The barbell bench press...and yes, I know
this is a strange exercise that nobody has
ever heard of before...



The crazy thing is...for all the people going it day-in and
day-out, the VAST majority of them are doing at least
one (or more) MAJOR things completely wrong.

And they're literally leaving POUNDS on the table that
the 4 simple tweaks I'm going to show you right now
can fix...

So use these tips and don't let that happen to you!!

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1. Get Your Grip-Width Right

Where you grip the bar can make or break your bench
press before you even do a single rep.

If you grip the bar in too close, you're putting more
stress on the triceps, which limits your pushing power
and increases the distance you have to press the bar.

If you grip the bar too wide, you do decrease the distance
the bar travels but you can put excessive stress on the
shoulder joints.

So what is the best place to grip the bar?

This is best determined with no weight on the bar at all
and with somebody watching your form. Lie down and
take the bar off the rack and lower the bar to your chest.
Have somebody else eyeball your forearms.

At the bottom of the press, your forearms should be
perfectly vertical. THAT will give you the greatest
pressing power as you won't lose any power inside
or outside.

It's the same concept as throwing a punch - if the bones
of the arm aren't lined up properly when it connects, you
lose a lot of power at impact.


2. Don't Be a "Loose" Breather

When you're doing a heavy press, trunk stabilization is
much more important than when you're doing lighter,
higher-rep training. You need a strong, solid base to
push off of to really move the most weight.

When doing a heavy lift for only a few reps, breathe in
deeply on the way down, inflating your chest as much
as possible (this has the dual effect of increasing the
stability of your trunk AND decreasing the distance
the bar must travel, which is a bonus!).

But as you press the bar off your chest don't immediately
blow out all your air in one big blow. That will destabilize
the chest and weaken the base you're pushing from.

It would be like trying to do a dumbbell press on the
Swiss Ball as somebody is letting the air out of it FAST!

So as you start to press the weight, blow your air out
through pursed lips.

Basically, pretend you're blowing up a really thick balloon.

You want to keep your breathing muscles in your rib
cage absolutely solid as they very slowly force the air
out. This keeps your trunk solid and stabilized as you
press, which is critical. The moment you lose that
stability, you lose the lift.


3. Drive With Your Legs

Leg drive is VERY important to maximizing your bench
press strength on maximum lifts. When you set your feet
for benching, don't just place them anywhere and let
nature take its course.

Set your feet solidly on the ground and bend your knees
to about 80 degrees.

Here's why...when you're at the bottom of the bench
press, driving with the legs can help you get that weight
moving.

You can demonstrate this to yourself by lying on the flat
bench and setting your feet on the ground. Now think
of how you'd need to set your feet if you wanted to use
your feet/legs to slide yourself up the bench.

THAT is what you do when you drive with your legs -
you basically try and use your legs to slide yourself up
the bench at the moment you begin the press upwards.

Because the weight is holding you down, that driving
force transfers into helping push the weight up.

If you're not currrently doing this, it will make a BIG
difference in your power out of the bottom immediately.
You'll now be benching with your whole body instead of
just your chest and arms.


4. Squeeze Your Shoulder Blades Together

This goes back to trunk stability. If you're not consciously
and solidly (and aggressively!) squeezing your shoulder
blades together when you set yourself up on the bench
press, you're instantly putting yourself at a disadvantage.

To do this, lie down on the bench and grab the bar. Lift
your body up off the bench then try and touch your
shoulder blades together behind your back. Get them
pulled in as tight as possible...it should actually be a bit
painful in your back because of the force of the
contraction.

When you set yourself back down, you'll find you're not
only more stable on the bench but your shoulders are in
a stronger pressing position. This will also make your
torso a little thicker, which means a shorter range of
motion, which means you can use more weight!

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Give these 4 technique points a try next time you
hit the bench press...I promise you'll notice a BIG
difference in your strength on the very first set!

Want more tips like this? Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here!

 

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"