BENCH PRESS LIKE A BOSS

 

TEASER

International chest day, but still struggling to put up two plates on the bench press?! No worries, we got you. BENCH PRESS LIKE A BOSS will make it happen in no time!

THE ARTICLE

INTRO
Benching doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it only comes down to 2 major things:

1. Setting up correctly
2. Propper bar path

Yeah, that’s it, no fancy training equipment needed!

MAIN PART

THE SETUP

A proper setup is key for every major compound lift; the bench press included. Here are a few points illustrating why it’s that crucial:

• - Decreases distance bar is travelling (less range of motion = more weight on the bar)
• - Puts shoulders in efficient position to press from + decreases risk of injury
• - Creates tight and solid base allowing better muscle engagement (strong base = strong building)

Now, how do we setup?!

Here are the 2 most common ways to set up used by professional powerlifters competing in the bench press. Both are correct and applicable, none is the better one!

 

SETUP A

Lay down on the bench with a flat back Your head and about half of your neck should be hanging off the bench

Pull your feet back towards your head until you start feeling some tension build up in the back of your legs (hamstrings and glutes) Once a tight position is achieved, you are probably going to end up on your toes for a while Keep that position for a while

Without moving your feet (you are still on your toes), use the bar as resistance to pull yourself up towards the bar Row yourself into the bar! By doing so, you will be able to pinch your shoulder blades back together and down (scapular retraction and depression) Your body should be stabilized by your toes If you were about to lay down on the bench, the bar should be directly over your nose-to-eye area, your head in contact with the bench

"Rowing myself into the bar? I don’t really get it." Well, if that’s you, here’s a picture to illustrate what I mean or what you should be doing:

Now, jam your upper back into the bench and keep it there immobilized Your shoulder blades should be retracted and depressed Only your upper back and glutes should be touching the bench by now The position of your upper back should be maintained throughout the whole set!

Bring your feet a little bit away from you to the point where you can touch the floor with your heels How far this is going to be has to do with ankle mobility Your feet should be flat on the floor by the end of this step and your setup almost finalized

Apply tension and friction with your feet to the ground by squeezing your glutes and kicking the floor away from you (like you would in a leg extension) At the same time, imagine spreading the floor and applying tension to the outer sides of your shoes The angle at which your feet are angled out is up to you Your knees should be pointing in the direction of your feet and shouldn’t be caving inwards Make a conscious effort to shorten the distance between your upper back and your glutes Only your upper back and glutes should be in contact with the bench Maintain your shoulder blades retracted and depressed throughout the entire set

 

SETUP B

Lay down on the bench with a flat back Your head and about half of your neck should be hanging off the bench

Put your feet up on the bench Grab onto the bar with your feet on the bench to lift your butt off the bench; only your upper back should remain in contact with the bench

Set your upper back tight by retracting and depressing your shoulder blades into the bench (as shown previously in SETUP A) From there, put your feet down flat on the floor You can plant both feet simultaneously or successively Move them back towards your head until you start feeling some tension build up in the back of your legs Only your upper back and glutes should be touching the bench By now, your setup is almost finalized

Apply tension and friction with your feet to the ground by squeezing your glutes and kicking the floor away from you (like you would in a leg extension) At the same time, imagine spreading the floor and applying tension to the outer sides of your shoes The angle at which your feet are angled out is up to you Your knees should be pointing in the direction of your feet and shouldn’t be caving inwards Make a conscious effort to shorten the distance between your upper back and your glutes Only your upper back and glutes should be in contact with the bench Maintain your shoulder blades retracted and depressed throughout the entire set

 

 

As you can see, both setups require you to have full body tension (leg drive) as well as upper back tightness. Maintaining tightness in your upper back while benching is fundamental for safety reasons (concerning your shoulders) and the power output exerted on the bar.

THE GRIP
 
The most efficient position to press from, is the position at which the greatest number of joints will be stacked one on top of the other. After having set up like we described above, lower the bar down to your chest. Your grip width will be determined by the angle your forearm is forming relative to the ground (or the bar) when the bar is touching your chest. Ideally, when the bar is touching your chest, your forearms will be forming a 90° angle with the ground (forearms perpendicular to the floor/bar), putting your wrists above your elbows in a straight line (as shown in the “regular grip” figure).
The application of other bench press grip widths will be discussed in another article.

"Tight back = more stability, less injuries, more power"

NOTE:
At any time of any pressing exercise, your thumb should be around the bar and a maximum amount of grip strength should be applied to the bar. This is for your own safety and the improvement of your athletic performance.
In case you are encountering any wrist-related pain while bench pressing, feel free to read our article addressing wrist pain in pressing movements. 100% guarantee it will help.

 

UNRACKING THE BAR

You want to maintain your back tightness at any time throughout the lift. Your shoulder blades should stay retracted and depressed during the entire set!
Set your rack at an appropriate height where you can unrack the bar by pulling it over instead of pushing it out. Pushing it out is going to make your shoulders roll forward and defeat the purpose of your setup (back arch and tightness).

LOWERING THE BAR

With the bar directly aligned over your shoulders, initiate the bench press by slightly tucking in your elbows and lowering the bar towards your sternum, right below your pecs. At the same time, try building up tension throughout your body like a spring.

 

PRESSING THE BAR
When the bar touches your chest, press and squeeze the bar forcefully while contracting your glutes and pushing through your legs and feet. Kick and spread the floor away from you with your feet. It should feel as if you are uncoiling all the tension you generated out of your setup when letting the bar descend into your chest.  Drive the bar back in a J-curve over your chest while progressively flaring your elbows. One repetition is considered complete when the elbows are locked, and the barbell is directly balanced above your shoulders.

PROPER BAR PATH
Pressing in a straight line (as shown in red) or in a C-curve (as shown in yellow) is inefficient when compared to pressing in a J-curve (as shown in green). Moving the bar towards your face in the initial phase of the movement eliminates the moment arm extending from your shoulder (our axis of rotation) to the bar faster. This makes bench pressing inherently easier on your shoulder musculature and allows for more kilos on the bar. This is equivalent to holding a stick at its centre vs one of its extremities. All of us know that the weight of the stick we perceive will be much higher when it’s held at one of its extremities.

 

BREATHING
What applies to every other exercise applies to the bench press as well. Inhaling is done during the “easy” phase of the lift (lowering the bar to your chest) while exhaling should be done during the phase where you are experiencing the biggest amount of exertion. For most people, this will be somewhere during the concentric phase of lifting (pushing the bar) when reaching their sticking point (the point at which the bar is going to slow down significantly).

NOTE: More advanced lifters inhale at the top, hold their breath during the entire lift and then exhale once they are past their sticking point. That manoeuvre is also known as the Valsalva manoeuvre and is commonly used by high level strength athletes. However, it is not recommended for beginners as it can increase blood pressure drastically and impose risks to their health. Nevertheless, its use is important to mention as it provides even more stability during any given lift. Pressurized breathing into your abdomen is the most efficient bracing pattern known to the human body.

OUTTRO
At the end of this article, you should be fully capable of performing a proper bench press by powerlifting and bodybuilding standards. While it is covering a good amount of basic knowledge and is a good point to start from, feel free to check out our article on ADVANCED BENCH PRESS TECHNIQUES addressing common issues, problems and further knowledge concerning the bench press.

 

Author: Loannis Krokos