Maddie How to bench press: there’s A LOT more that goes into it than most people realize. The set-up, touch point, and leg drive are a few crucial parts of the exercise that can all be maximized to improve your success. But the real question is, how?
The way in which I discuss the bench press is assuming you are a powerlifter. Specifically, if you’re competing in USA Powerlifting (USAPL).
You can certainly apply these tips if you aren’t a powerlifter (I encourage that you do!), but just keep in mind that I may bring up a lot of technical aspects of the bench press that are related to powerlifting meet standards.
Let’s get into it: here’s all that you need to know in regards to to bench press how to do as well as how to master the exercise!
*Note: This post includes several Amazon affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link (at no extra cost to you). Please read full disclosure here. Also, I am not a doctor or dietician. I am a personal trainer. It’s always best to speak with your doctor before making any changes to your diet and/or lifestyle.
How to bench press correctly:
What we’ll cover…
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What is the bench press?
The bench press is a major upper-body compound exercise that tests upper body strength. It is also one of the three main lifts in the sport of powerlifting.
The bench press is SO much more than simply lowering a barbell to your chest and pressing it back up–there are a plethora of technical factors that can determine your success in the lift.
Today I’ll be informing you of those factors so that you can apply them to your presses; here’s everything you need to know about bench press how to increase weight!
Bench Press Muscles Worked:
The bench press activates the pectoral muscles, the triceps, shoulders, and upper back muscles, and if done properly, it can also be aided by leg drive.
Perfecting the bench press:
Step by step we’ll go over the entire bench press exercise and how to perfect each part of the movement!
Step 1: The set up (arching) & grip
Part 1: Setting your shoulders
When you begin setting up for the bench press, you should think about digging your shoulders (upper back) into the bench while simultaneously pinching your shoulder blades together.
Try thinking about tucking your shoulders down towards your glutes. You should maintain this shoulder position throughout the entire lift.
Part 2: Getting into position
You can get into position (meaning where exactly you lie on the bench) before you set your shoulders, but I know some people like to use their legs to scoot themselves back into position after setting their shoulders–it’s really up to personal preference.
Generally, proper position means that when you’re lying on the bench looking up, your eyes are positioned slightly above the barbell. *I am already in my ideal position by the time I set my shoulders shown in the image above.
Part 3: Arching
When you arch during the bench press, first be sure that your upper back and shoulders are set as discussed above. Then, scoot your butt back towards your shoulders as much as possible (flexible people definitely have an advantage).
Your butt needs to be in contact with the bench, but to remain as tight as possible, I suggest BARELY touching your butt to the bench. In other words, avoid placing any weight on your glutes.
Also, think about pushing your chest up to the ceiling. The position may feel uncomfortable, but it’s an ideal, tight position for pressing the most amount of weight possible.
We not only arch to limit our range of motion to press more weight, but also to put ourselves in the safest pressing position, especially in the sense that it helps to protect our shoulders. Arching and breathing are the answers to bench press how to activate chest.
Part 4: Foot placement
Foot placement is really all about what feels and works best for you. Some people like a wider foot placement with their toes pointed more outward, while others prefer a narrower foot placement with their toes pointed more forward.
This is largely up to the height of the lifter: taller people typically go wider and shorter people usually take a narrower foot placement.
Regardless, you should think about getting into the tightest position possible, which typically means getting your feet back as far as you can but make sure that your feet remain flat while doing so.
However, placing your feet super far back isn’t always ideal, as you want a foot placement that is optimal for leg drive. If your feet are so far back that you can’t obtain good leg drive, you should consider moving them forward.
Step 2: Grip & grip width
Here we’ll discuss two things: bench press how to hold bar, and the ideal grip width for you.
First, you need to make sure that your thumbs are WRAPPED AROUND the bar; a suicide grip is not allowed in USA Powerlifting (other federations may allow it, but it’s definitely not the safest way to grip the barbell when bench pressing).
Second, grip width is really all about the individual in question, but know that a wider grip decreases the range of motion which can be ideal for many people.
I am 5’11” and have pretty long arms, so I take the widest legal grip possible–my pointer fingers wrap around the hash marks.
However, if you have super strong triceps, you may benefit from a narrower grip. If you’re more pec dominant, you’ll probably do better with a wider grip. Personally, I would experiment with grip width and see what works best for you.
Step 3: Unracking the bar
Why is the unrack portion of the bench press important? It’s important because unracking the bar correctly can conserve a ton of energy, which can then be used for the actual pressing part of the exercise (AKA the important part).
