CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

Yet Another Reason to Include Barbell Glute Bridges Into Your Program

Like many boys during that time in their life, I was a Boy Scout when I was 10-13 years old.

Dedicated to train youths to become responsible, altruistic citizens, building character, and self-reliance through participation in a wide variety of outdoor activities, educational programs, and community events…the Boy Scouts is definitely something I cherished when I was a kid and something I’d recommend any child today to pursue.

But here’s the kicker: I was a horrendous Boy Scout.

I wasn’t what you would call the “outdoorsy type.” Being a Boy Scout was all about starting a fire, rustling up some grub, lashing spars, setting up shelter, and being able to find your way out of the woods through unfamiliar territory with nothing but a cloths pin, duct tape, and a rubber ducky.

That wasn’t my bag if you catch my drift.

Funnily enough I grew up with a sawmill in my backyard. My step-dad was (and still is) a lumberjack (I know, pretty badass). In the winters, because we had a wood burning furnace to heat the house, me and my brother would have to cut wood every weekend. It sucked. But what are you gonna do, freeze to death?

I did it every….single….weekend.

I remember one of the badges you had to earn for Boy Scouts was to split wood for some random people as a nice gesture (and to coincide with the whole altruism thing). I also remember thinking to myself when I saw that, “eff that. I’m out.”

However, one of the highlights of the year when I was a Cub was the annual Pinewood Derby. In short it was an event where you were given a “kit” that contained a block of wood, wheels, glue, paint, and all the works to construct a car that you would race during the Pinewood Derby.

Some people went all out….constructing these spiffy works of art that defied aerodynamics and looked beautiful. Others, like myself, took the piece of wood and put the wheels on it, painted it some random color and WAH-LAH…..we had a winner.

Well, not so much. I got my ass handed to me. But the point is, my brain just didn’t (and still doesn’t) work in a creative fashion. Sure I can tell a story, relay information and write pretty sentences where I use hoity-toity words like facetious, acetabulum, and poop; and I can differentiate between your/you’re, too/to, and their/they’re/there (sometimes). But when it comes to being creative with my hands or being creative for the sake of being creative (like coming up with new exercises ALA Ben Bruno)…my brain just doesn’t work that way.

It just doesn’t.

Take the barbell glute bridge for example.

Bret Contreras has written anything and everything as it pertains to this exercise and there’s nothing I could add to the conversation that would shed some more light on how awesome of an exercise it is.

You’d be hard pressed to find any other exercise which serves so many functions with regards to building sexy-ass asses, training the hips in an anterior/posterior fashion, addressing lower back pain, posture, and helping to improve overall athleticism, to name a few.

As a coach who writes a lot of programs for athletes and general fitness clients I’ve used the barbell glute bridge as a strength exercises, as a “corrective” exercises, and as a way to build more glute hypertrophy. I’ve incorporated them into maximal strength programs, fat loss programs, and have utilized them when people are injured and I need to find a way to get a training effect.

In addition, because it’s such a versatile exercise (and because the learning curve is relatively low), the barbell glute bridge can easily be regressed or progressed to fit the needs and current abilities of the lifter. A newbie may be limited to performing 1-legged glute bridges with their bodyweight only, while a meathead or gym veteran may be performing traditional barbell glute bridges with significant weight on the bar.

And all of this doesn’t even take into account all the other things we can manipulate like sets/reps, tempo, rest periods, bands, chains, rest/pause method, AMAP, and all the other permutations and adjustments we can make.

We’ve pretty much exhausted and thought of every possible “thing” of how we can use the barbell glute bridge for. Right?

Right??

Well, not so much.

Here’s something to consider (and all the credit goes to CSP coach, Greg Robins for this).

What about using the glute bridge as a way to “potentiate” the glutes to fire to help improve bench pressing performance?

I hired Greg to take over my programming to help me address some nagging injuries, reach some goals of mine, and more importantly to allow me the luxury of not having to do any thinking for myself.

I’ve never made it a secret that I’m not the best bench presser in the world. It’s my weakest lift and something I’ve always struggled with. I can coach it like a bastard, but I’m most likely never going to be breaking any world records.

