Eight Ways to Improve Your Bench Press:

Eight Ways to Improve Your Bench Press

You may ne'er be in Bell's category as a lifter—or even shoot for to succeed in that status—but you'll learn valuable lessons from this outspoken strength contestant. For Bell, the final word bench press is once type, technique, speed, and power converge to maneuver the utmost quantity of weight.

1. Develop A Pre-Lift Routine:

As Bell is aware of from his years of competition, you wish a "constant" once going from one gymnasium to subsequent for events.

"You need to induce a routine down for each piece of this bench-pressing puzzle," he says. "Etch y0ur r0utine deep in your mind and your body. because the lights, crowds, and instrumentality amendment at completely different competitions, one factor stays the same: your routine."

Correctly positioning your wrists and elbows relative to the bar may be a key a part of making ready for the rise.

"People bench press in several ways in which, however, it's typically an honest rule to stay your wrists straight and your elbows into your sides," Bell says. "Keep your wrists and your elbows on the aspect of the bar wherever your legs area unit. Position them higher than the highest aspect of the bar, and you lose power and leverage."

2. Use The Bar To Assume a secure Position:

When you 1st lie on the bench, you will instinctively assume a naturally comfy position. This several not be the best position, or maybe a secure one. Bell recommends victimization the bar to raise yourself up off the bench. As you compromise backtrack on the bench, roll your shoulder blades inward and downward toward your hips.

Getting your shoulders during this position can naturally arch your back. This arch provides stability for the raise, however, it will one thing else: It puts your body in an exceeding position that produces it more durable to overlift. Bell says to place most of the arch in your higher, not lower, back to assist defend your spine. obtaining your shoulders into this position also can facilitate take stress off Associate in Nursing out of the action shoulder.

Bell notes that you simply will facilitate another lifter get into the correct position by standing up by their head and victimization your arms to push their shoulders and lats toward their butt. cue them to stay their elbows in toward their sides so that they will recruit the maximum amount skeletal muscle power as doable.

3. Initiate The raise And create It straightforward On Your Spotter:

If you are benching enough weight that you simply would like a spotter to assist get the bar off the rack, steel onself for the rise in an exceedingly means that puts you within the right position to bench the load. This makes the spotter's job easier.

"When taking the bar off the rack, several lifters can push toward the guy who's serving to them," says Bell. "If something, you would like to undertake to drag the bar out of the rack."

Not solely will actuation rather than pushing create it easier for the spotter to induce the load to you, it conjointly helps you have interaction your lats and obtain your shoulders down and fastened into position. each changes area unit crucial to an honest bench press.

4. Take The Bar Through A "J' Path:

When you take the bar 0f the rack, you bend y0ur arms t0 bring the bar to y0ur chest. Bell says to flex your chest as high as you'll whereas keeping your lats tight.

As you commence of the all-time low of the bench, widen your lats to recruit their most powerful. Aim to push up and back toward your neck, following a sort of "J" form to require advantage of your body's biodynamics.

"Try to stay your wrists straight, and keep your elbows and your wrists on the downhill aspect of the bar—the aspect your hips and legs area unit on," Bell says. "Make positive your elbows area unit tucked into your sides before you raise. this can bring your lats into play, cause you to additional stable on the bench, and contribute speed and power to the bench press."

5. Do not Over Lift At the highest finish:

Bell says it is common for lifters to need to explode out of the lowest of the bench press—and then simply keep going. The explosion is great; keep operating to develop it. however push your arms too high and your biomechanical advantage vanishes.

"When you notice that you are overlifting like that, correct it by propulsion your chest up and off from the bench, conveyance your arms down and in to lock in your shoulder blades and flexing your lats to induce them engaged'" Bell advises.

6. Experiment With Lifting Shoes:

If you have ne'er tried them, Mark suggests giving Olympic lifting shoes a check drive to envision if they improve your stability and power. These shoes are often quite an amendment from traditional gymnasium shoes, however, with time, they'll improve your press.

"Bench press will place your lower body in awkward positions," Bell warns. "Ideally, keep your feet wide to form a decent foundation, positioning them right below your knees or your hamstrings. Keeping your heels on the ground improves your stability and adds additional power to your bench."

Getting your body into this position is often onerous on your hips and may generally even cause cramping. Bell suggests d0ing hip-l00sening exercises before you hit the bench.

Lifters United Nations agencies need to contend ought to see the organization sponsoring their competitions. bound lifting federations, for example, need bench pressers' heels to keep up steady contact the ground throughout a raise.e says this position will obtaining

7. Improve Your resistance:

Many lifters hit protruding points as they push the barkeep a copy toward the rack. Bell includes a few tips for developing the strength you wish to come out these points on the way to lockout.

Practice the exercise with lower weights employing a shut grip.

Practice incline bench presses, that take a lot of the arch out of the position and force you to fulfill the load head-on. Avoid cheating the raise by exploitation hip thrusts to raise the load.

Use a plaything, Bell's own invention. This equipment allows you to make up enough kinetic tension in your chest and lats to assist you to explode through that previous couple of inches to the highest.

Practice overhead exercises in conjunction with exercises that develop your striated muscle. a decent example is that the overhead striated muscle extension employing a rope attachment.

8. Practice, Practice, Practice:

Perfecting kind, technique, speed, and power does not return naturally to several folks. Bell says it will come—with observe and smart coaching job. whereas the goal is often to travel massive, you'll do heaps for your bench press by often lifting the lighter weight, which can assist you to focus your kind and technique.

"If you commonly bench, say, 300 pounds," he says, "try benching with perhaps 95-100 pounds and simply specialize in doing the press properly. Get your shoulders and lats within the right position. Arch your upper—not lower—back. Keep your feet wide and below your knees or hamstrings. Recruit your lats. steady build explosive power and speed."