The Bigger Your Pecs, the Better Your Bench Press, Says New Research
For many, making a beeline for the bench is a chest day tradition. Whether your motivation for bench pressing is to build bigger pecs, or lifting a personal best, research suggests these two goals could go hand in hand.
The new study has investigated whether your pec size could predict your bench press strength, and has found that a larger chest could deliver a bench press PB to be proud of.
The Study
The study, published in Sports Performance, aimed to predict the bench press one-rep max in resistance-trained men based on factors like body weight, height and muscle thickness.
The Methods
The researchers included 83 men in the study who had an average of 113kg for their one-rep max. Firstly, they were assessed for anthropometric measurements and for muscle thickness of the pectoral major muscle. Then, the participants performed their one-rep max bench press test.
The Results
The study found that muscle thickness strongly correlates with one-rep max bench press strength. Two equations were successfully developed to predict one-rep max: one using both muscle thickness and body weight (more accurate) and another using only muscle thickness. Both equations reliably estimated one-rep max strength, making them useful tools for assessing strength. The researchers concluded that these findings support the potential use of non-performance based parameters to predict maximal strength.
What Does This Mean for Us?
Sadly, we can't deduce a huge amount from this study, other than it confirms some of what we already know. We know that strength doesn't always correlate with size in the early stages of lifting, and the study was conducted on experienced lifters.
For example, beginner lifters will see large jumps in the strength numbers, without necessarily increasing muscle size. The majority of training progress early on comes from something called "neurological adaptation". This means that your brain gets more efficient at recruiting your existing muscle fibres during your lifts.
However, down the line for intermediate and advanced lifters, gaining size will become more necessary to increase strength. And while we may not be inclined to use the same measurements as in the study, it indicates that if you are training to gain size, this will likely be reflected positively in your strength numbers.
For more guidance on training for strength vs size, you can read our guide here.
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