Weak Bench Press? QUICK FIX
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Don’t be a moron when you’re benching. A little harsh, perhaps? Sure, but ignoring that, what are we even talking about here?
The Mistake You’re Making
The bench press mistake we’re discussing today is very common - especially with newer lifters (but yes - experienced ones too) - and it is the error of allowing your shoulders to “bounce” or “jump” up off the bench at the top of the movement.
Analogy: The Squat
When you squat - when you finish standing up at the completion of a rep - you stay flat-footed. Specifically, you certainly don’t squat down, drive back up, and then finish the rep by coming up onto your toes momentarily (i.e., with your heels up off the ground) and then settling back down to a flat-footed position (i.e., with your heels back on the ground again).
This would be unstable, unnecessary, and ridiculous as well, so you don’t do it. However, you might be making an analogous mistake when benching.
What This Looks Like on the Bench Press
A correctly performed bench press will have the following components - you set your stance at roughly squat width, you lie down on the bench and retract your shoulder blades, you unrack the bar with straight arms, you lower the barbell until it touches your chest, and then you press the bar back up to the same position from which it started . . . with your shoulder blades still retracted (Figure 1).
Figure 1: The correct lockout position (shoulders retracted). note the position of the bar against the backdrop of the uprights - compare this to figure 2.
You finish the rep in a controlled fashion, and because you do so, you don’t have to pull your shoulders back into place each time after completing a rep.
However, lifters often allow their shoulders to come up out of position at the top of the rep. If you’re making this mistake (record yourself on video to check), you’ll see the bar “jump” at the top of the rep. That is, the bar will go up a bit too far (Figure 2) and then settle back into its final position.
Figure 2: don’t do this. note the position of the bar against the backdrop of the uprights - compare this to figure 1.
In this situation, the bar is traveling upward too far because you’re allowing your shoulders to pop up off the bench slightly and then settle back into place at the top of the rep. Watch the included video below to see this error in action (as well as a demonstration and explanation of how to fix it).
Shoulders are Stability
Remember - your shoulders are for the bench press what your feet are for the squat. They are your base of support, and you want a wide and stable base of support when benching. With this in mind, you need to keep those shoulders pinned down and pulled back as much as possible. If you allow your shoulders to pop off the bench at the top of each rep, you’re adding an artificial, unstable, and inefficient range of motion to the lift. In addition, you now need to re-retract your shoulders before the next rep, and that’s wasted energy that you shouldn’t need to utilize.
You squat with your feet flat on the floor, so bench with your shoulders retracted and firmly attached to the bench.
How to Fix the Problem
First, and assuming that you’re already focused on keeping your shoulders back, you can remind yourself to “finish deliberately” or “lock out with control.” This will often help ensure that you aren’t aggressively causing your shoulders to get out of position.
Second, cue yourself to “finish only with your elbows” or “bench only with your elbows.” While this is a bit of an exaggeration as your shoulders are most certainly moving whenever you bench, it often helps lifters keep their shoulders from moving out of position when locking out a rep.
Third, cue yourself to finish with “short arms” or remind yourself to lock out the rep with the bar as close to you as possible. If your shoulders pop off the bench, the bar will be farther away from you than it should be, so these reminders often help people keep their shoulders pinned back, thus keeping the bar as close as possible to the lifter (while still having locked elbows).
Keep your shoulders in the correct position, and you’ll have a stronger, more stable bench press. As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
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The Bench Press DISASTER You Had No Idea You Were Causing
/Got a weak bench press? You might be missing out on a vital aspect of the lift that's commonly forgotten. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.
Spotting the Bench Press: Don't Make These Mistakes!
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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 08/12/22)
Spotting the bench press shouldn’t be complicated, but people mess it up frequently, so let’s briefly discuss how NOT to spot the bench press.
Don’t Yank Your Lifter Out of Position
Take an over-under grip on the barbell (i.e., one hand facing up and one hand facing down - also known as an alternating grip or mixed grip) and simply provide enough assistance to help guide the bar into place. Don’t pull your lifter out of position because you’re so eager to help.
Stay Out of Your Lifter’s Line of Sight
You should give your lifter an unobstructed line of sight to the ceiling; with this in mind, stay relatively close to the bench so you can provide assistance if necessary, but beyond that, stay out of the way. Don’t straddle the bench, don’t straddle your lifter (yes, I’ve seen this), and don’t even lean over your lifter.
Keep your hands, your face, and your body out of the way and out of your lifter’s line of sight - none of those things are in the way of your lifting buddy on his other lifts, and they shouldn’t be in the way on the bench press, either.
Don’t Space Out
Pay attention to your lifter. Get your hands out of your pockets, put down your coffee, and simply pay attention to your lifter so that - in the event that he needs assistance - you’re actually prepared to provide it.
Don’t Touch the Bar
This is the big one, folks - they’ve even got shirts about this one. Lifting is not a team sport. Benching is not a team sport. If you touch the bar, the rep doesn’t count, so stay out of the way. Don’t. Touch. The. Bar.
“I’m all pinkies, bro!” Don’t be like these fools.
Of course, you need to be able to provide assistance in the event that the barbell goes anywhere other than up, but beyond that, stay out of your lifter’s way. The spotter shouldn’t exist (figuratively speaking) unless the lifter needs help.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)
If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?
4 Tactics to Triage Your Bench Press FAST | Get a BIGGER Bench
/Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers four major technical aspects to focus on and evaluate when trying to improve your bench press.
At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.
The Bench Press: You're Forgetting to Do This - Part 4
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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 06/10/22)
In this article - our last in this series - we cover an aspect that is forgotten very frequently by new lifters (ahem . . . sometimes even experienced lifters) . . .
Retract your shoulders blades.
Which picture is correct? Hint: It’s not the one on the left.
Imagine you’re sitting upright and have a pen oriented vertically between your shoulder blades. Now, pull your shoulder blades back so that you’re pinching the pen in place (see photos below).
This is what you want to do when benching as well - only lying down. Retract the shoulder blades before you unrack the barbell, re-retract them after the unrack as well in case you lose some shoulder positioning during the process of unracking, and then keep them retracted throughout the set. Additionally, if needed, re-retract them between reps if they get out of position.
Retracting the shoulder blades creates more stability and puts us in a stronger, safer, and more efficient position from which to bench. Not having your shoulders retracted is the benching equivalent of squatting while standing on your toes - just plain dumb.
Retracting your shoulders also has the added bonus of shaving off just a bit of distance that the bar has to travel (just like squatting while flat-footed means you don’t squat as far as you would if you stupidly squatted while balanced up on your toes).
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)