While the squat and deadlift get most of the love from a coaching technique standpoint, we could make the case that the bench press is FAR more coaching intensive than the two combined. It’s MUCH more of a full-body lift than most people give it credit for.

In particular, leg drive is an important component of pressing big weight. And even more particular to that, being able to activate the glutes to not only aid with transference of force from the lower body to the upper body, but to also “protect” the lower back, is an often massively overlooked component of bench pressing.

So, why not perform a few sets of barbell glute bridges prior to benching in order to activate or “potentiate” the glutes????  It’s brilliant, right? And something that I haven’t seen many people discuss as to how the glute bridge can be useful.

As an example, here’s what I’ve been doing (through Greg’s programs) for the past few weeks on my heavy bench days.

Four sets of barbell glute bridges (2×10,2×5) done with SPEED in mind. These aren’t ball busting sets.

2×10 can range from 135-185 lbs (for women, 85-135lbs).

2×5 can range from 205-225 lbs (for women 115-185 lbs).

** These numbers will obviously depend on one’s ability in terms of a starting point, and will also be PROGRESSED as time goes on.

All I’m worried about here is QUALITY reps, and fast reps! With a TWO SECOND pause at the top of each rep.

So there you have it: Yet, another way to incorporate barbell glute bridges into your training repertoire. Give it a try and let me know if you notice an improvement in how your bench press feels.

CategoriesExercise Technique

2 Quick Bench Press Fixes

Full disclosure:  I hate bench pressing. Not because I think it’s dangerous or anything. I’m just no good at at. By that token I also hate, in no particular order:

1. Salsa dancing
2. Driving stick shift
3. Chess
4. Talking about feelings

Well, maybe I’m not giving myself enough credit. My best bench press is 315 lbs (at a bodyweight that hovers around 200 lbs), and while I recognize that that number won’t turn any heads at a local powerlifting meet, it’s not something to shrug off.  It’s still 1.5x bodyweight, which for many guys is more than enough and represents a strength marker that’s above average. Especially considering it’s a raw lift and my anthropometry (leverages).

I.e., I have very long arms.

Funnily enough, I remember a while back I wrote an article on T-Nation where I was discussing bench technique (much like the video below) and one guy, after reading in the first paragraph what my max bench press was, made a comment that he was done reading after that.

“Why would I take advice from a guy who only has a 315 lb bench press?” he stated.

To which I shot back, “Well, my internet max is like 455. I obviously know what I’m talking about.”

Count it!

Listen, I’ll be the first to admit I’ll never break any bench pressing records. But I know how to coach, and I know how to coach the bench press.

Below is a video I shot a few months ago that for some reason I completely forgot about. I happened to come across it this morning and figured it would be a nice thing to share with the masses.

Yeah, you’re welcome…..;o)

In it I discuss two common bench pressing mistakes that I see a lot of trainees make and how to address/fix them – especially if pressing hurts your shoulder(s).

Zero points awarded to me for the lame attempt at a beard.

Note:  this IS NOT an all-points tutorial on bench pressing. I only wanted to highlight these two common mistakes. So, to the guy giving my flak for not saying anything about leg drive. Relax. Go watch a Dave Tate video.

In Addition

For some more insight on how you can make bench pressing a little more “shoulder friendly” check out THIS article from a few months ago discussing five other strategies you can implement today.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

Why Baseball Players Shouldn’t Bench Press

I’ve been keeping this article in my back pocket for a while now because I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to approach writing it.  Lets be honest:  talking smack about the beloved bench press is the fitness equivalent of talking smack about Princess Diana or worse, kittens.

You just don’t do it!

To save face, though, let me be clear up front:  I LOVE the bench press.  Well, let me back track a little bit.  From a personal standpoint I freaking hate the bench press.

I’m an admittedly horrible bencher (god awful in fact), and if it came down to choosing between bench pressing or tossing my body in front of a mack truck, I’d seriously consider the latter.

Every time I look at my program and see the words “bench press” written down this is pretty much my standard reaction:

Temper tantrums aside, I do recognize that the bench press is an important strength building (and for those more aesthetically minded individuals reading, chest building) exercise.  I think we can all agree that the bench press is a super star and is one of the staple exercises behind any well-rounded program.

