3 Form Tips That Will Immediately Increase Your Bench Press
Whenever having a casual chat about the gym or weight room, there is one question that you cannot escape: “How much do ya bench?” This question single-handedly has made the bench press one of the most sought-after lifts to improve for most lifters. With the bench press being such a technical lift, it is evident that most people have no idea how to adjust their form to make it optimal. There are many moving parts to address in the press, but to keep it simple this article will focus on 3 tips that will have an almost immediate carryover to your press.
BREATHING
When chasing a big number on the bench press, form might change slightly in order to lift the most weight optimally. Breathing techniques like bracing (in a squat or deadlift) also apply to the bench press. Bracing will help you stabilize the weight and shorten the range of motion that you need to move the bar.
How to brace correctly:
Un-rack the bar breathing through your nose, fill up your belly with air (give yourself a beer belly). Next, flex your abs as if you were taking a punch in the gut (this increases the pressure in your abdominal cavity and stabilizes your trunk). Lower the bar to the chest, holding the brace, and finish the press. Do not exhale until the rep is completed and then regather your brace before the following rep.
USE YOUR LATS
Your Latissimus Dorsi is a large muscle running down your back that originates at the Illiac Crest and inserts on the floor of intertubercular groove of the humerus. Due to its size and orientation, it can act as a physical buffer in the bench press. You can literally use your Lat to act as a floor, stopping your arms from moving past and giving a base to push harder from. The bigger your Lat, the more support.
How to use your Lats:
After unracking the bar squeeze your armpits (Imagine holding books in school when your hands were full) and use the cue: attempt to rip the bar in half with your hands. You won’t be able to actually squeeze your armpits but the act of attempting to will engage the lats and put them in the right orientation to help your press.
LEG DRIVE!
Believe it or not, Your lower body can assist you in achieving a bigger bench press. This is due to the strength of the legs and the ability to generate momentum.
How to implement leg drive:
Leg drive during the press will come into effect on the reversal portion of the press (when the bar touches your chest, stops moving down and you begin to press it up). Even though it takes practice to get leg drive timing right, even just attempting to will have immediate carryover. To properly use your legs when benching you must start by getting a stable foot. Next un-rack the bar and begin your press. When the bar makes contact with the chest, drive the toes forward and down on a 45 degree angle(It is important that you don’t just drive straight down but on this angle as well). When executed correctly it should shorten the range of motion of the lift by getting the bar back over the upper chest and shoulders as quickly as possible.