The Bench Press: You're Forgetting to Do This - Part 1
/
(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 04/22/22)
You’re all set to bench - your grip is pronated, your shoulder blades are pinched back, and you’ve got your focal point nailed down, but you’re forgetting one thing . . .
Use. Your. Legs.
Don’t worry - Dave is NOT forgetting to do this.
When benching, drive up the bench with your legs. In other words, use your legs to drive your body in the direction of your head (i.e., “up the bench”). You should be driving in such a manner that - if the barbell wasn’t pinning your shoulders to the bench - you might actually start sliding up the bench.
Make sure you’re driving horizontally and not vertically - remember that the rep doesn’t count if your butt comes up off the bench. Drive with your legs throughout the entire rep - drive hard on the descent and drive even harder on the ascent.
Leg drive is easy to forget about - especially if you’re new to the bench press - but it’s important. Your legs give you lateral stability (the bench doesn’t help much here as it’s not very wide), they support your arch, and they help make everything between your feet and your shoulders that much more rigid, which makes for a more stable platform from which to bench.
So use your legs next time, and if you find that you keep forgetting, write “leg drive” down in your training log as a cue for yourself next time.
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?
The Bench Press: You're Doing This Wrong.
/You’re ready to bench - your grip is pronated, you’ve got your focal point, and you're driving with your legs, but you’re forgetting one thing - Phil explains what it is and how to do it.
(A Blast from the Past video originally published on 05/16/22)
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.
This Bench Press Fix is a Game-Changer
/Are you making this mistake on your bench press? Let’s fix it simply and quickly.
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.
Your Shoulders are DESTROYING Your Bench Press: Stop Doing THIS...
/Using your shoulders incorrectly in the bench press? Let's fix it quickly to add pounds to your bench.
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.
How to Bench Press: The Setup | STOP Doing This!
/
The topic of setting up for and unracking the bench press is not a particularly exciting one, but it’s important, and today’s lifting error is one we see all too often - in both new and experienced lifters:
Quit being sloppy and undisciplined when setting up to bench.
Before You Unrack the Bar
When setting up to bench (i.e., before you lift the barbell off the hooks) everything that can be set up - everything that can be tight and correctly positioned - should be. You don’t want to be finishing this process (let alone starting this process) after you unrack the bar.
If you’re adjusting your grip, retracting your shoulder blades for the first time, setting your arch, driving with your legs, and/or adjusting your feet after you unrack the bar, you’re being preposterously inefficient. Also, as the bar gets heavier and heavier, it gets harder to do those things after you’ve unracked the bar (and are thus supporting a heavy weight over your shoulders), so do it before you unrack the bar.
The Top-Down Approach
Once you’re lying on the bench, here’s a quick checklist to run through before unracking the bar. It’s a top-down list, so you don’t need to remember it verbatim - simply remind yourself to start with your hands and work you way down to your feet (a bottom-up approach can work here as well):
1: Grip
The grip is slightly pronated, the bar is supported in the base of your palm, and you’re squeezing the bar tightly.
2: Shoulders
Your shoulders are pulled back and down.
3: Chest/Arch
You arch is up, i.e., your chest is up, and this position is supported by . . .
4: Legs
You are driving up the bench (i.e., toward your head) with your legs.
5: Stance
Your stance is roughly that of your squat stance (wider is fine). Admittedly, you hopefully already set your stance when you sat down on the bench.
Get all this taken care of before you unrack the bar, and you’ll have a better, stronger, and more efficient bench press (we’ll also cover the setup for the squat and press in articles that are coming up soon).
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.)