Bench Press - Mental Imagery

Bench press is the primary upper body strength exercise. In the beginning it requires attention to detail and many repetitions to improve. Use each moment as a opportunity to set up correctly and execute each rep as perfectly as possible .

Rack Height - lay down on the bench so your eyes are just below the bar. Retract your shoulders down and back and unrack the bar. You shouldn’t have to roll the shoulders forward to unrack it. If you are losing shoulder position lower the jhooks.

Set up – Lay down on the bench so your eyes are just below the bar. Set your feet wide keeping the ankles directly below knees. They should make 90° angles at the knee and ankle joints. Set your shoulders down and back (this will put you into thoracic extension) think about “putting your shoulders into your back pocket”, apply pressure into the bar downward this will bring the bar to the front of the J-hooks, keep apply pressure using the lats. Take a big breath in and brace.

Reference to position while bench pressing

Unrack – While continuing to apply pressure downward into the bar, drive the feet into the ground and lock out the elbows. The bar should “float” into position. Stop the bar’s travel once it’s directly over the shoulder joint. There should be no movement in the body during this phase.

Eccentric – Initiate the lowering phase by unlocking the elbow (keep the elbows directly under bar) and “row the weight” until it touches your chest. “Rowing the weight will help keep the lats contracted these aids in stabilizing the upper arm. Ensure that you are continuing to apply force into the ground by pressing the feet into the ground while driving the knees out. As you approach the bottom position “meeting the bar with the chest” will help continue to keep the lats engaged.

Bottom – Without the loss of tightness this should be either a very light touch on the chest with a quick reversal or a motionless pause before moving the bar back up. The first version (“touch and go”) think about touching the tee shirt only. There should be very little impact on the chest. The seconds version (pause), keep as much tension into the barbell as possible waiting for bar to become motionless before exploding upwards.

Concentric – As you reverse the barbell back up do not lose the tightness. Stay braced and think “melt the bar with the hands”, stay “routed” into the ground and “chase the bar with the chest”. Pressing up keep applying maximum intensity into the bar throughout the entire range of motion.

Lockout Out – After complete stability has been achieve pause momentarily. Either rack the bar by keeping the arms straight guiding into the uprights or reset and prepare for another rep.

Final Thoughts

The bench press requires a lot attention to detail and patience. Take the moments before you start moving the bar to practice what you need to pay attention to. Pausing between reps gives you the opportunity pay attention to try to execute each rep as perfectly as you are capable of. If you are taking your time between reps and bringing maximum intent and intensity to move the bar as fast and smooth as possible your form and strength will improve.

Dead Bench Press

Like the “Deadlift” the “Dead Bench Press” starts at the bottom ( concentric phase). This exercise can also be referred to as Pin Bench Press or Concentric only Bench Press.

 Why do this variation?

-Trains the rate of force development

-Targets a specific part of the Rang of motion that may need further strength development. Most common area is elbows at 90° (+/- 10degrees).

-Helps develop technique. Improving the arch, leg drive total body tension and allow to the left to feel what it feels like to grind

Rate of Force Development

A typical bench press starts with eccentric (lowering) phase. In that fashion the body uses the stretch shortening cycle to help produce force on the concentric (raising) phase. Because the “dead bench press” variation starts from a dead stop, we cannot rely on kinetic potential energy created by on eccentric for help producing force. This forces the body to quickly produce enough force to get the bar moving. After it breaks the pins the lifter must continue to keep tension throughout the entire body to complete the lift.

Weak Rang of Motion

By knowing where your weak range of motion is, you can target strength development at part of the range of motion. Two most common “weak spots” or right off the chest and when the elbows are around 90°. So set the pins to target a specific part of the lift and spend some time getting stronger there.  

Technique Development

I personally love this variation for arch development and leg drive. I’ll set the pins up a few inches above the chest. This gives me a target to reach my chest up to. After the arch is set, I’ll grip the bar as hard as possible, brace as hard as possible and aggressively press my feet hard into the ground while driving the knees out. I visual the lift starting with my feet as I steadily transfer power from the floor into the bar chasing the bar with my chest and not letting off the gas until I am fully locked out and ready to bring the bar back down. When the weight is heavy the rep may seem like eternity and that’s okay. Get use it! Practicing grinding allows you to grind when you need to grind.  

Errors

Incorrect body/bar position – This is when the bar and lifter are not aligned properly. You can tell you are in a good position if the first movement in the bar is straight up. If it’s out of position the bar will slide on the pins first before the bar moves upwards. Make sure the elbows are under the bar and bar is in the same spot it would be in as if you were doing a regular bench press. Doing a couple reps down to the pins and up will help clarify where you need to start.

Bouncing off the pins – this applies for multiple rep sets. This is not a touch and go, consider each rep as its own set. The weight must settle on the pins completely before press. This may require you to readjust your body and bar to get it in the right position.

Lack of tightness – When any part of the body or then the arms move during the press, you’re losing tightness. This includes and is not limited to chest collapsing, legs that look like spaghetti noodles, feet losing contact with the ground and feet are not firmly planted on the ground.  Total body tightness needs to be at the front of the brain. Make that the top priority and you’ll learn this lift in no time

Final words

Just like the deadlift this lift is hard. But spending the time to work on the concentric phase without interference of the eccentric poses potential increases in strength, technique and rate of fore development all of which can be contributing factors on increasing your bench press strength

Bench Press: Proper Unracking Procedure

Is this you?

Do you press up the rails to unrack?

Do you immediately start the rep as soon as you feel its out of the j hooks?

Do you feel like loose when you set start?

Take your time to unrack the bar, making sure your lats are set and you are in the right postion.

First

1. Make sure the rack height is set correct this is 2-3 inches lower than lockout. If its excessively low it will feel that you are doing ½ a rep to get it off the rack.

2. Pull the bar to the front of the j-hook. Set your shoulder blades down and back, reaching your chest up high.

3. Set up correctly in relation to the bar. No Spotter - Set up with the eyes directly under the bar. With spotter – set up with eyes forward of the bar (if you were to draw a line down toward the earth the bar would be directly over your eye brows)

Unrack

1. Create tension into the barbell towards your feet. This should feel like you are doing a straight arm pull down.

2. While keeping that tension simply lockout your arms.

3. Guide the bar until they are stable over your shoulder joint. (If done right the bar should glide into the proper position.

If the bar doesn’t glide into position you are most likely losing tension in your lats. So, keep practicing it with lighter weight and with a spotter to get a feel for it so you can master it!

What are you thinking about when you are benching?

Be fully present and know what you should be thinking about

How to Bench Press

To define upper body strength, we use the bench press as one the metrics. In the bro world people who are curious about your strength typically ask “how much do you bench?”

It’s the 2nd lift in contested in the powerlifting world but not only used for that purpose. In some cases, due to a lifters inability to put their arms overhead it fulfills the role of the overhead press, still allowing a lifter to develop upper body strength which as we know strength is crucial in day-to-day life. The #1 cause of poor quality of life is being too weak to do normal day to day activities.

How to Perform the Bench Press

Lay down on the bench with your eyes under the bar. This will prevent you from hitting the uprights when you’re pressing back towards the lockout. Grasp the bar using a compression grip with thumbs length away from the smooth part of the bar. You may need to adjust this later but for now it will do. Set your feet wide, pointing your toes out and knees tracking over the toes. Press your feet into the ground like you were trying to squish a bug and drive your knees out. Next set your shoulders down and back and raise your chest up towards the ceiling. With your arms apply pressure into the bar as if you were trying to bring it towards your feet. You should feel your lats turn on. Take a big breath in, hold it and lock out your elbows. Move the bar over your shoulder joint and hold it there.

With the bar stacked vertically over the shoulder keep your eye on the ceiling and note the position of the bar. This is where it will start and end every rep. While keeping the elbows forward of the bar hold the bar on the chest 2-5 inches below your clavicle. This spot will vary based off of your anthropometry. The humeral angle we are striving for is 45°-75°.  If the grip we initially took is outside this range adjust the to fit this range.

While keeping the elbows forward of the bar press the bar back up to the original starting position. Repeat. The goal is the touch two points, the correct position on the chest and the correct start position.

Problems You Will Run Into  

Loss of tightness and Bar path

The best way to address loss of tightness is to perform a mental check list before you start each rep.

Chest up = ✔

Feet tight = ✔

Big breath = ✔

Press!

For bar path it’s three Components

1. Is the bar in the correct starting position? This is verified by looking at the ceiling.

2. Does the bar touch the chest in the correct position? This is verified by making sure the initial spot on the chest is hit.

3. Elbow position. Are the elbows behind the bar and are they excessively flaring? A simple fix is the tuck your elbows while allowing a space between your body and your arms.

The end result of a perfect bench press is maximum tightness in the body for each rep allowing  no movement as the bar moving from any other parts of the body except the elbows and shoulders. Pausing before you start each rep and running through a check is the best way to prep you for perfect execution