Add 5-10+ lbs to Your Bench TODAY
Many people assume that the bench press primarily works your chest (pectoralis) muscles. While this assumption is true to an extent, I argue that the bench press is a full body exercise. People having this misunderstanding can limit the amount of weight they are able to press dramatically.
I am going to go over some tips that can help blow up the weight of your bench press TODAY!
Feet flat:
When you are setting yourself up to perform the bench press some people like to press only their toes into the ground while pressing the weight. This can hurt your lift for a few reasons. One, you are taking away foot stability by placing all of your force into your toes. You create a much stronger and stable foundation when you place your feet complete flat on the ground and press through your heels, big toe, and small toe. This is also known as the foot tripod. Simply by changing this you may already notice improvements in your technique and the amount of weight you are able to use.
Leg drive:
When you are pressing the weight, think of pressing your feet into the ground as hard as possible. Your legs are very strong and are capable of producing a ton of power, why would you not want to utilize that? I see people all the time when they try and lift heavy if they are struggling, they will move their feet around on the floor or even lift their feet up. When you do this you are losing a ton of power that will only limit the weight you are able to lift! By incorporating these big strong muscles like the quads and glutes, you will be able to push more weight!
Back warmup:
I always perform a few sets of lat pulldowns or pullups before I bench press because by warming up and priming the lats, you will be able to have a stronger foundation while you lay on the bench. It is important to keep these muscles engaged for shoulder stability as well. By performing a few sets of one or two back exercises before you bech, these muscles will be ready to assist with the bench press. Similar to the concept of using your powerful leg muscles to your advantage, your lats are very big and strong as well! By actively using these muscles it will definitely help with your bench press.
Brace your core!
I wrote an entire blog post about how important it is to brace your core while performing any lift, but it is especially important when trying to lift heavy weight! By bracing your core, it provides your spine and entire body much more stability which will help with balance and controlling heavy weight. When you are attempting to do a 1 rep max, having a lack of stability can become dangerous by increasing your chance of developing an injury and it will also limit the weight you are able to lift! I always include a few core stability exercises in my dynamic warm-up such as bird dogs, planks, or deadbugs.
These are some of the best pieces of advice I would give to anyone who is looking to develop better form and technique, and also producing more weight in your bench press. If you do not currently use these tips, I would highly recommend trying them the next time you bench press and watch how much more weight you are able to press!
If you've tried them and noticed your lift increase let us know in the comments below!
If you have any questions, or if you or anyone you know is in need of a custom program feel free to email us at platinum.train1@gmail.com. Keep up the hard work!