During every lift you want to avoid wasting unnecessary energy on relatively unimportant parts of the movement; this is also referred to as being efficient in your lifts. Once you’re in position and your grip is exactly how you want it, you can unrack the barbell.
What I’m about to tell you should be done prior to this moment, but be sure the bench hooks are set at an optimal height–doing so is another way to control your energy use prior to the actual lift.
If the hook height is too high, you may struggle and have to use additional energy to unrack the bar, and it can make the rerack much more challenging as well. If the hooks are set too low, you’ll have unnecessary elbow bend, which again, can cause you to waste lots of energy.
Not only is improper hook height not efficient, but it’s also a safety hazard and should be avoided.
And as we discussed earlier, your eyes should be slightly above the barbell when you’re looking up at it. Somewhere in-between your eyes and mouth is ideal–and the optimal position will vary from person to person.
Being in that position will ensure that you aren’t wasting energy by trying to reach so far behind you to unrack the bar. You also won’t be so far back that you catch yourself hitting the hooks between every bench press rep.
Step 4: Points of contact
Logest Microplates
Sometimes it’s not easy to go up by 5 pounds on your bench press, and that’s where microplates come in handy! They allow you to increase the weight by smaller increments.
I have these exact microplates by Logest and highly recommend them!
After unracking the bar and before you can be given the bench press start command in a powerlifting meet, your head, shoulders, butt, and feet MUST be in contact with the bench/floor.
If you lose contact with any of these points throughout the lift, your lift won’t be counted. Since this is the case during powerlifting meets, I highly suggest you train this way also; you need to practice as you perform.
Plus, keeping these points of contact during the bench press will reduce your chances of injury and improve your overall efficiency.
Step 5: Breathing
Once you’re in position and have the bar unracked, you should take a deep breath before you start the rep. Begin by taking a deep breath in through your mouth, and finish breathing in through your nose (you should feel the expansion throughout your abdomen and chest).
Unlike what some sources say, you should hold your breath during the entire rep, even the ascent. You don’t want to breathe out as you’re ascending because doing so will cause you to lose tightness. Once you have your elbows locked, you can exhale and either rerack or repeat.
Besides keeping you tight on the bench, taking deep breaths can help you limit your range of motion by expanding your chest.
Step 6: The descent
During your descent (and the ascent), NEVER follow the barbell with your eyes. Choose a spot on the ceiling and keep your focus there throughout the entire lift. Following the barbell with your eyes can cause an inconsistent bar path, and an inconsistent bar path can really mess up your lift.
Step 7: Touch point
If you have a narrower grip, your touch-point will naturally be a little lower on your chest. Whereas, if you have a wide grip, your touch-point will be higher on your chest.
Touch-point is something you should play around with and see what feels/works best for you as an individual.
Step 8: Leg drive
Bench press how to leg drive can be so tricky to master.
First and foremost, you NEED to be sure you have a tight lower body position on the bench. As we discussed above, this can be done by scooting your feet back (while also maintaining flat feet).
You can point your toes outward to help you achieve this. Also, think about squeezing your glutes… hard! (I know, there is just SO much to think about). Essentially, the whole point of leg drive is to use your lower body strength to help you push the weight up. Some lifters visibly push their legs to achieve leg drive, but this can cause you to risk your glutes losing contact with the bench.
I believe that when someone truly perfects leg drive, you can’t necessarily see it from the outside–the transfer of power from the lower body to the upper body isn’t visible, but it’s definitely there.
Some other things to think about are driving your feet into the floor while simultaneously driving them away from you. It helps to keep your weight placed on the outer part of your heels.
Step 9: The ascent
When you’re pushing the barbell up out of the bottom of the bench press and after you’ve initiated leg drive, think about pressing the barbell up and back towards your face (avoid pushing straight up).
Doing so should increase your power output.
*Some lifters tend to flare their elbows during the ascent of the bench press. Try to minimize excessive flare for your safety as well as for the efficiency of the lift.
Step 10: Reracking the bar
I don’t have much to say about this step. As long as the hooks are set at an appropriate height, the rerack shouldn’t be an issue. If the hooks are set too high, you may struggle with getting the barbell back on the hooks.
The takeaway
I hope this post clearly explained how to do bench press. The bench press is a very technical lift, and it takes a ton of practice and knowledge to master the movement completely.
As long as you’re actively thinking about the elements we’ve discussed above, you should be on your way to increasing your bench press and pressing some huge weight!
Be sure to let us know if you have any other awesome bench press tips and/or cues that we may have missed.
