Our friend Richard Schuller, authority on fitness for men and women over 60, has been a guest in our home this week and we’ve been having a blast together. At 70 years of age, that “old dog” is teaching this “young pup” some new tricks when it comes to improving strength and performance.

Richie, as my kids like to call him pulled me aside while we were working out yesterday and gave me some great pointers on my bench press. Of course I couldn’t keep these great tips to myself, so today Richard and I pulled out the video camera to pass this great advice onto you.

In this video you will discover the most common mistakes that men and women make when performing the bench press, which opens the door for injuries. Note: The bench press is an exercise that is meant to target your pectoral muscles, yet the way many people perform the bench press they are actually recruiting very little muscle fiber from the pectoral muscles and placing most of the load on the triceps and shoulder muscle fibers instead. That’s why you hear of so many men and women screwing up their shoulders while performing the bench press.

Don’t worry though. After watching this video you will have the knowledge on how to perform a safe and effective bench press that will increase your power and significantly reduce the risk of injury.

Mistakes To Avoid:

Tips On How To Perform The Bench Press Correct:

Advice To Women: If you have been avoiding the bench press I have some words of encouragement for you. This is certainly not just a “Men Only” exercise. When you perform the bench press as Richard and I demonstrated in this video you are actually working your entire body. Your legs are tight, your glutes are clenched, your shoulders squeezed, and you become ‘ONE’ with the bar.

If the Olympic bar at the gym is too heavy for you to lift (45 lbs), you can start with a body bar, which most gyms have. I was using a body bar in the demonstration video above. If a body bar is not available you could start with dumbbells and build up your strength to point where you can lift the Olympic bar and even add weight to it. At the gym that I belong to there are several women who are adding 20-50 pounds onto the Olympic bar while they do the bench press. Contrary to many of the myths out there, these women are not big and bulky. Quite the opposite… they are slender and sexy. Plus they are deceptively STRONG! Trust me ladies, strength will serve you well in life.

Here’s Some Background Info on My Buddy Richard Schuller:

Richard has competed in eight US National Masters Powerlifting Championships, winning one title and finishing 2nd on two other occasions. The highlight of his lifting career came in 2005 where as a member of the US national team, he placed 2nd in the International Powerlifting Federation World Masters Championships held in Pretoria, South Africa. Richard is also a member of the State of Washington Powerlifting Hall of Fame.

I picked up many tips and tricks from Richard during his stay here. He had a great desire in sharing exercises that will help our female readers sculpt a sexy butt. I’ll be sharing some videos of those exercises soon. Be on the lookout

If you are over 60 years of age I recommend that you check out Richards blog “Decades Younger“. It’s a current work in progress, but he is filling it with some great content that I’m sure you will enjoy.

I’d love to hear from you. What are your thoughts on the video and bench pressing in general? Share your thoughts and feedback in the comment box below.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant