Movement Mastery – How to Bench Press

Hey, brah, how much do ya bench? Good luck overestimating how many times this question and its variants have been posed over the last century.  Just as bulging biceps have come to symbolize strength and power, the bench press has somewhat erroneously become the default measure for raw strength.  Those in the know (like you, now that you’re here understand the value of a balanced strength training program and realize that deadlifts and squats are better for total-body strength, but that takes nothing away from the bench press as one of the most efficient builders of upper body strength.  To ensure that you don’t become just another washed up meathead benching 225 week after week with no progress and plenty of nagging shoulder injuries, we’re going to emphasize proper form as the key to maximum gains and pain free progress:

1.    Lie on the bench with your shoulders retracted so they create a solid, flat platform to press from (imagine trying to hold a pencil between the shoulder blades).  Your eyes should be just ‘above’ the bar when you look straight up at the ceiling.  Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width, with the toes pointing slightly outward.
2.    Grab the bar with a medium-width grip, somewhere between 22” and 28”.  Press your palms up into the bar so that the weight is resting in the pad of your hand rather than up near the fingers.
3.    Arch your back so as to push up the chest, but make sure your butt is still on the bench (lifting your butt is a popular way to cheat, but will get you disqualified in a contest and constitutes a missed rep in our system).
4.    Unrack the bar and bring it over your chest to where the arms are perpendicular to the floor, keeping the elbows locked the whole time.  Make sure to keep your wrists locked throughout the entire set.
5.    Take a deep breath and hold it in as you lower the bar straight down, tucking the elbows in to allow the bar to touch in the middle of the sternum.
6.    Drive the bar up, exhaling about half way up (feel free to grunt if this helps).

We’ll discuss some more about this weight room staple in the future, including ways to improve your back arch, how to work different muscles and ranges of motion, advanced techniques like the use of bands and/or chains and plenty of advice on troubleshooting.  For now, remember the 6 tips above and check your ego at the door.  When your form is good, you’ll be in the correct position to continue making progress and proudly answer the timeless gymrat inquiry.