Best bench press tips?

RyanWilson1993
RyanWilson1993 Posts: 409 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
What are some of your best tips for doing a bench press?
«1

Replies

  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Never perform bench press alone - if you fail on the last rep you need a spotter to help the bar back into the rack. If you have to work alone; use dumbells - requires more balance so it doesn't matter if it is less weight.
  • Ghkffb56
    Ghkffb56 Posts: 263 Member
    have a spotter >.>....... bar hurts. when bar smash! D:< lol sorry im no help o.o
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
    Things that have helped me: Switching it up from barbells to dumbells every once in a while, negatives, and the rest-pause method.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Terrible

    Learn to incorporate leg drive
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    Reading the bench press chapter in Starting Strength is my best tip.

    Pull your shoulder blades together. Keep your *kitten* and shoulders on the bench. Keep your feet on the floor. Use a thumbs around grip. Have a spotter (or power rack) if there is any chance of failing a rep. Look at a spot on the ceiling but notice the bar moving through your view. Don;t bounce the bar off your chest. Hold your breath through most or all of each rep.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Huh? Say wha?
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
    have a spotter >.>....... bar hurts. when bar smash! D:< lol sorry im no help o.o
    Haha, I always thought we as girls were luckier in that area. My bf spots me and commented on how lucky I was that it didn't bother me much when 100 pounds hits my chest because of the cushioning. XD
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
    you can also fool around with your grip. narrow grip works the triceps more, wider grip works the chest more. fool around with flat/incline/decline... and definitely do dumbbell work too.
  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
    My tip....if I squeeze the bar harder, I feel like I can lift more. Do not put your feet on the bench btw! Keep your feet flat on the floor or use a plate under your feet if your legs are too short.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
    Arch your back.
    Keep shoulders down.
    Make chest big.
    Be very careful taking lifting advice from a website like this.
  • MDWilliams1857
    MDWilliams1857 Posts: 315 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Never perform bench press alone - if you fail on the last rep you need a spotter to help the bar back into the rack. If you have to work alone; use dumbells - requires more balance so it doesn't matter if it is less weight.

    I bench without a spotter all the time. I just dont put the caps on the barbell. If I fail on the last rep I just tilt the bar and the weights slide off and hit the floor.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Terrible

    Learn to incorporate leg drive

    Leg drive? In Bench Press? Better off doing Pressups so you can't cheat in that case.
  • GhostPack
    GhostPack Posts: 197 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Never perform bench press alone - if you fail on the last rep you need a spotter to help the bar back into the rack. If you have to work alone; use dumbells - requires more balance so it doesn't matter if it is less weight.
    WHAT????

    DO NOT LISTEN
  • GhostPack
    GhostPack Posts: 197 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Terrible

    Learn to incorporate leg drive
    Saw this after my post. Agreed!
  • dmarhal
    dmarhal Posts: 30 Member
    Don't lower your arms below parallel to the floor, just as if you were doing presses on the floor, you couldn't go any further than the floor. Don't lock your elbows on the up part of the push. If your feet are above your chest you'll work lower chest, if your feet are lower than your chest you'll work upper chest, if you are flat on the bench you'll work middle chest. Keep your back down, don't arch. Exhale on the push up. Hold your abs tight.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Never perform bench press alone - if you fail on the last rep you need a spotter to help the bar back into the rack. If you have to work alone; use dumbells - requires more balance so it doesn't matter if it is less weight.

    I bench without a spotter all the time. I just dont put the caps on the barbell. If I fail on the last rep I just tilt the bar and the weights slide off and hit the floor.

    OMG!!! :-0
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Terrible

    Learn to incorporate leg drive

    Leg drive? In Bench Press? Better off doing Pressups so you can't cheat in that case.

    Lol
  • Tyrone_S
    Tyrone_S Posts: 94 Member
    Arch your back.
    Keep shoulders down.
    Make chest big.
    Be very careful taking lifting advice from a website like this.

    This, particularly the last point.

    Suggest you look up a guy named Victor Costa on youtube. He is extremely technical with all of his lifts. He has a few clips explaining benching technique and how to fully engage the chest.

    http://www.youtube.com/user/vicsnatural
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Terrible

    Learn to incorporate leg drive

    Leg drive? In Bench Press? Better off doing Pressups so you can't cheat in that case.

