Bench Press Technique

The bench press has been considered one of the “core” weight lifting exercises for many years. The reason for this is simple: this exercise is extremely effective in strengthening the prime movers of the upper extremity. Examples of this can be found in:

*Football: tackling, blocking, and passing;,
*Swimming: crawl and breaststroke,
*Track & Field: pole vault, shot put, and discus,
*Baseball: throwing and hitting,
*Boxing: punching,
*Basketball: shooting, boxing out, and rebounding.

The bench press hits a large amount of upper body musculature with the primary focus being on the pectorals (chest), deltoids (shoulders, especially front and middle), and triceps (back of the arm). Any number of secondary muscles are hit but these are the main ones that are being targeted.

What’s The Bench Press? Lie on an upright support bench or a bench inside a Power Rack. Unrack the weight & lower it to your chest. Press it back up until your arms are locked. You’ve done a Bench Press.

You have several ways to Bench Press by varying grip, grip width, bench angle, etc. Some Bench Press variations are:

* Close Grip Bench Press. Shoulder width grip. Emphasis triceps.
* Reverse Grip Bench Press. Palms facing you. Also emphasis triceps.
* Incline Bench Press. From an incline bench. Emphasis shoulders.
* Decline Bench Press. From a decline bench. Allows more weight.
* Floor Press. Bench Press while lying on the floor. More triceps.

The "perfect grip" is the grip that has your forearms exactly perpendicular (90 degree angle) in relation to the bench press bar. If you have strong triceps, you may try using a close grip by moving your hands closer together when gripping the bar. If your triceps aren't strong enough, try using a wider than perfect grip by sliding your hands away from each other a little bit.

Make sure that your feet are planted firmly on the floor and that they do not leave the floor during your bench attempts. They should also not be moving around. This creates a stable base and foundation, which makes your bench more powerful. The whole body must be stable during a bench press and the feet are a HUGE part of that.

As you get used to bench pressing heavy weight, you will learn to "push" off with your feet for additional power (while keeping your feet planted). Try this during your normal bench press workouts, then use it to help increase your bench press max!