50 keys to a bigger bench press
1) Bottom Half Reps
We always hear work your lockout, however, if you are doing critical bench without a bench shirt you need to be strong from the very start throughout the entire lift. A popular exercise that we recommend to improve starting strength is taking a weight and pressing it only half way up. Go for a pump and use moderate weight and reps on these exercises. As you get better at these you will have more explosive power to accelerate through the bottom phase of the bench press and the top end. This will not only make you stronger at benching but it will make you stronger at every single lift you perform.
2) Bring the Weights Down Slow
When you do incline bench presses, make sure that you bring the weight down to your chest in a controlled manner. Also lower all your weights slowly in a controlled fashion and then explode the weight up fast. I will say it again “bring
the weight down with control, but on the way up try to smoke the weights like they are the bar.”
It sounds hard and annoying to bring the weight down slow, and sometimes we have to drop the weight that we are using, and it’s tough on the ego.
Finally, remember every tough rep determines the big picture in the end. Make sure your form is strict, enjoy the process and enjoy every single gain. When you take the path of most resistance you’ll have even more to be proud of when you succeed. As you get stronger you will discover that by using good technique you actually reached your goals sooner than you predicted. You will look back and thank yourself for making this decision when you are a bench press champion.
3) Full, 75%, 50%, 25% Reps
This is great plateau breaker. It is very similar to the famous “21s” exercise for biceps. Here’s how it works. Bring the barbell down 75%, then press it up. Then bring the weight down 50% then press the weight up. Then bring the weight 25% down then press the weight up. Then bring the weight all the way down and explode the weight up. Do this 10 times or whatever it takes until you reach failure. For example let’s say you bench 365, then 225 might be a good weight to use on this exercise. If you bench 315, try it with 185 and if you bench 225, try it with 135, as a general guide.
4) Top End Strength
A lot of raw benchers forget the importance of triceps and that is why they can’t lockout 385. If you are a raw bencher and find that you struggle at the lockout phase of the bench press, then you need to work your lockout (makes sense).
To work on your lockout strength you can set up inside of a power rack or squat rack. Roll the bench inside of the cage. Now set the pins so that when you were to lower the barbell the pins would stop it half way down. Performing repetitions restricted in this manner really puts the focus on your top end strength, and conditions your triceps to handle heavy weight.
5) Be Careful Not To Overtain
If you want a big bench then you're probably determined to get one. It's that same determination that will be your struggle. The more you want it, the harder you want to work and the longer you want to stay in the gym. This is going to lead to overtraining which will stunt any strength gains you've made and delay any dreams of an even bigger bench.
How do you know if you're at risk of overtraining? If you feel run down after a workout, notice that you aren't making any gains, you always do forced reps, you're not getting enough rest, your diet stinks, you have a bad attitude or you aren't motivated you're probably overtraining. Insomnia is another big sign. Put it this way, if a weight continually feels heavier than normal, chances are you haven't gotten weaker, you just haven't recovered from previous workouts.
Focus on quality not quantity. Doing more is not the answer. Let’s see if you have the discipline to perform less sets, and perform the sets you do train at a higher intensity level.
1) Bottom Half Reps
We always hear work your lockout, however, if you are doing critical bench without a bench shirt you need to be strong from the very start throughout the entire lift. A popular exercise that we recommend to improve starting strength is taking a weight and pressing it only half way up. Go for a pump and use moderate weight and reps on these exercises. As you get better at these you will have more explosive power to accelerate through the bottom phase of the bench press and the top end. This will not only make you stronger at benching but it will make you stronger at every single lift you perform.
2) Bring the Weights Down Slow
When you do incline bench presses, make sure that you bring the weight down to your chest in a controlled manner. Also lower all your weights slowly in a controlled fashion and then explode the weight up fast. I will say it again “bring
the weight down with control, but on the way up try to smoke the weights like they are the bar.”
It sounds hard and annoying to bring the weight down slow, and sometimes we have to drop the weight that we are using, and it’s tough on the ego.
Finally, remember every tough rep determines the big picture in the end. Make sure your form is strict, enjoy the process and enjoy every single gain. When you take the path of most resistance you’ll have even more to be proud of when you succeed. As you get stronger you will discover that by using good technique you actually reached your goals sooner than you predicted. You will look back and thank yourself for making this decision when you are a bench press champion.
3) Full, 75%, 50%, 25% Reps
This is great plateau breaker. It is very similar to the famous “21s” exercise for biceps. Here’s how it works. Bring the barbell down 75%, then press it up. Then bring the weight down 50% then press the weight up. Then bring the weight 25% down then press the weight up. Then bring the weight all the way down and explode the weight up. Do this 10 times or whatever it takes until you reach failure. For example let’s say you bench 365, then 225 might be a good weight to use on this exercise. If you bench 315, try it with 185 and if you bench 225, try it with 135, as a general guide.
4) Top End Strength
A lot of raw benchers forget the importance of triceps and that is why they can’t lockout 385. If you are a raw bencher and find that you struggle at the lockout phase of the bench press, then you need to work your lockout (makes sense).
To work on your lockout strength you can set up inside of a power rack or squat rack. Roll the bench inside of the cage. Now set the pins so that when you were to lower the barbell the pins would stop it half way down. Performing repetitions restricted in this manner really puts the focus on your top end strength, and conditions your triceps to handle heavy weight.
5) Be Careful Not To Overtain
If you want a big bench then you're probably determined to get one. It's that same determination that will be your struggle. The more you want it, the harder you want to work and the longer you want to stay in the gym. This is going to lead to overtraining which will stunt any strength gains you've made and delay any dreams of an even bigger bench.
How do you know if you're at risk of overtraining? If you feel run down after a workout, notice that you aren't making any gains, you always do forced reps, you're not getting enough rest, your diet stinks, you have a bad attitude or you aren't motivated you're probably overtraining. Insomnia is another big sign. Put it this way, if a weight continually feels heavier than normal, chances are you haven't gotten weaker, you just haven't recovered from previous workouts.
Focus on quality not quantity. Doing more is not the answer. Let’s see if you have the discipline to perform less sets, and perform the sets you do train at a higher intensity level.
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