MILO BRYANT: Bench press isn't best for game

Thanks for the questions, folks. Keep them coming.

Question: Milo - what is it with you? You've written about how you do not like the bench press. I've read it at least three times. What's wrong with it? If it's so bad, why does every gym I've ever been to have one? Why does the NFL use it to measure strength? Why is it a staple of every bodybuilding magazine?

Matt, College Station, Texas

Answer: All right Matt, you've reached your yearly question limit in one paragraph! Just joking. Thanks for the questions. As long as you keep reading, I'll keep irritating you with my bench press fodder!

Anyway, I've never said I do not like the bench press. I believe the bench press is a great exercise for gaining upper body strength and size. It recruits more muscle fibers to perform the move than most upper body exercises. It's a functional exercise in that sense.

The stronger we are the more efficient we can be when moving weight.

However, when it comes to sports, which is what I was talking about in previous columns, there are better "sports-specific exercises" than the bench press.

Here are a few problems I have with the bench press from a sports standpoint:

• We're lying on our backs. That doesn't give us the opportunity to train our ability to exert force while maintaining proper footwork.

• The movement is slow. Do we really want to be slow in sports?

• The movement arc doesn't replicate what happens in most sports.

• Few things are even and balanced when we play sports. Our arms and legs must often act independently of one another. Our hands are on a bar with the weight evenly distributed during the bench press.

Ninety-nine percent of the nation's gyms have bench press benches because that's what people - people who don't know better - want to do.

The NFL's problem is in your question. Doing 20, 30, 35 repetitions of anything is a measure of endurance, not strength. Many strength coaches teach bench press and keep stats because that's what the head coach wants, and the strength coach wants to keep a job. Bodybuilding magazines feature it because it's great for bodybuilding and it sells magazines.

Q: If there was one exercise you'd suggest for a 16-year-old female volleyball player, what would it be?

Shelly, Kansas City, Mo.

A: C'mon Shelly, everybody knows that answer: the bench press!

Seriously, though, good question. I'd like to put you through quite a few exercises, but if I had only one, I'd have to teach you the proper mechanics of the clean and jerk. It's an Olympic lift that combines explosiveness, strength and flexibility. If you do a Google search for "clean and jerk," you can check out some videos and find other information on this exercise.

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Bryant is a former Gazette reporter now living in San Diego. He holds training certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, USA Weightlifting and the Titleist Performance Institute. Reach him through the "contact" link at www.nobullfit.com.