The Bench Press
Continuing on with my 5 Exercises to Achieve Any Goal post, I am going to put today’s spotlight on a crowd favorite;
The Bench Press
When I was in high school, all I cared about was getting a big chest. I pounded my pecs on the daily in the hopes of filling out my one-size too small shirts that much more.
However, this growth never really came about.
Sure, I put on some size, but my chest is stubborn and this is partly because I STINK at the bench press.
I had a hard time with this in those high school days because all my bros seemed to be bench press monsters.
In frustration, I went over to the power rack and discovered I was better at this thing called deadlifting.
“What are you doing, Kasey? Why are you working muscles that you can’t even see?”
“Because I want to pack on muscle and become a machine.”
“But we have only maxed out 2x this week! Don’t be a pussy!”
“Guys, it’s time. I must deadlift.”
The parting was kind of like Bilbo when he left the Shire to go live amongst the elves.
And off I went. I continued to bench press, but at a healthy rate, and I prioritized posterior chain work in my programming.
Anyway, some days, it seems like the bench press truly enjoys deflating my ego.
I always seek to blame my long arms. I mean, come on, I have to press the bar SO much further than the average-length limb person J
My best bench is 280 pounds and that was at a bodyweight of around 225. Nothing to write home about.
Excuses aside, I have made strides on the bench.
And despite my struggles, I absolutely believe loaded horizontal pressing is an important component in any healthy person’s program.
The problem?
Because the bench develops all the beach muscles (chest, shoulders, arms) and the “standard-bearing” reputation it has among males, it gets done WAY more than it should.
Go to any gym on a Monday and you will not be able to grab a flat bench.
Actually, go to a gym on pretty much ANY day and you will most likely have to fight for the chance to bench for more than 2 minutes.
This obsession leads to a fair share of wrecked shoulders and exacerbated poor postures.
Let me tell you something, though;
It is extremely difficult to make your chest appear big when you are rounded forward 45 degrees!
In today’s post, I want to discuss the actual purpose of the bench press and how you can use it to develop a strong and great-looking physique, while keeping your shoulders healthy!
What the Bench Press Is Actually Good For
The bench press is more than just an upper-body builder and something that chokes people out when they go too heavy without a spotter.
#1: Better Posture
Yes, the bench can improve your posture…when it is performed correctly!
I will dive into specific technique points later, but when you set up for the bench, the shoulders should be pulled down and back. This will engage the lats, rhomboids, and other back muscles that contribute to keeping you upright.
This is not a position we assume too often throughout our days at the office, where our shoulder blades (scapulae) tend to be protracted and abducted.
A proper bench press trains your back, as much it is trains your chest!
#2: Total-Body Strength
Speaking of the bench press being more than just a pec blaster, when you set-up properly, the bench press becomes a total-body effort.
Not only are the shoulders pulled down and back, which gets your upper posterior engaged, but the glutes should be squeezed tight and the feet should be driving through the floor. This will bring your whole lower-body into play, as they are working to help you develop maximal force on the press.
Did I mention your core also has to be engaged to keep your lower back from snapping in half?
The bench is often criticized for not being “functional”, due to the fact that you are on your back, but it DOES have carryover to athletic performance when it is included as a PART of a COMPLETE program.
#3: Survival
The ability to sit upright from a supine position is an underrated skill. Unless you plan on not leaving the bench, you have to sit back up after your set.
If you are ever in a situation where you need to get up quickly (e.g. if someone’s foot is getting ready to come down onto your face), you will better be able to survive.
And because you are a strong bench presser, you will then be able to knock them out!!
Tell me that isn’t functional!
Who Should Bench
Anyone that has a healthy set of shoulders and isn’t kyphotic (think hunchback) as all get-out.
Anyone that wants a stronger body that has less fat.
Anyone that can perform 20 perfect-form pushups.
Who Shouldn’t Bench
Anyone with hurt/hypo-mobile shoulders (especially an asymmetrical hypo-mobility) and/or a kyphotic posture.
There is no point in getting after it time and again on the bench press when your shoulders are already internally rotated and you need to lift your head up to see someone pass you in the hall.
If you possess those qualities, fix them and stick with dumbbell bench variations, which I will detail later.
Also, if you break into a cold sweat doing a pushup, you need to get strong there FIRST before attacking external loads on the bench. Check out this post for more info.
The Form
I alluded to this in the benefits section, but proper bench press form is what allows the bench press to be great.
I can understand sometimes when I see poorly done squats and deadlifts, because there are a lot of moving parts and it can be difficult to judge where you are in space. But the bench press??
