If you want to get a bigger bench press, negative/eccentric-focused training can be one of the very best methods to accomplish it.

When properly done, negatives create a tremendous amount of muscle damage, which can improve strength quickly while also increasing muscle mass. In addition, the overload of using more weight than you normally could handle helps increase connective tissue strength and nervous system drive.

The problem with negatives is twofold...

 

1. Controlling, not fighting.

Many people do them wrong, focusing on controlling the descent of the weight instead of actively FIGHTING to resist the downward force of the bar. To give an example, a true negative bench press rep means that you're trying as hard as you can to PRESS the bar as the overloaded weight bears down on you.

This active fight is what shreds the cross-bridges in your muscle fibers (actin and myosin) and what leads to the massive soreness as well as increase in strength (once the muscles recover).

 

2. The strength curve and sticking points of the exercise.

This is the same thing you run into with a normal rep. You can only use as much weight as you can handle in the weakest point of the range of motion, a.k.a. the sticking point.

When you're doing a normal rep, it means you can't move the weight past it. In a negative rep, it means the weight drops because your muscle fibers can't contract hard enough to resist the descent.

THIS is the big one that this technique is going to address...

 

Double Negatives

You're doing to be doing a two-part negative-focused set here. We're going to divide the bench press into two sections/phases.

The first half of the set will focus on the range of motion BELOW the sticking point. You're going to select a weight that is about 102-105% of your 1 RM. In other words, something just slightly more than your 1 RM.

This is enough so that you can't lift it, but you CAN fight it in the BOTTOM half of the range of motion.

It'll be easy to control in the top half, which is stronger. So we're going to focus the fight only on that bottom half, below the sticking point. We'll lower it under control to just below the sticking point THEN start the real negative rep.

I pegged my max to be approximately 250 lbs during this demo, so I put 260 lbs on the bar.

Set the safety rails of the rack to the bottom of the lift. I recommend doing these in the rack rather then just having a spotter in a free bench setup. The rails will give you the confidence to really push yourself. You CAN have a partner help you reset the weight, though.

Unrack the bar.

Now lower it under control to the sticking point.

Once you hit that, go slightly below it and FIGHT. Try as hard as you can to press that weight as it bears down on you.

This portion should take at least 3-4 seconds or more. It should be a slow, hard fight.

This is where safety rail position is critical. Set the bar on the rails, once you can't fight anymore and it hits the bottom.

Roll the bar forward.

Then get yourself out from under it.

Roll the bar back towards the uprights.

If you have a partner, you can have them lift the bar back up to the rails with you. If you're on your own, this setup is perfect because you can lift one end up, then the other.

Then you're ready to do the next rep.

Perform 3-4 reps with this focus on the BOTTOM half of the range of motion.

 

Now the DOUBLE fun begins...matching the strength curve.

Since the top half of the range of motion is stronger, we're going to now add weight to the bar. I originally added 50 lbs and had 310 lbs on the bar, but it turned out to be too much to control for a proper negative, so I reduced that by 20 lbs to 290 lbs, which was good.

It will take a little experimentation to get the weights right. Just make sure it's not so heavy that weight drops too fast and you can't resist it enough to make the rep take 3-4 seconds.

We're also going to raise the safety rails up to just ABOVE the sticking point. This is going to confine the rep to the top half of the range of motion.

Unrack and get into position. One of the other benefits of negative training is practice unracking very heavy weight. There is a skill to it so that you can stay tight in the back and shoulders.

Once you break lockout, start pressing against the bar, fighting the lowering.

Fight all the way to the rails...which are just above your sticking point.

Use the same reset method as on the lighter weight, picking up one end then the other, to get read for the next rep.

Perform 3-4 reps at this half-range setting.

Aim for 2-3 total sets of this Double Negative training, taking 3 minutes rest in between sets. It's important to take a long rest period due to the muscle damage and nervous system energy being used by the body.

It won't feel too bad the day after...

TWO days after is when the incredibly deep muscle soreness is going to set into your chest, and it can last upwards of 5-6 days after the session.

Because of this, I would recommend using this method only once a week, at the most.

It's a fantastic method for building strength, especially in a "top down" exercise like the bench press where you need to train your body to control heavy weight on the descent in preparation for the press on the way up.

I've got the full video of this technique in action here.

(FYI, the full video is about 8 minutes but it'll give you the best idea of exactly how to perform this technique safely and effectively).

Enjoy!

Nick Nilsson
The Mad Scientist of Muscle

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