beginning bodybuilding Bench presses

Because of the number of muscle groups that come into play (triceps, pectorals, deltoids, lats, etc.), the bench press is a great upper-body exercise. The main kinesiological function of the pectorals is to draw the arms into the midline of the body—or, more technically, to adduct the 
arms—so the action of the  arms during the performance of the bench  press closely parallels the pectorals’ primary function. The bench press has its shortcomings, as you will learn further on, but for the  beginner in search of overall muscle-mass  increase, it’s virtually the “perfect” exercise.  It is a movement of great poundage potential, and this, combined with the fact that it  stimulates a large group of muscles at one  time (some more than others), makes it, like the squat, a tremendous weight-gaining  exercise.  To perform the exercise properly, lie on  a bench with a barbell at arm’s length over  your chest. Slowly lower the bar to your  upper chest. Once the bar has touched your  chest (I said “touched,” not “bounced”;  bouncing a weight accomplishes nothing  but injury), slowly press it back up to the  top position, and repeat the procedure for  the required number of repetitions. Put the  weight down, rest briefly, and then perform  your next exercise.