You are on your back! All you have to do is push! Yet, I continue to see some absolutely horrendous renditions that make me wonder what magazines I am NOT reading!
Granted, this form primarily comes about from using way too much weight, but it’s time to dial things in and get the basics down to allow you to get the most out of the lift.
Let’s start, of course, with the set-up;
Set-Up For Success
The set-up makes or breaks the bench, as a great set-up determines whether your bench is about to be a total-body lift or just a chest/shoulder dominator. So it is crucial you get it down pat to achieve maximal strength!
So you lie back on the bench and….
#1: Get your feet right underneath your knees or slightly behind.
They should be flat and actively driving through the floor. The feet are your only link to the ground, so use them wisely and generate some force that will transfer up the chain.
#2: Squeeze your glutes
If you held a walnut in there, it should be in pieces at the end of your set. Plus, because the glutes function to posteriorly tilt your pelvis, they do a great job of preventing excessive extension at your lumbar spine when that weight starts getting heavy.
#3: Get a slight arch in your low-back
Notice I said slight. Someone should be able to slide their hand underneath your lumbar, but they shouldn’t be able to get their fist through there.
#4: Pull your shoulder blades down and back
Proper positioning of the scapulae will engage your lats and give you a solid base to press from.
Plus, by doing this, your chest will naturally puff up, decreasing the distance you have to press the bar.
Pressing with the shoulder blades “loose” will limit your strength and put your shoulders at an increased risk of injury.
If I had to choose the most important set-up cue, this would be it!
The Grip
My standard grip recommendation is to get the pinkies right inside the smooth rings of the barbell. This is an effective position for most, and ensures that nothing is getting overly stressed.
You can also employ a wider or narrower grip. I don’t generally advocate a wider-grip because it flares the elbows out more than I like to see and therefore, tends to place a lot of stress on the shoulder joints.
A narrower grip focuses more on the triceps and limits the amount of weight you can press. However, it depends on your goal.
I love close-grip bench presses as an assistance exercise for the actual bench press, because triceps strength is key when locking out at the top of the rep (the triceps function to extend the elbows).
The biggest point to remember about the grip is this;
CRUSH THE BAR
You should grip the bar as tight as you possibly can. Some coaches like to use the cue of “pulling the bar apart”, which I have also found to be effective. The stronger your grip, the better off your shoulders will be (a solid grip will improve the dynamic stabilization function of the rotator cuff) and the stronger your bench will be.
Whatever grip you choose to use, please don’t go thumbless. This is silly and greatly increases your chances of death.
The Eccentric (Lowering) Phase
It’s always good to have a spotter when you bench. Not only because it will prevent you from dying if the weight becomes too heavy, but because a spotter can ensure that you don’t lose the amazing set-up you just worked so hard to achieve.
Enter the lift-off.
When you bench by yourself, the bar is naturally going to be set-up slightly behind your forehead. If you were to set up directly underneath the bar, you would smoke the support rungs on the way up.
Trust me, this is NOT a cool feeling.
Anyway, in order for you to get the bar over your chest without a spotter, you have to pull the bar forward. This gets your shoulder blades out of position and makes it much more difficult to get them locked down and back again.
When you have a spotter, you can have them lift the bar out over your chest. And voila, you haven’t lost any of the solidity of your set-up.
If you can’t get a spotter, you will just have to make due, so the moral of the story is;
Get a spotter!
After all, who is going to yell “ALL YOU BRO!” as they lift the bar off your chest on that last rep??*
Once the bar is set, get your wrists straight. You are putting a lot of undue pressure through your wrist tendons when you let them hang back. Keeping them neutral will help you get that death grip we talked about and increase your strength.
Lower the bar to just below the nips, right around your sternum. Take about 2 seconds on the way down and stop the bar just above your chest.
There is nothing that makes me cringe more than seeing the bar crash down onto someone’s chest rep-after-rep.
NEWS FLASH: You are damaging your internal organs! Stop it!
When you are lowering the bar, the elbows should be moving at a 45-degree angle (not flared out and not tight to your sides).
The Concentric (Pressing) Phase
At this point in the rep, you have a lot of built-up potential energy that needs to be released.
Your main goal with the press should be EXPLOSIVENESS. You are seeking to get that bar off your chest as quickly as possible.
You will see a lot of different things out there talking about various paths the bar can take on the way up, but for the general trainee who isn’t trying to win a powerlifting meet, you don’t need to fret. Just press the bar straight up.
Lock the elbows out at the top, pause for a second to reset (if needed) that total-body engagement, and then go into your next rep.
As you can see, the bench press isn’t terribly complicated. You just need to stay focused and make sure you are getting engagement from all the right places (feet, glutes, lats).