    Oh dear! Its about leverage and maximizing power not about cheating.
  • hannibal28
    hannibal28 Posts: 32 Member
    I tore my labrum little over a year ago doing flat bench, surgeon told me that doing flat bench was the worst thing I could do because you compinsate too much when muscle are not the same strength. Doc told me too use dumbells because it isolates muscle.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Terrible

    Learn to incorporate leg drive

    Leg drive? In Bench Press? Better off doing Pressups so you can't cheat in that case.

    Oh dear! Its about leverage and maximizing power not about cheating.

    Not wanting to enter into something which could turn nasty - so not helpful - the way I see it is if the lifter is pushing down on the floor with their feet they are arching their back into a slight backbend - not good for the spine even if the leverage is enhanced. That's why I suggested pressups, because the legs are isolated out of the movement. If you have to incorporate leg leverage to get a bench press up you can't handle the weight yet.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Terrible

    Learn to incorporate leg drive

    Leg drive? In Bench Press? Better off doing Pressups so you can't cheat in that case.

    Oh dear! Its about leverage and maximizing power not about cheating.

    Not wanting to enter into something which could turn nasty - so not helpful - the way I see it is if the lifter is pushing down on the floor with their feet they are arching their back into a slight backbend - not good for the spine even if the leverage is enhanced. That's why I suggested pressups, because the legs are isolated out of the movement. If you have to incorporate leg leverage to get a bench press up you can't handle the weight yet.

    Do you really think that press ups will be as effective for strength as a bench press? Unless you have a back issue and use proper form, there is no issue with putting your feet on the floor and arching your back - in fact it is the best way to bench.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Terrible

    Learn to incorporate leg drive

    Leg drive? In Bench Press? Better off doing Pressups so you can't cheat in that case.

    Oh dear! Its about leverage and maximizing power not about cheating.

    Not wanting to enter into something which could turn nasty - so not helpful - the way I see it is if the lifter is pushing down on the floor with their feet they are arching their back into a slight backbend - not good for the spine even if the leverage is enhanced. That's why I suggested pressups, because the legs are isolated out of the movement. If you have to incorporate leg leverage to get a bench press up you can't handle the weight yet.

    If you aren't incorporating leg drive into the bench you are not benching properly.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Don't arch your back to heave too heavy a weight up - you only cheat yourself. Try placing your feet flat on the end of the bench to flatten your back.

    Terrible

    Learn to incorporate leg drive

    Leg drive? In Bench Press? Better off doing Pressups so you can't cheat in that case.

    Oh dear! Its about leverage and maximizing power not about cheating.

    Not wanting to enter into something which could turn nasty - so not helpful - the way I see it is if the lifter is pushing down on the floor with their feet they are arching their back into a slight backbend - not good for the spine even if the leverage is enhanced. That's why I suggested pressups, because the legs are isolated out of the movement. If you have to incorporate leg leverage to get a bench press up you can't handle the weight yet.

    Do you really think that press ups will be as effective for strength as a bench press? Unless you have a back issue and use proper form, there is no issue with putting your feet on the floor and arching your back - in fact it is the best way to bench.

    ^ This.

    EDIT: Butt should stay on the bench obviously. If you're lifting your butt all the way off the bench, load is too heavy.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    Be very careful taking lifting advice from a website like this.

    ^^^ Yes.

    Do your own research and read books on lifting.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member


    EDIT: Butt should stay on the bench obviously. If you're lifting your butt all the way off the bench, load is too heavy.

    Agreed.
  • MDWilliams1857
    MDWilliams1857 Posts: 315 Member
    Im advocate for keeping the back flat. Im not sure where the idea of arching the back during a bench press comes from. Thats new to me. Im gonna have to look into this. Everything I have ever read about lifting says to keep the back flat.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I think Lyle is sort of a "middle ground" when it comes to bench technique, OP, see here for one example and also check out Rippetoe:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/bench-press-technique.html
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBNeeeTId1M (<-- Mark Rippetoe)
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    We disagree, but that's ok as either of our approaches are safe enough, providing the butt stays on the bench. I prefer to not use the legs and isolate the movement into the chest more - that's my preference.

    The original poster was asking for a variety of tips so hopefully the debate has been useful.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    [/quote]
    Do you really think that press ups will be as effective for strength as a bench press?
    [/quote]

    Yes, if the strength potential of the individual has not yet been reached - that is if the person cannot yet do say 3 sets of 10 pressups. If you want to taje it further then fine but most folks on MFP might be satisfied with 30 pushups if they are currently in a place of 3 sets of 1 or 2.

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