Kin Isler, A., Asci. A., & Aritan, S. (2009). Muscle activity does not change in response to different loads during bench press. A paper presented at the 14th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science, Oslo, Norway, June 24-27.

This study determined if muscle activation changes in response to different loads during a non-bar release concentric bench press motion. Male handball players (N = 17) performed five explosive non-bar release concentric bench press motions at 50, 60, 70, 80, and 100 % of their 1 RM at 200 % of their biacromial distance. The EMG activity of clavicular pectoralis major, sternocostal pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, and triceps muscles of the dominant side were recorded. For each muscle at each different load, root mean squares of EMG signals were calculated spontaneously from the beginning of the lift until the maximum force formation and all root mean squares values were summed to get a total muscle activation value. Maximum force for each lift at different loads was calculated by inverse dynamics.

There were no significant differences in muscle activation at different loads in a non-bar release concentric bench press motion.

Implication. The clavicular pectoralis major, sternocostal pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, and triceps muscles are activated in a similar manner at different loads of a bench press. [While the sequencing of muscular activities might be similar, the representations in the brain of the actions at different loads would be different.]

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