22 May 2023
How to Recover From a Sports Injury With Exercise, Without Making It Worse
5 Essential Functional Range Conditioning Exercises to Boost Your Bench Press
Whether you're a powerlifter, bodybuilder, or someone trying to improve their overall strength and fitness, the bench press is a crucial exercise.
Improving your bench press performance, however, isn't just about lifting heavier weights.
It requires the right combination of mobility, stability, and strength training, which is precisely what Functional Range Conditioning (FRC) offers.
Here are the top five FRC exercises that I recommend to elevate your bench press game:
1. Shoulder CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations)
The bench press puts a significant load on your shoulders.
Shoulder CARs can help you maintain the health and longevity of your shoulder joints, thereby enhancing your bench press performance.
Stand or sit upright.
Extend your arm and make a fist.
Slowly start to rotate your shoulder in a big circle, starting from the front, going upwards, then behind and downwards.
Do this for 10 rotations then switch the direction.
Repeat on the other shoulder.
2. PAILs and RAILs for Thoracic Spine
Your thoracic spine mobility can impact your bench press.
More mobility allows for a better arch, which is advantageous during a bench press.
Progressive Angular Isometric Loading (PAILs) and Regressive Angular Isometric Loading (RAILs) can be used for this purpose.
Lay down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
Lift your hips to create a bridge and hold for a few seconds.
Next, slowly lower your hips and repeat the process for multiple repetitions.
3. Scapular Push-Ups
Scapular push-ups work on your scapular mobility, crucial for a solid bench press.
By improving scapular mobility, you can ensure a smooth pressing motion.
Begin in a plank position with your arms extended.
Without bending your elbows, lower your torso by retracting your shoulder blades.
Then, push your torso back up by protracting your shoulder blades.
Perform multiple reps.
4. 90/90 Hip Transfers
Your lower body and core stability are crucial for a strong bench press.
The 90/90 hip transfer exercise can help strengthen your lower body and improve your core stability.
Sit on the floor with your legs in a 90/90 position, meaning both knees bent at a 90-degree angle, one in front of you and one to the side.
Use your hands for balance as you smoothly transition to the opposite 90/90 position, moving your legs together.
5. Wrist CARs
A solid grip is fundamental for a safe and efficient bench press.
Wrist CARs can help enhance your wrist mobility and grip strength.
Extend your arm in front of you, elbow straight and make a fist.
Begin to rotate your wrist in a circular motion clockwise for 10 repetitions.
Then switch directions. Repeat on the other hand.
Including these Functional Range Conditioning exercises in your routine will build the essential mobility, stability, and strength that contribute to a powerful bench press.
Not only will these exercises aid in improving your performance, but they will also help keep your joints healthy in the long term.
Remember, consistency is key in achieving results.
Keep training, and you'll undoubtedly see progress in your bench press performance.
Happy lifting!
If you've got a persistent sports injury, a dodgy knee, a shoulder that never fully healed, a lower back that flares up every time you try to train, you're probably frustrated.
You might have had physio. You might have rested for months. And yet the problem keeps coming back.
Here's why: rest and passive treatment alone rarely fix the underlying cause of a sports injury.
The root of most recurring injuries is weakness or movement dysfunction and the only way to address those is through progressive, targeted exercise.
The Most Common Mistake in Injury Recovery
Most people either rest completely (which weakens the area further) or return to full training too soon (which re-injures the same structures).
The sweet spot is a structured rehabilitation programme that progressively loads the injured area in a controlled way.
As a Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms), I assess joint function before building a programme that specifically targets the movement restrictions and weaknesses driving your injury.
What an Exercise-Based Rehab Programme Looks Like
- Week 1–2: Joint assessment and movement re-education, teaching the body to move properly around the injury
- Week 3–4: Controlled strength work at the end of the available range of motion
- Week 5–8: Progressive loading, building strength and resilience in the injured tissue
- Week 9–12: Sport or activity-specific conditioning, preparing for return to full training
Why This Works
Tendons, ligaments and muscles respond to load. When you progressively challenge them with controlled exercise, they adapt and become stronger.
When you avoid using them, they weaken. The research is clear: exercise-based rehabilitation produces better long-term outcomes than rest alone for the vast majority of musculoskeletal injuries.
Getting Started in Orpington
Conditioned Fitness in Orpington offers sports injury rehabilitation programmes with Massimo Massaro BSc FRCms. One of very few personal trainers in South East London with an advanced qualification specifically in joint health and mobility.
Sessions are 100% private, 1:1, and tailored to your injury and your goals.
If you're dealing with a persistent sports injury in the Orpington, Bromley, or Sevenoaks area, call
07950 398025 to book a free assessment.
