8 Things Successful Lifters Do Before Benching HEAVY (plus BONUS tip)
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Let’s cover 8 things that successful, intelligent, wily lifters do before bench pressing, and at the end, we’ll address a bonus tip that people rarely consider. Let’s dive in.
#1 Stance
The bench isn’t that wide, so it doesn’t give you much lateral stability. Instead, it’s your stance that performs this job; in addition, your stance gives you the ability to effectively drive with your legs (covered later in tip #4) and therefore make yourself more rigid and stable.
With this in mind, take a roughly squat-width stance – you can go wider if you like, but a squat-width stance generally serves very well. Also, keep your feet flat on the floor as you can drive your feet into the floor more effectively when they are flat on the ground than with your heels up in the air (this is also often a rule in competition).
#2 Grip
Take a grip that is about a hand-width wider than where the knurling starts (a thumb-length will also often work quite well).
This will serve nicely to get started, and you may need to make a small adjustment inward or outward once you start benching. Record yourself on video or have a friend watch you – specifically, you’re looking for a grip that permits vertical forearms (as seen from the head or the foot of the bench) when the bar touches your chest.
Also, you want the bar positioned over the bones of your forearms, so pronate your grip slightly and make sure the bar is supported in the base of your hand and not up by the pads of your fingers.
Lastly, do not take a thumbless grip (AKA “suicide grip”). Wrap your thumb around the bar when benching – always.
#3 Chest & Shoulders
Your chest should be up and your shoulders should be pinched back and down.
Doing this puts your shoulders in a stronger, safer position from which to bench, and by getting your chest up, you also position your pecs into a more mechanically advantageous position.
#4 Leg Drive
Drive your feet forward and downward (i.e., diagonally) into the ground.
This is closely related to the concept of getting your chest up and providing yourself with a nice arch – your feet should be driving into the ground almost as if you are trying to slide up the bench, i.e., as if you are trying to slide toward the uprights.
Of course, you don't want to slide toward the uprights, but the bar is pinning you in place, so don’t worry about that.
Be sure you aren’t driving your legs in such a way as to cause your butt to come up off of the bench (your rep doesn’t count when you do that).
You drive with your legs so that you compress yourself slightly and create as stable and rigid of a platform (i.e., a more rigid and stable you) as possible from which to bench.
#5 Focal Point
First, have a focal point, and second, it’s not the barbell (don’t stare at something that moves).
With the bar locked out, pick a spot on the ceiling directly above you and note that you can still see the bar in your peripheral vision. That bar needs to finish in the same place every single time at the top of each rep.
#6 Breathing and Bracing
We’ve covered how to do this for lifting in general, and we’ll link to a video below that addresses these general principles of breathing and getting tight.
Here, let’s cover two interesting notes specifically related to breathing when benching.
First, the bench is a rare lift wherein you might consider doing multiple reps on one breath. That is perfectly acceptable, but don't take this as a test of your manhood (or womanhood) to see how many reps you can get on one breath. Passing out while benching is always a lousy idea.
Second, when you have the bar locked out at arms-length between reps and need to take a breath, don't take the biggest possible breath. When you do that, it's moves your upper body, which makes it difficult to keep your shoulders pinched back into place. Instead, think of the breath as a smaller, “topping-off-your-gas-tank” breath.
#7 How to Unrack a Heavy Bench Press By Yourself
If you’re training with someone, it's great to have your buddy help you with the unrack (i.e., the “lift-off”) so that you can stay in position efficiently and keep your shoulders pinned back and down.
However, if you're lifting on your own, it can be difficult to lift a heavy barbell up off the j-hooks and then maneuver it horizontally to the starting position directly above your shoulders.
The key is to use the leverage provided by the rest of your body to help you accomplish this task. Check out the short video below for an explanation and very useful demonstration of this process, but in short, the steps are as follows – first, flare your elbows out and back slightly. Second, lift your hips up off the bench. Third, unrack the bar, and fourth, bring your hips back down as you bring the bar into position.
#8 Safeties and Spotters
When possible, get a spotter.
A spotter is great for the lift-off, and a spotter is also great if you get into trouble – after all, the bench press is the most dangerous lift in the room, so be smart about this and have a spotter when possible.
However, having a spotter is not always possible, and in this case, make sure that you set the safeties at the appropriate height. They need to be set low enough that you don't run into them when benching, but they also need to be set high enough that they save you from trouble if you fail a rep.
Check out the short video below for a demonstration of this.
Be sure to practice this, i.e., practice failing a rep with an empty bar and with the safeties set at the correct height. You should be able to relax your arch, set the bar on the safeties, and then slide out safely from under the bar. If you can’t do this, raise the safeties until you can.
We also recommend not using collars when benching as you can dump the plates (side-to-side) if you fail a rep, but the absence of collars is not sufficient as it won’t save you from the type of catastrophic disaster that can occur during the unracking or racking process and results with a bar on your face or neck.
Get a spotter or use safeties correctly. These are the only two options.
Bonus Tip
Use chalk.
Take a look at the big bench presses on YouTube or on social media, and you’ll notice that these guys and gals use chalk (you’ll see a few examples in the video below as well).
Chalk is most important in pulling movements like the deadlift, but it’s still important in the bench as well, and if you’re ever had your hand start to slide outward slightly when benching, you already know what I’m talking about.
You don’t need a lot of chalk, but it is wise to use some. Also, remember that if you’re training at a commercial gym, you’re not only dealing with the moisture and oils from your hands – you’re also dealing with the moisture and oils from whoever has used that bar before you.
Stay chalked, my friends.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
-Phil
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