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How Can Men Lose Weight & Build Muscle by Only Doing Bench Presses?

The bench press works your chest, shoulder and tricep muscles, but also hits your core and lower body to a lesser degree. It is a staple exercise in many bodybuilding, powerlifting and general strength-training routines. Because the bench press works so many muscle groups, you'll get a bigger metabolism boost and calorie burn from bench pressing than you would from an isolation exercise such as a triceps pushdown, according to Mike Robertson of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training. This means that the bench press can be an effective weight-loss exercise for men, as well as a strength builder.

  1. Technique

    • To maximize the amount of muscle fibers you use to burn more calories, using correct technique is vital. Your hands should be about shoulder-with apart with a firm grip on the bar. Dig your upper back into the bench and drive your feet into the floor to give you a stronger base of support, advises Robertson. Lower the bar to your chest under control, pause briefly, then push it forcefully back up. Keep your elbows tucked in throughout the lift to avoid overstraining your shoulders.

    Training Frequency

    • The more often you train, the more calories you burn and the quicker you lose weight. While this may make bench pressing every day seem like a good idea, muscles actually take between 48 and 72 hours to fully recover following a workout, according to the American Council on Exercise. Bench three times per week, on nonconsecutive days. Perform five sets of five repetitions in session one, four sets of six to 10 reps in session two, and three sets of 12 to 15 reps in your last session of the week.

    Diet

    • Losing weight through exercise alone can be very tricky, as dropping weight requires you to burn more calories than you consume. While bench pressing may burn calories, it won't burn enough to lead to significant weight loss, as even half an hour of vigorous weight training only burns 180 to 266 calories, depending on your body weight, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Active men should consume between 2,400 and 3,000 calories per day to maintain weight, advises the U.S. Department of Agriculture, so use these figures as a guide and adjust them as needed until you're losing weight at a steady, healthy rate. Around 1 to 2 pounds per week is ideal.

    Considerations

    • In theory, a man can lose weight just from performing bench presses, provided his diet is in check, too. However, you're far better off incorporating other exercises as ell. Just bench pressing could lead to postural and muscular imbalances, which can then cause injury; and results will be quicker if you add in other strength-training exercises for your back, shoulders, legs and core, along with moderate- and high-intensity cardio. If you do decide to go down the bench press-only route, strive to gradually increase the weights you're lifting to keep your workouts challenging and to increase the calorie burn.

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