But is it for everyone?

One of the more common questions we receive at Cressey Performance when people come in to observe is:  Tony, why do you coach with your shirt off? Tony, how come you don’t allow your baseball guys to bench press?

It’s a loaded question, but one that can be answered relatively easily.

I’m of the mindset that there aren’t many contraindicated exercises (you can generally find a legitimate and appropriate use for any exercise. Yes, even if done on a BOSU ball), as there are contraindicated lifters!

For me bench pressing and baseball don’t mix – for a variety of reasons – and there are plenty of other exercises we can use in lieu of the bench press to elicit a training effect.

In this article I wrote for Stack.com I explain my rationale on both fronts:

Why Baseball Players Shouldn’t Bench Press (<— Click Me, That Tickles)

CategoriesExercise Technique Strength Training

5 Ways to Make Bench Pressing More Shoulder Friendly

The bench press. There’s no mistaking it’s popularity.  Walk into most gyms and you’re bound to see an inverse relationship between the number of bench press stations available and squat racks. Likewise, it’s no coincidence that there’s a lot barrel chested guys walking around with chicken legs than vice versa.

I get it, though. As dudes (and yes, women can enter the conversation too, but they’re not nearly as enamored) it’s almost engrained in our DNA out of the womb to bench press.

Ask any guy what he did the first time he stepped foot in a gym and nine times out of ten he’s gonna say “come on man, I benched.”

No exercise is as glamorized nor put on pedestal as the bench press.  Moreover, no exercise eats up one’s shoulders like the bench press.

That said, the bench press isn’t going away anytime soon (not that it should, it’s a fantastic exercise), but below are a few suggestions on how tweak it so that your shoulders are less likely to hate you.

1.  Uh, Stop Benching (Just for a Little While)

Whenever I start working with someone and they start to describe how much their shoulder hurts one of the first questions I’ll ask is what their benching frequency is like.

More often than not, to put it lightly, it’s a lot.

And while I realize it’s borderline asinine for me to say (because it seems so obvious), I’m going to say it anyways:  stop benching.

If bench pressing hurts your shoulder, stop doing it Sherlock!

But since most guys will react by pounding their feet to ground and screaming, “no, no, no, NO!” and then act as if I just ruined their world and said “you’re not leaving this table until you finish your veggies Mister!” I’ll usually lighten the blow by telling them that I only want them to lay low for a week or two, just to see if their symptoms subside.

In the interim I’ll suggest they ramp up their horizontal rowing frequency to the tune of 2:1 or 3:1 (pull:push) ratio and start adding in more push-up variations (which will usually end up being more of a challenge than they think).

Guys often scoff at push-ups, but you’d be surprised as to how many can’t perform them correctly, let alone be able to do ten straight.

I LOVE push-ups in that they’re a closed chain exercise (bench pressing is open chain) which allow for a little more wiggle room for the scapulae to actually move.  Conversely, with the bench press, the shoulder blades are glued to the bench itself which can be problematic down the road.

Sure, setting the scapulae in place for stability and transference of force is paramount, but considering the long-term ramifications that can have on shoulder health, it “may” not be ideal for some.

In any case, it’s amazing how much better most shoulders will feel after a couple of weeks of laying off the bench press and addressing muscular imbalances by including more rowing into the mix.

Speaking truthfully, outside of the powerlifting realm I’d be perfectly content with nixing benching altogether for most guys and just opting for push-up variations and dumbbell work.  But since pigs will fly before that happens, and guys are going to want to bench press no matter what, here are some more options.

2.  Change Your Hand Position

Utilizing more of a narrow or close grip variation will undoubtedly be more “shoulder friendly” in the long run.  When we bench with a wider grip it’s a lot easier for the elbows to flare out, which in turn makes the shoulder more vulnerable, unstable, and want to flip us the bird.

Don’t go too narrow however.  The one caveat with using a super narrow grip is that we’ll tend to “crowd” ourselves once the bar reaches chest height and the scapulae will dip into anterior tilt and cause more anterior humeral glide (which again, will lead to more instability, not to mention a pissed off bicep tendon).

