How to Bench Press
Oh, the bench press. If you’ve ever set foot in a gym, you’ve almost certainly seen or done the bench press. You probably also know that it’s great for making your upper body stronger and building muscle. However, most people never really learned how to bench. This leads to some strange movements that people will call a bench press but really resemble more of a weighted seizure, complete with kicking legs. Here, you’ll learn how to bench properly, from set-up to re-rack. And you’ll do it all while keeping your shoulder joints from being shredded like Parmesan cheese.
Set-up/Unrack. First is the grip. Start by lying on the bench face-up and grabbing the bar. It’s best to grab the bar with your pinkie fingers on the rings of smooth metal in the middle of the rough part (called the knurling.) You can always adjust grip width as you get more experienced. Everybody has a grip width that is just right for them and it takes a while to find it. You want to grab the bar as deep in your hand as possible, so that it sits on the heel of your hand. This will prevent you from cocking your wrist back and hurting it. Once you’ve got your grip, that’s it. They don’t move. Think of your hands as being welded onto the bar.
Now, pull your shoulder blades together like you’re trying to squeeze a pencil between them. At the same time, think about pushing them down into your back pockets. This will give your shoulder joints more stability and your upper arm bones more freedom to move. Keep your shoulders this packed throughout the entire lift. From here, using the bar as a base to push off of, drive the tops of your shoulders (your traps) into the bench. This is critical because it’s where you’ll be pushing from, kind of like how your feet are where you push from in the squat. To anchor your traps into the bench even more, drive your feet into the floor. If the bench were slick, then you’d end up sliding backwards. You know you’re doing it right when, if somebody were to bump your legs, they wouldn’t move. This leg drive will force your traps into the bench even harder, increasing stability. Finally, pull the bar out of the rack using your lats (the muscles that look like wings on your back/sides.) It’s the same movement as a dumbbell pullover.
Descent. With your tops of your shoulders buried into the bench and your feet rooted into the floor, lower the bar. Do not let it fall. Actively pull the bar down to the tops of your abs/bottom of your chest. Think about doing a barbell row, only upside down. Use your upper back to bring the bar down and keep your shoulder blades pinched together and in your back pockets. Your upper arm bones should be at about a 45 degree angle from your torso. When viewed from above, you’d look like an arrow. Lastly, as the bar comes down, think of reaching your upper abs/chest up to meet it.
Out of the Hole. To press the bar, drive your feet into the floor, as if you were trying to slide yourself backwards on the bench. At the same time, shove yourself away from the bar and into the bench. This will reinforce the stability of keeping your shoulders locked onto the bench and preventing you from sliding or shifting out of place. An important thing to remember is that your elbows should stay tucked in at about 45 degrees from your body. Don’t flare them out. This allows your upper back muscles to keep things stable so your pressing muscles can do the work of lifting the bar.
Lockout/Rerack. As you get to the top of the movement, put a death grip on the bar and try to pull it apart. This will help you get more of your triceps involved and make the lockout stronger. To fully lockout, turn your elbows so that they’re facing each other, similar to how you’d finish a punch. To re-rack, keep your elbows locked and stiff-arm the bar back into the rack. Don’t let your elbows bend. If you do, you may end up missing the rack and taking a trip to the dentist. Not good.
Now you should have a better idea of how to bench press. The bench press is excellent for building general pushing strength and adding plenty of muscle to the chest, back, shoulders, and triceps. It’s also one of the most common lifts you’ll see in the gym, so it’s a good idea to know how to do it right. You’ll put up bigger numbers and be less injured on top of it. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up trying a powerlifting meet.