Bench Press Variations/Exercises to Help Your Bench
You have a lot of options when it comes to horizontal pressing. I am going to provide some recommendations based on some common issues that you may be dealing with, since I don’t have you right here in front of me.
If you have cranky shoulders…
I mentioned this above, but if you deal with any sort of shoulder issues and can’t stand the thought of not pressing, bust out the dumbbells.
Using dumbbells will allow you to take a neutral-grip, which is a lot safer for the shoulder than the pronated grip you have to assume with the barbell.
Plus, with dumbbells, you can work one arm at a time, which will prevent one side from taking over if you have asymmetrical shoulder mobility restrictions.
Not to mention, the core engagement that you will feel with the single-arm and alternating press variations make them that much more of a valuable programming option.
I like the following;
Single-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press (I like doing these before teaching someone how to do a pushup, because it introduces them to proper elbow positioning)
Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press
Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
If you have weak triceps/have trouble locking out the bar…
I talked briefly about this earlier, but close-grip press variations are fantastic for improving your barbell bench press.
From what I have seen so far in my career, triceps strength tends to be a more common limiting factor than chest/shoulder strength.
I prefer close-grip barbell presses to the dumbbells, simply because you can load it up more. I also think that when the dumbbells start getting large and in charge, it’s awkward holding them that close to your sides.
If you have long arms/unstable shoulders/just need a break from the bench…
In the past few months, I have actually taken a bench press sabbatical and dropped down to the floor (no, not with my booty, I am actually doing floor presses).
Floor pressing variations are great for those with longer-limbs because it limits the range-of-motion at the shoulder and allows for a more stable press. I have seen good results, in terms of size and strength, doing these.
In a few weeks, I will go back to the bench and see what kind of carryover they have given me.
I expounded on the benefits of floor pressing for ectomorphic builds in my T-Nation article, Grow, Ectomorph, Grow.
If you want to become a life beast….
Do more horizontal pulls.
No, horizontal pulls are not a bench press variation. But they will go an incredibly long way to helping you bench press more weight.
I talked earlier about the role the back plays in a solid bench press, so it only makes sense that you have to train it to have your best possible bench. In fact, I strongly recommend that for every press that you perform in your program, you include 2 pulling exercises.
This will ensure that you aren’t wearing down your shoulders and will keep the focus on the muscles that will have the greatest impact on your long-term health and performance.
Remember, an awesome posture will make your chest appear a LOT bigger!
Any horizontal pull works here;
Batwing Row
Chest-Supported Row
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
Seated Cable Row
There are lots of others, but those are a few big ones.
Take a look at your current program;
Add up the number of presses and the number of pulls. Make sure the pulls double your presses!
In fact, I recommend having someone else evaluate your program. I wrote about this in my post, Don’t Write Your Own Program, but I did not even realize I wasn’t doing enough horizontal pulling until I had a fellow coach examine my program.
There is a lot of value in a fresh, outside eye!
Programming the Bench Press
Well, first things first, there is really no need to bench press 5x per week. 1-2x per week is the max frequency you should be toying with.
Ok, now that that is out of the way, this section is concluded.
Just kidding, but in all seriousness, don’t bench on a Monday. Be different!
As far as sets and reps are concerned, the bench is not that special, in my opinion.
If you are more concerned with hypertrophy than pure strength, stick in the 6-12 rep range.
If you want pure strength, don’t be going above 5 reps per set.
The key to boosting your bench is not being obsessed with seeing plates on the bar. Doing 2 crappy 2-3 rep sets week after week is not going to get you anywhere.
Make technique a priority, be patient, and don’t get stale.
For example, if you have been using a 3 x 3 rep scheme for the past 6 months, and your bench hasn’t gone up for the past 3 months, it is time to change it up.
Take a few weeks and do 3 x 12, and then go back into a 5 x 5 regimen. There are countless avenues you can take, but just follow the 3 principles from above.
Or better yet, you can take my approach, and substitute the bench press with a floor press or dumbbell press for a few weeks/months.
Conclusion
The bench press is a great lift. I may not be the greatest at it, but I respect what it can do. The only reason it has gotten a bad rap is because people have used it inappropriately and for the wrong reasons.
Employ the tips above (it’s only the tip of the iceberg) and get your bench press up so you can better answer the standard weight-room question of, “So how much do you bench?”*
*please don’t ever do that…ever…at least, be honest, and scream, “IT’S ALL ME RIGHT NOW BRO, I GOT YOU!”
*that question should definitely be. “So how much do you deadlift?”
Be your best,
Kasey, CSCS
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