My general rule of thumb for close grip is roughly shoulder width apart, maybe a teeny tiny bit less depending on the person.  For a frame of reference, here’s a picture I snaked off of Mike Robertson’s site:

3.  Get a Hand-Off For the Love of God

If you ask any powerlifter or strength coach how important the initial set-up is for the bench press, they’ll inevitably say it’s VERY important.

I don’t want to get into the specifics here – you can easily go read anything Dave Tate has written on the topic – but suffice it to say it’s crucial to set a stable base of support when benching.  And that’s going to entail setting your shoulder blades together AND DOWN!!!

A lot of guys will set up properly only to lose everything once they go to un-rack the bar.  In order to un-rack the bar they’ll have to protract and abduct the shoulders which kind of defeats the purpose of going through the trouble to set up.

For whatever reason some guys are stubborn when it comes to getting or asking for a hand-off, as if it’s some kind of hit on their manhood.

You’re asking for a hand-off, not for a pedicure.  Not that there’s anything wrong with getting a pedicure from time to time. They’re actually quite lovely sometimes.  Er, I mean, that’s what I’ve heard at least.

*runs off in the other direction*

Anyhoo, I actually dedicated an entire blog not too long ago on the importance of getting a proper hand-off and the benefits of doing so, so I won’t belabor the point here.

For those too lazy to click on the link, here’s the video component for your viewing pleasure.

4.  Board Presses

We actually have a checklist of progressions that we like our clients and athletes to go through before they actually touch a standard bench press.  It starts all the way down with push-up isometric holds (pain free ROM) all the way up to the end game of bench pressing like a boss.

Somewhere in the middle are board presses.

Board presses are beneficial for a variety of reasons

1. For the sake of this conversation they’re fantastic because they allow us to limit the ROM so that benching it’s pain free. But we’re still benching, so psychologically it’s a huge win for most guys.

We can start with a 4-5 board press and work our way down three, two, and then one…..so it’s a nice sliding scale of progressions.

2.  A bit off topic, board presses are also a fantastic way to teach the body to hold more weight.  Because of the reduced ROM, we’re able to load the bar heavier and you can program your CNS to “feel” what it’s like to hold a heavier load.

3.  Plus, board presses are an awesome exercise to hammer the triceps.

5. Decline Bench Press

Eric Cressey noted this point yesterday during a staff in-service and is something he’s goes into much more detail on in his Elite Training Mentorship series.

When we’re referencing true “impingement” syndrome with most guys, many will light up when they reach roughly 80-90 degrees of shoulder flexion.

With the decline bench, it’s not uncommon to see 10-15 degrees less shoulder flexion and subsequently guys tend to stay outside of that “danger” zone.  So, this is yet another way to make benching a bit more shoulder friendly, and serves as a nice progression leading up to regular bench pressing down the road.

CategoriesExercise Technique Strength Training

Bench Press Technique: Why the Hand-Off is Kind of a Big Deal

I know I’m a bit of an anomaly in saying this, especially considering I make my living as a strength coach and fitness writer, and you know, I’m a dude, but here it goes:  I really, really dislike bench pressing.

Not that I think it’s a bad or dangerous exercises or anything. On the contrary I’d rank the bench press right up there as one of the top exercises one can perform to build overall strength and muscle mass – especially in the upper body.  It’s not considered one of the “big three” (squat, deadlift, bench press) in powerlifting circles for nothing.

And least we forget:  chicks dig a big bench press.  Right, ladies?

Outside of overhead athletes or someone with a significant history of shoulder injuries, where it would contraindicated, the bench press is pretty much a staple exercise in any well-rounded fitness routine.

But back to me for a second. Because, you know, it’s all about me….;o)

I dislike the bench press because, well, I suck at it!

In fact if I had to make a list of things I dislike in this world, I’d place the bench press in the same breath as Jar Jar Binks, Rocky V, poodles, belly button lint, and Tracy Anderson.

Yeah, I hate it that much.

I still do it, of course. But I’ve come to the foregone conclusion that, because of my abnormally long arms, I’ll most likely never be a great bencher.

I just picked the wrong parents in that regard.

