Want to boost your bench press performance? Discover 10 essential tips for a stronger bench press. From proper technique and warm-up routines to progressive overload and assistance exercises, learn how to optimize your form, build strength, and overcome plateaus for a more powerful bench press.
Do the right warm-up
If you want to increase your bench press resistance, try including it in your warm-up routine. When you do this, you prepare the targeted muscle groups, especially the pectorals, triceps, anterior delts, lats, glutes, rhomboids, and forearms, for the work ahead. More importantly, you are reducing your risk of suffering a serious injury.
Here’s how you can warm up using a progressive bench press routine. Be sure to rest for a minute after each warm-up set:
- Do eight reps with the bar.
- Perform five repetitions with 50% of your actual bench press resistance.
- Perform three repetitions with 70% of your actual bench press resistance.
- Perform one rep with 90% of your effective bench press resistance.
Proceed with the first set of bench presses.
Do the bench press first in your workout
Performing other weightlifting exercises that use the same muscle groups as the bench press can strain your muscles, thus making you weaker during the bench press.
- The solution is to make the bench press the first weightlifting exercise in your workout.
Warm up properly
This is one of the simplest and most intuitive bench press tips, but many athletes underestimate its importance. Your strength is inhibited if you fail to warm up properly. There are three goals when warming up for the bench press exercise:
- Range of motion. Improve your flexibility so you can perform the range of motion smoothly.
- Blood flow and cardiac anger. Increases blood flow directly to the chest and arm muscles. This naturally means that your heart rate will increase to pump the blood.
- Weight acclimation. Gradually increase the heaviest weights you will use during the bench press. Your body and mind need to be prepared to lift heavy loads.
- Avoid fatigue. You want to do all of the above without tiring your muscles, which also weakens your maximal strength potential.
Check out this warm-up routine and implement it to maximize your bench press performance.
Use a good weight bench
Not all weight benches are the same. In an ideal scenario, the bench should have the following specifications/features:
- Height of 16.5-17.5 inches tall for optimal leg guidance
- Backrest width sufficient for adequate shoulder support (i.e. at least 11.5 inches wide)
- Tripod style frame (i.e. 1 foot in front; 2 feet in rear) to allow for unobstructed foot stance/positioning
- Stable and durable frame (i.e. no wobbles; robust frame)
- If you have a home gym and are looking to purchase such a bench, I highly recommend the Rep FB-5000.
- If you train in a commercial gym, you may not have access to a bench that meets all of these “ideal” requirements. All right. Find the one that checks the most boxes. Work with what you have.
Chin under the barbell
Before lifting the barbell off the safety pins, your body must be positioned in the correct part of the bench.
- Assuming you’re doing the bench press alone (without an assistant), the easiest way to ensure your position is correct is to keep your chin directly under the barbell.
- For most people, this avoids excessive strain on the shoulders when bringing the bar to your chest during the deadlift. Plus, it puts you far enough away to eliminate safety pins during reps. Some people may want to move a little further back (bar over neck) or further forward (bar over mouth/nose). Choose what is most comfortable for you. Just know that it’s a trade-off between the possibility of hitting the bar into the pins during the set and the possibility of stressing your shoulders during the takeoff.
As I said, the above is advice if you’re on the bench without a spotter. If you have a spotter, it’s different. You can go further to start with the bar above the eyes if you want. This is what I prefer as I don’t even have to think about safety pins getting in my way – the spotter takes the strain off your shoulder helping you with the takeoff.
Retract your shoulder blades and stick out your chest
Bringing your shoulder blades (shoulder blades) together will make your chest come out naturally. This essential bench press tip has three beneficial effects:
- Stable foundation. First, your shoulder blades and surrounding upper back muscles provide you with a solid base to push off from.
- Shorter range of motion. Second, the combination of retracted shoulder blades flexed upper back, and puffed-out chest decreases the distance needed to push the barbell.
Shoulder health. Finally, you save your shoulder joints and shoulder blades from injury; leaving your shoulders protracted with your scapula hanging willy-nilly can only lead to shoulder problems down the road.
Four points of contact
Make sure your head, shoulders, and buttocks always touch the bench. Make sure your feet are planted firmly on the floor.
These are usually referred to as the five points of contact, with the lower back being the fifth point of contact. However, you don’t need to keep your lower back on the bench if your goal is maximum force production and you know what you’re doing, as I’ll explain in the following bench press tip…
Arch your back
Create a slight arch, so your body doesn’t touch the bench in the area between your buttocks and upper back/shoulders.
- It may be helpful to bring your feet as far back as possible by bending your knees more. But make sure your feet don’t leave the ground and don’t overdo it to make an exaggerated arch.
You may encounter some bodybuilders or average gym goers who don’t use this bench press tip. This is only because maximizing bench press power is not their goal.
Tighten your lats
Although this is a chest exercise, the muscles of the upper back and lats also play a role in this pushing exercise. They work to stabilize the resistance against your body, especially in the final part of the repetition.
Keep your wrists straight with your knuckles resting on the ceiling
Many people tend to grip the bar so that their wrists bend backward. Not only does this strain your wrists, but the transfer of power to the barbell during the upward movement is inefficient. As a result, your strength suffers.
Bend your elbows inward
This is a vital bench press tip if you want to have healthy shoulder joints later in life.
It’s all too common to see athletes perform “bodybuilding-style” bench press reps, which involve an elbows-out position that’s supposed to better target the chest muscles. While it may target the chest a little better, it takes a toll on the shoulder joints over time.
If that’s not enough to sway you, know that bending your elbows will instantly and significantly increase your bench press.
How can I make my bench press stronger?
- 4 data-backed ways to improve your bench press
- Find your sweet spot for sets.
- Isolates the triceps for synergistic strength.
- Add chains to increase power and gain strength.
- Lower your rep range, and increase the weight.
What are the best bench press tips?
- Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar.
- Grab the bar with a medium grip width (inches around the bar!)
- Unlock the bar by straightening your arms.
- Lower the bar to mid-chest.
- Push the bar up again until your arms are straight.
How can I get more power from my bench?
The 8 best ways to increase your bench press are:
- Bench Train Variations.
- Train your accessories.
- Strengthen your weak points.
- Lift heavy, lift fast.
- Skip the static stretching.
- Bend your elbows.
- Check your weight.
- Train your back.
Why is my bench so weak?
One of the most common reasons people see a decline in bench press strength is overtraining. Signs of overtraining: constant fatigue, decline in performance, and even injuries. Rest and recovery: Sometimes, taking a step back can be the key to moving forward.