The Bench Press: Lead with Your Elbows

The bench press is unique in that it is the only major barbell lift wherein we do not aim for a vertical bar path. Because the locked-out position of the bench press is directly over the shoulder joint and the touch point on the chest is a few inches lower than that (i.e., further “down the bench” or toward your feet), the bar path on the bench press is somewhat slanted or diagonal.

In light of this, we aim “up-and-back” during the ascent of the bench press - “up” because we’re working against gravity and “back” because the bar needs to finish over our shoulders and not over our touch point. This type of bar path can be somewhat difficult to attain as we often see people “mis-groove” their bench presses by pressing straight up off the chest or - even worse - pressing the bar further down the bench, which then requires a herculean effort to bring the bar back into the proper path (this error will trace out a looped path if viewed from the side).

If you have this problem occasionally, and if we assume that your touch point is both correct and consistent (a discussion for another day), the problem may lie with your elbow position at the bottom of the bench press. Viewed from the side, the tip of your elbow should be slightly in front of the bar, and if this is the case, it will facilitate that efficient up-and-back bar path we’re aiming for.

To achieve this elbow position, try cueing yourself, “Lead with the elbows.” Your mental picture is now one of the elbows leading the way - slightly in front of the bar - during the descent of the bench press, almost as if they were clearing a path for the bar to follow. Executed correctly, the tip of the elbow will be slightly - slightly - in front of the bar when the bar touches the chest, and you’ll be in a great position to drive the bar up-and-back toward its locked-out position over your shoulder joint.

Lead with the elbows, and the bar path will follow. Give it a shot.