Relatively recently, a new direction has appeared in power sports - the Russian bench press, and now more and more people are becoming athletes and spectators of this discipline. Let's take a closer look at what kind of sport it is and what its features are.
What it is?
Power sport is very popular all over the world. There are many varieties of it: weightlifting, weight lifting, bodybuilding, powerlifting, etc. There is also a little-known, but no less spectacular variety of power sports - this is Russian bench press .
This view consists of one exercise - a bench press from the chest, lying on a horizontal bench. The meaning of the competition is to lift a barbell of a certain weight more times.
The advent of Russian bench press
Russian bench press is a rather young sport. The first Russian bench press competitions were held in Russia in 2000. They were dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the Victory in World War II and were more symbolic and entertaining. But today this species has become a full-fledged discipline of powerlifting. The Russian bench press has approved regulations and its own federation. Now it is one of the most popular types of bench press, as well as an athletic bench press.
Russian bench: rules
To determine the winner, the athleticism coefficient is derived from the ratio of the athlete's mass to the total weight raised. Based on this indicator, the winner is selected. Participants in the Russian bench press competition win the highest coefficient in one or several attempts, depending on the rules of the competition. Given the coefficient of athleticism, athletes are awarded various categories.
Due to the fact that the minimum weight of the bar in the Russian bench press competition is 55 kg, even beginners can take part. In the Russian press you can perform in six weight categories of the bar: 55 kg, 75 kg, 100 kg, 125 kg, 150 kg and 200 kg.
The athlete is given five minutes to complete one approach. During the exercise, you can relax by holding the barbell on your chest.
Athletes are forbidden to use special equipment and all kinds of bench shirts that allow you to lift more weight. Athletes perform in regular tights and with a naked torso or in an ordinary T-shirt or t-shirt.
Although the weight category of the participant has a certain role in the Russian bench, there are no restrictions on weight for participation in the competition. Due to the lack of a large number of restrictions, the Russian bench is available to everyone, so it is gaining more and more popularity.
The Russian bench is very democratic, and veteran athletes and disabled opornits also take part in it.
How are the competitions going?
Competitions in the Russian bench press are regularly held in all cities of the country, mass competitions are often held, to which everyone is allowed. The mass nature of this sport makes it very promising in terms of further development. In addition, professional competitions are also held in which many famous athletes participate, including athletes involved in other types of power sports, since the bench press is part of many sports exercises.
Depending on the choice of the organizers, the competition can take place according to one of several versions: “classic bench press”, “bench press marathon” and “damn dozen”. In the “damn dozen” variant, participants must complete three approaches, and the athlete chooses the working weight on his own. A result of eight to thirteen repetitions is considered credited.
The "classic bench press" is characterized by the fact that the participant is given one approach, for which he must complete the maximum number of repetitions. Each athlete chooses the weight of the bar independently. At least eight repetitions must be done, otherwise the result will not be counted.
In the “Press Marathon” variant, the athlete performs three approaches. The approach is counted in which the participant performed at least eight repetitions, while there is no maximum limit.
Russian bench press: training program
Although the system of training in the Russian bench press is largely similar to training in powerlifting, it still has its own specific features. The main difference between the bench press in powerlifting and the Russian bench press is that in the first case the main thing is the amount of effort, and in the second - the largest amount of work for a certain time.
Naturally, the main exercise in training is the barbell press from the chest. There are a huge number of bench training techniques that an experienced trainer will individually select for an athlete. We will consider only the main points regarding training in the Russian bench press discipline.
As for the ratio of weight and number of approaches, it is most optimal to choose a system called the "damn dozen." For her, you need to choose the weight so that in one approach the athlete squeezes the bar at least eight times and a maximum of thirteen.
In order to qualitatively train in the bar press, it is not enough to perform only this exercise. The human body is a single system, therefore, to increase the effectiveness, it is necessary to develop the remaining muscle groups. For these reasons, additional exercises must be performed. Of these, first of all, it is worth paying attention to the development of triceps, for this the bench press with a narrow grip is excellent. It is also necessary to do an exercise to increase the strength of the biceps. Another effective exercise is the back grip press, it perfectly develops the latissimus dorsi, and its strength is important, because at the beginning of the movement, with the bench press, it accounts for a considerable part of the load.
Concerning how many days a week to conduct training, there are different opinions. The most sparing option is to conduct training twice a week. To increase the intensity, you can train 2x2, that is, two days of training and two days of rest.
Nutrition and muscle mass when doing Russian bench press
Proper nutrition during training in the Russian bench press is very important, and the gained muscle mass is of considerable importance. And although in theory the load of the training process of the Russian bench should “dry” the muscles, practice shows the opposite. Athletes involved in this discipline gain more muscle mass. As an example, Eduard Vasilenko - one of the champions in this kind of sport, weighs more than 140 kilograms. A special increase in muscle mass is characteristic when switching to work with heavier weights.
Nutrition when doing Russian bench press should be more high-calorie than when doing powerlifting. Because a larger amount of work is performed during a workout, as a result of this, more calories are burned. Of the nutritional supplements, vitamins and amino acids are best suited.
Russian bench press stars
In conclusion of our article, I would like to talk about the record holders in the Russian bench. First of all, I want to single out Andrei Galtsov, chairman of the technical committee of the Federation of Russian Press. He was awarded the title "Elite of Russia" in the Russian bench press discipline. The records that he set are in various categories, and some of them have not been broken so far. Andrey Galtsov is one of the best trainers in Russia, as well as a developer of training methods.
Also in the bench press is very famous Vladimir Kravtsov, who is the champion in the category up to 125 kg.
In 2012, an athlete from Ivanovo set a world bench press in two categories at once: he squeezed a barbell weighing 75 kg 63 times and 108 times a barbell weighing 55 kg.
Comparison of Russian bench press with other sports
The main advantage of the Russian bench press compared to other sports is its simple rules and accessibility for everyone. Since training does not require expensive equipment, anyone can do it at any time. Just come to the gym and you can start practicing. Therefore, every day more and more people choose the Russian bench press, preferring it to many other sports.