5 Tips For Improving Your Bench
Feb, 7, 2012
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If you ever have a conversation about training, the topic of benching will almost always come up.
The bench press has been the ultimate measure of strength, brawn, and manliness for decades(although I would argue for the deadlift).
Most guys that walk in to a gym want to improve their bench. The problem is, most don’t know how. Common sense would tell you that simply adding 5 more pounds than you did last week would do the trick, but it’s just not that simple. If it were that simple, we would all be walking around bragging about our 400 pound max.
So what’s the best alternative? The answer is not one that can be answered in one article. Everyone is designed differently. We all have different imbalances, strengths, and weaknesses. Some guys can just get under the bar, pump out 5 sets of 8, and get stronger week in and week out. We call these people assholes, mainly because we are insanely jealous.
For the rest of us non-assholes, we sometimes have trouble even adding 10 pounds to our max. However, there are some basic tips that we can all benefit from.
Bench Tip #1: “Bend” the bar- Ok, I admit, unless your name rhymes with shmuck forris, then you won’t actually be bending bars anytime soon. “Bending” the bar simply means gripping the bar tightly while your hands put tension in opposite directions. This will help recruit more muscles in your back while simultaneously stabilizing the bar. Practice with just the bar at first. Feel how much more control you have. Then gradually build up to your working sets.
Bench Tip #2: Brace With Your Glutes- Contrary to popular belief, the bench press is actually a full body lift. As is the case with any lift, the more muscles you can recruit, the more weight you will be able to move. Bracing your glutes can help exponentially. To do this, push your feet through the floor and keep your glutes tight through the entire lift. Most power lifters will tuck their feet back and stay on their toes but, for starters, simply keep your feet flat. Make sure your hips stay on the bench. Just make sure to stay tight. Once you get good at this, proceed to go over to the fella on the other bench with his feet tucked on top of the bench because it “works the chest better”, and punch him in the balls. Thanks.
Bench Tip #3: Foam Roll- Improving your soft tissue quality actually helps your muscles contract harder. Foam rolling is one of the best ways to do this. It will also help alleviate tightness and improve range of motion in your shoulders, lats, and pecs. Better range of motion and harder muscle contractions lead to bigger benches. Period. Click here to see a quick tutorial on how to foam roll.
Bench Tip #4: More Pulls- It can sound hard to believe at first, but the more pull exercises you do, the better your bench will be. Things like dumbbell rows, pull ups, inverted rows, cable rows, barbell rows, and face pulls will have a hyooooge impact on your bench. Basically, the stronger your back is, the more stability you have in your push movements. It may sound like I’m beating a dead horse with the whole stability thing, but it’s worth repeating. This tip is especially helpful if you have recently hit a plateau. Take a week or two and concentrate on your pulls, then see your bench press numbers soar!
Bench Tip #5: Get With The “Program”- You cannot simply walk into the gym every day and wing it. Find a program that you like and stick with it. I used to fall victim to winging it all the time. I thought that being a trainer entitled me to be able to just walk in to a weight room and get stronger, with absolutely no plan of action. Needless to say, my arrogance got in the way of success. I never got consistent results. Frustration ensued. Now I plan my workouts, using different protocols and methods that cater to my goals. Some of the best for increasing your bench numbers would be The 5/3/1 System, Westside Barbell Routine, and the Critical Bench Program.
Even using one of these five bench press tips will help you put more weight on the bar. Use all five, and you will be breaking personal records on a regular basis.
If you have any more tips, feel free to leave a comment below. Until then, stay thirsty bench on, my friends!
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