How Many Calories Are Burned Doing the Bench Press

The bench press is one of the most popular bodyweight exercises among weightlifters. Because of this, it is no shock that you still want to perform the exercise despite having some extra fat. As a compromise, you are interested in how many calories you can burn while doing your favorite chest exercise. This article is the right place to be as it will examine how many calories are burned doing the bench press. 

The bench press is an excellent chest and back developer. It has different variants to target different parts of your chest, but it essentially targets your pectoralis and other surrounding muscles. The amount of calories you burn while doing the bench press depends on several factors. For example, your intensity, body weight, and bench press weight contribute to how many calories you burn during the exercise. 

The Bench Press Calories Burned Calculator

According to Harvard Health Publishing, you will burn around 180 and 360 calories as a 125-pound person for every hour of weight lifting. 

Furthermore, a 185-pound person loses between 266 and 532 calories per hour. Using this, you should be able to determine how many calories you burn doing the bench press

You should also know that your body does not stop burning calories right after you finish the exercise, as your body keeps burning calories after you complete your workout. This phenomenon can add to your calorie-burn-per-workout, particularly if your workout was intense and worked your upper and lower body. You will still benefit from the phenomenon if your workout is short but highly intense.

Maximizing calories burned doing the chest press

The most vital step you can take to maximize how many calories you burn doing the bench press is focusing on muscle endurance. This means you should reduce your tempo and increase your reps. This is because the calories you burn during the bench press primarily depend on the total time you keep your muscles under tension that burns calories, and it is more important than how much load you carry. A second and mutual step you need to emphasize is increasing your intensity. As a result, you should keep your rest breaks short, giving yourself enough time to catch your breath.

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How to perform the bench press

Performing the bench press is easy; you do not need more than a bench and a loaded barbell. To perform the exercise, lay on the bench with the barbell resting on the bench’s support, above your face and chest. Grab the barbell, remove it from the bench’s support and extend your arms so the bar is fully lifted and above your chest. Slowly bring down the bar to your chest, slowly curving your elbow to bring your arms to a 90-degree bend when the barbell is above your chest. Slowly raise the barbell to complete the set. You can perform the bench press with a Rogue AB-3 Adjustable Bench.

Other exercise machines to burn calories

While the bench press burns calories, it does not burn enough for you to see significant changes. However, using any of these machines consistently can help you see considerable changes: 

Elliptical machines

Elliptical machines are cardio machines that can also work your arm muscles. They effectively burn significant calories and drop your body fat when applied correctly. Elliptical machines are also suitable for you if you have injuries or mobility issues because they are low-impact. Elliptical machines help you lose fat by making you push forward and backward with your arms and feet. As a result, the motion mirrors a running movement on the foot pedals. The Elliptical engages all your muscles while toning your upper and lower body.

Rowing Machines

Rowing machines are ideal for burning calories by incorporating rowing movement into your workout. The rowing movement is suitable for developing a solid back as it recruits your upper and lower back muscles. The workout also hits your triceps and biceps, leading to toned and stronger arms. The machine is also perfect for calorie loss as it facilitates a cardio aspect to bring up your heart rate. As a result, you lose more calories and drop your general body fat.

Using the rowing machine is easy. You start on the machine’s seat, grabbing the handle or bar attached in front of you. After that, pull the handle towards you, so it is in front of your lower chest. You should push your leg against the support to assist you in pulling the handle. Wait briefly before slowly returning the bar to its regular position to finish the rep. If this exercise catches your fancy, I recommend the Black Concept 2 Rowerg Rower – Pm5.

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Alternatives to the bench press

Dumbbell chest fly

The dumbbell chest fly is a workout that builds similar regions to the bench press. These include your chest, arms, lats, and upper back. The workout also increases your motion range as it opens up your chest. The dumbbell chest fly also reduces tightness around your upper back while counteracting pain in and around the area.