and you might get stronger on other machines, but try regular bench presses after that and be prepared to be disappointed. However, spend a year doing the free bar press and you can bench the same or even more weight on the Smith machine.

Standing push press. It's hard to compare the push press and the bench press. The push press is an explosive overhead press in which the pectoral muscles are practically not involved, and in the bench press the load vector is perpendicular to the body and the chest muscles are actively working.

In terms of muscle growth, you should still give preference to the bench press, because in this exercise you can use more weight, and the muscles are under load longer ( especially when you consider that momentum is used in the standing push press).
In terms of strength development, it all depends on whether the increase in strength is in which plane of movement ( horizontal or vertical) You need. In terms of performance enhancement, it can be agreed that the push press is a more important exercise than the bench press, although there is not enough scientific evidence for this.
From a functional point of view, both exercises are good. If you are strong in any of them, then any load in ordinary life will not cause you much trouble. After all, most of us do not need to lift 100 kg over our heads or squeeze 100 kg over our heads every day.
Performing the standing push press requires good coordination and good posture, which most people lack. But anyone can do the bench press, having mastered the main technical points of this exercise. The standing push press contributes to some extent to the increase in strength in the bench press and vice versa.
So if you like the push press, that's great, but doing the bench press from time to time won't hurt you either.

Finally