Tips on bench press?

hesn92

I suck at bench press. I just can't seem to make progress. I am trying to lose weight so I'm eating at a deficit so I know I won't make as much progress as I could but still. Do I need to work on my triceps? Any tips? I eat about 1500 or 1600 calories and try to eat between 80 and 100 grams of protein ...

jstout365

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHx1gYTA-Rw

I highly recommend looking at this series of videos. It is a little bro'ed out, but good info on form and some tips for power.

You can also look into fractional plates. There are a ton of options and will allow you to add from .5 lbs up to the 5 lbs at a time. Another way to work on it is adding other chest and arm work. Push-ups and dips will help.

lwoodroff

depending on your cup size, the bar might touch the tips, or it might be just under. Oh sorry that wasn't what you meant. Saturday night silliness!

top tip.. squeeze your shoulder blades together as though you are holding a pencil between them AT ALL TIMES, ascent and descent.
Feet flat on the floor (if you are short you may need to put your feet on plates).
Don't just use your arms/chest - your butt and legs should be tight too, as though they are trying to push your head off the end of the bench.
and watch lots of videos!

re your intake - how much of a cut does that represent? You will struggle particularly with the upper body exercises on any kind of decent cut, it might be worth eating at maintenance for the day before you pick up heavy things.. just to see how different it feels!

krokador

Few pointers that I got from different sources and videos (if you can get your hands on starting strength, that's a REALLY good way to learn about the mechanics of the bench press in all the little details and help you understand how to get your body to do the work at its best potential!). I may repeat some stuff that's already been said tho haha

1- Keep tight. Abs braced. Take a deep breath before you lower the bar down and keep it in at least until you're about halfway past the pushing point on your way back up.

2- Play with your hand positions and find something that's comfortable for you. Make sure your shoulder blades are retracted, like you're pushing your chest up and out. Want to know what that feels like before you get on the bench? Stand up tall and bring your arms up into a T, then try to reach back.

3- Death grip on the bar. And I mean it. Squeeze. Make sure your wrists are straight throughout the entire move. Don't use a false grip, it can be dangerous!

4- Try to keep your elbows in as you go down. 45-60 degrees depending on your grip width. It's bad for shoulders if you flare 'em out!

5- This is a personal reminder that may or may not work for you, but regardless of the lift, I like to reverse the intent in my head. So you're not pushing the bar up, you're pushing yourself into the bench while using the bar as leverage. Defy gravity, reap the rewards! (Seriously I think it really just helps me stay braced to visualize it that way? lol)

You might want to try cycling your calories so they're higher on training days (or if you train first thing in the AM, the day before you train) and see if it makes a difference in your strength levels.

Also, do not neglect the power of a proper warmup that includes some mobility work! Tight shoulders will hold you back! (Try a few arm swings, I's Y's T's with your arms, a few push-ups (on an incline if you have to) and some band pulls and shoulder dislocation. Nothing strenuous. It's done wonders for me )

hesn92

Thank you guys. I think I might try eating more on my workout days (I go to the gym after work around 6pm) 1500 is a 500 cal deficit and I've been losing weight at a really good pace so far, so I think I will eat closer to maintenance on my workout days. i'm already at a healthy weight so losing weight as fast as I can isn't my top priority. The other day when I did my bench press day workout, I hadn't really eaten that much yet at that point because I was working out of a different office so I didn't have all my snacks with me! So now I know...