How Do We Define An Alternative Exercise

An alternative to another exercise can be used for a large variety of reasons, some of which I will discuss below. However before discussing the why of selecting alternatives I want to explain the rational behind how alternatives to the bench press and alternatives to any exercise are selected as it is an important part of strength programming.

Every exercise within strength and conditioning can be put into different movement categories including but not limited to, squat, hinge, vertical pull + press, horizontal pull + press, core etc. In the example of the bench press, it is a horizontal press movement. Therefore all these alternatives will be horizontal press variations. Within the horizontal movement category we have 119 exercises in our library and there are many more variations than that available. So how do you select the alternative you are looking for.

How To Select An Alternative To The Bench Press

Why are you looking for an alternative? This is the key question you will need to ask yourself. If you want to make the correct exercise selection then you need to understand your own rational for choosing an alternative. If you are looking to break through a plateau in your bench press then your selection will be very different from someone who is looking to find a variation for when they have no equipment available.

Benefits of Using Alternatives To The Bench Press

Deload

Taking a deload, which is where you take a light week of training in terms of both intensity and in terms of frequency, can be highly beneficial to recovery and long term progress. For those who take lifting very seriously this can be highly necessary, for those who train regularly but not to a very high intensity it is less required.

When taking a deload, sometimes it can be a great idea to change the exercise selection. This could mean doing a tempo bench press or a pause bench press, it could also mean doing press ups or some other horizontal push variation. This gives the body a chance to repair from extensive strength training.

Breaking Through Stagnation

We can sometimes get stuck on an exercise and find ourselves unable to make any progress for a while. I have written an extensive article on the topic of breaking through bench press plateaus which you could find very informative if this is the case. Using an alternative exercise can be a great way to take a step back, have some fun using a different exercise and make progress on a new exercise that in the long term could lead to progression.

Maintenance

Maintenance training is when we are training to preserve the physical characteristics we have currently. This can be great for when going through periods of high life stress, when on a long vacation or just when you want to take a pause from intensity, say after a competition or a break up. Choosing an alternative to the main lift (bench press) can take the stress of hitting specific numbers etc and make training lighter and more fun.

Variety

Sometimes we are just looking to mix things up and have fun with our training. I often get a little bored with the three main lifts and enjoy getting strong on different variations. If you are not trying to compete in powerlifting then it really doesn’t matter if you are trying to get strong in the pause bench press, ring press up, or DB bench press. What matters is that you are consistently hitting the horizontal press movement with levels of overload that lead to adaptation.

Working Around Pain

A specific lift can sometimes cause pain, for me the bench press is the lift that can flare up some elbow tendinitis. Whereas the DB bench press doesn’t have this effect, so sometimes if my tendinitis is playing up I can switch to the DB variation and still get a good session in while avoiding pain. If the bench press is causing some repetitive strain injuries then you may want to consider looking for horizontal pressing variations that you could use to work around you pain. Remember we are never looking to train through pain, but we need to find ways to train around pain, which in most cases is a possibility.

Types of Bench Press Alternatives

Primary Alternatives

Primary alternatives are variations that will be done at the beginning of the session and will generate a similar stimulus to the bench press itself. These would typically be selected for breaking through plateaus or adding in some variety. These use variations of the bench press and are therefore highly specific to progressing the bench press.

Pause Bench Press

The pause bench press involves performing the traditional bench press with a pause when the bar is a the chest. This pause is typically between 2-5 seconds long and makes the lift much more challenging.

Tempo Bench Press

A tempo bench press involves lengthening either the concentric or eccentric contraction. Typically it is done through lengthening the eccentric but some individual like using tempos on the concentric contraction also.

Secondary Alternatives

Secondary alternatives are exercises that might be used to lower the stress placed on the body whilst still moving through the horizontal press variation. This could mean doing a session without a primary exercise altogether, which can be a great way to take a large reduction in intensity.

Limited Equipment Alternatives

Here are some examples of horizontal press variations that can come in handy when travelling and have limited equipment. I like to travel with an resistance band and some sliders as these two pieces of equipment are very light and offer a wide variety of exercises.

Bodyweight Alternatives

The clue is in the header, these are horizontal press variations that you can use when you have access to no equipment at all. Do not underestimate how effective some press up variations can be at creating maintenance volume whilst on vacation or when you do not have access to equipment.