It’s one of the questions most frequently heard in weight rooms across the world: how much ya bench, bro?
It’s also one of the important metrics professional football scouts use to determine whether or not NFL hopefuls will make MILLIONS of dollars.
May be worth putting some thought and effort into I guess, eh?
While most lifelong lifters would likely argue that either the squat or deadlift are the king and queen of all exercises, the bench press certainly deserves its flowers as one of the major lifts we can perform in the gym; it makes up one third of every powerlifting meet, after all!
The squat and deadlift are typically touted as being more “functional”, but there’s something to be said about having the confidence to lay down with hundreds of pounds over your face and take the leap of faith to lower it under control and press it back up.
With the first annual BENCHUARY challenge month looming just around the corner, this feels like the PERFECT time to discuss some of our most impactful bench press tips and tricks! Today, we’re going to discuss how you can best prepare yourself to answer this coveted “how much ya bench” question with confidence!
Setup
The first thing we have to realize when looking to build a massive bench press is that it’s a full-body exercise; this ain’t Monday chest day at the YMCA with your buddies! While we know the pecs and triceps may do the majority of the work, the best bench pressers in the world understand how to create total body tension to throw up massive numbers on the bench press.
Firstly, we want to ensure we maintain five points of contact: feet on the floor, butt on the bench, shoulder blades on the bench, and finally our head on the bench. Once we lay down on the bench, our eyeballs should be lined up directly under the bar to ensure we’re in the optimal position to unrack it.
We need to then find a grip width that allows us to press the most weight comfortably; this does not necessarily mean putting our hands all the way out at the ends of the bar. Lifters may do this in an attempt to decrease ROM to lift more weight, but there is a point of diminishing returns where we’ve gone too wide and can’t produce as much force; this could also increase our injury risk. The main takeaway is to find a wide enough grip where you can lift the most weight but also not increase injury risk. For me, this is a thumb-distance away from where the bar transitions from smooth to rough.
Technique
The first step on the road to a big bench is mastering our technique. The technical aspect of the bench press is frequently underappreciated. Oftentimes we see people put plenty of focus and effort into mastering the technical factors of their squat and deadlift technique like their stance, grip, posture, gaze… the list goes on. The same folks will then wrongfully assume they can simply lay down on the bench and start pressing!
Once we’ve established our setup using the advice above, it’s time to go to work. With the bar unracked, we like to think of bending the bar or trying to snap it in half like a glowstick. Your elbows should point towards your feet. This will allow us to create torque at the shoulder and make it easier to keep our elbows tucked throughout.
From here, instead of thinking about pulling the bar down to our chest, we should think about pulling our chest up or rowing ourselves towards the bar. This may sound counterintuitive, but this slight mindset shift can completely revolutionize your bench press. Once the bar has touched our chest, instead of pushing the bar away from ourselves, we should think about pushing ourselves away from the bar. As with the point above, this will ensure we maintain the full-body tension we achieved during our setup and can also optimally apply force into the bar. The bar should travel in a slight “J” pattern: down and slightly forward towards your bottom rib, up and slightly back towards your face.
Equipment
Compared to other big lifts like the squat or deadlift, there’s not much equipment available that will make or break your bench press. If anything, you may choose to wear a pair of wrist wraps to keep your wrists stable during heavy pressing. When necessary, our older athletes may choose to wear compressive elbow sleeves as well to help them to press pain-free for longer.
Of course, there exists the world of equipped powerlifting where athletes may choose to compete while wearing a polyester or canvas bench shirt that can add hundreds of pounds to your press, but this is a whole other beast in itself and a story for another time.
Programming
There are a variety of effective ways we can train the bench press. Too many folks head into the gym with no plan on bench day; they throw 1 plate on the bar and hit a few reps, followed by 185, then maybe 225 (probably fail) and then move on to the next exercise. Fear not, there’s a better way! This could be an entire article in itself, but for today we’ll just hammer on a few key points and principles.
Frequency:
If you want to bench more (weight), you may simply need to bench more (often)! Benching once per week is a great start, but increasing your frequency to two or three times per week may be a great strategy to improve your bench press. Not every workout needs to be the same, either. On a 3-day cycle, for example, you may have a heavy day, light (fast) day, and a higher-rep volume day. OR, you may choose to have a day focusing on eccentrics (negatives), one focusing on isometrics (pauses), and finally one focusing on concentrics (your typical-paced reps). The possibilities are endless; you are limited simply by your imagination and variety is the spice of life here.
Angle:
Pressing more than one time per week certainly doesn’t need to be limited to flat bench barbell pressing. Hammering the incline, decline, and overhead angles is sure to enhance your bench press and overall strength and muscle development as well.
Tool:
Varying the tool used to press can also be a great tool for increasing your bench press. Incorporating Swiss bars, axle bars, cambered bars, landmines, or dumbbells can be a great place to start.
ROM:
Working through a variety of ranges of motion can be another great way to improve specific weak positions of your bench press.
For example:
Struggle off the chest: Cambered bar or dumbbells
Struggle halfway up: Floor press
Struggle at lockout: Pin and board presses from a variety of heights
Tempo:
As mentioned in the frequency section, utilizing a variety of tempos in your training can be a great tool in developing well-rounded bench press strength, including negatives, pauses, and even speed-focused reps (especially with bands or chains added to the bar).
Structural Balance:
As we’ve said in the past, in the words of Charles Poliquin, you can’t shoot a cannon out of a canoe. Spending time developing the back, shoulders, and rotator cuff muscles will allow us to fully express the strength we’ve built, as well as train for longer so that we can maximize our potential!
Conclusion
It’s no secret that the bench press is a favourite of meatheads, athletes, and everyday gymgoers worldwide. Utilize the variety of tips and methods mentioned above and watch your bench press soar to new heights!