Nevertheless, my best bench (so far) is 315 lbs, and I’m cool with that.  If it goes up, it goes up.  If it doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world.

So yeah, there you go: I have a personal disdain for the bench press, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love to coach it and help others improve their performance.

I’ve written in the past some common tips that I feel will help improve one’s bench press prowess, so I’m not going to get into the ins and outs of proper foot position, elbow positon, leg drive, bar path, grip, the efficacy of a back arch, or any number of other things that have been discussed ad naseam on the interwebz.

Instead I want to touch on something that hardly ever gets talked about, and something I feel can help improve one’s bench performance almost instantly.

And that is:

Getting a Proper Hand-Off

At Cressey Performance our athletes and clients don’t ask for a “spot.” Rather they as for a hand-off.  Ask any top-notch or world class bencher what one of the main keys are, and he (or she) will say……TIGHTNESS.

You have to get tight.  Especially in the upper back.  Without getting into the extreme details, I like to coach guys to place their feet on the bench (relax, it’s only for a few seconds), grab the bar, lift their hips up, and drive their upper back into the bench.  Simultaneously, I’ll tell them to consciously think to themselves, “together and DOWN” with the shoulder blades.

For the anatomy geeks out there – basically what I’m looking for is that the shoulder blades are adducted  and posteriorly tilted.

Really it’s all fancy schmancy talk to try to get them more compact and tight so that they’re more stable and able to transfer force more efficiently through the body.

Which begs the question:  Why go through all that trouble to get tight, compact, and ready to hoist a barbell off your chest, only to NOT get a proper hand-off, and lose all of it when you un-rack the bar?

Think about what happens when you un-rack a bar on your own.  You essentially have to press/protract the shoulders just to get the bar off the j-hooks.  As a result, the scapulae abduct and (most likely) anteriorly tilt as well, and stability is compromised.

Seems a bit counterproductive in my eyes, and serves as the impetus behind today’s video.

Bench Press Technique: The Hand-Off

A few points to consider that I didn’t cover in the video:

1. The “spotter” or hander-offer guy isn’t lifting the bar off the j-hooks, but rather “guiding” the bar to the starting position.

2.  Moreover, the lifter shouldn’t think of it as pressing the bar up and into the starting postion, but instead “pulling” into position.  Kind of like a bastardized straight-arm pressdown (albeit on your back).

3.  Getting down the cadence of 1….2….breath….lift off is the key here. It’s going to take some practice, which is why I highly advocate finding a training partner you trust.

3.  If at any point the guy providing the hand off starts chirping, “all you, all you, all you” when he’s clearly got his hands on the bar, immediately rack the bar and scissor kick him in the face.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

Tips For a Badass Bench Press

I’ve told this story numerous times via email exchanges and presentations I’ve given, so please forgive me if you’ve heard this one before.

Awhile back I wrote an article on T-Nation titled My Shoulder Hurts: The Finest Whine, and in it I detailed, among other things, some of the more common reasons why someone’s shoulder may hate them in addition to outlining some strategies to help alleviate said shoulder from hating them.

I thought it was a pretty baller article, and it helped a lot of people. At one point I made mention that my best bench press is 315 lbs (raw, no gear) and that one of the reasons why I feel myself – as well as most of my athletes and clients I train – rarely suffer from shoulder pain is because I place a premium on balancing my pressing numbers with my pulling numbers.

Speaking more precisely, in an ideal world, I like to see a healthy “balance” between one’s 1RM bench press and his or her’s 3RM chin-up.

Using myself as an example, my best bench press is 315 lbs, and my best 3RM chin-up is 301 lbs.  Not too shabby if I say so.

Almost predictably, some asshat made a comment in the LiveSpill that he stopped reading the article after he saw that I owned up to only bench pressing 315 lbs – insinuating that that was a piss-poor number and that I couldn’t possibly know what I was talking about.

I guess in order for it to count and for him to be impressed, I had to perform that for reps.  With my feet in the air.  And with Kate Beckinsale feeding me grapes.

Rather than get into some arcane pissing match with someone I didn’t even know (or had the inclination to use his real name), I made a snide comment back that: “yeah, well, my internet max is like 405 lbs, so that has to count for something.”

Suffice it to say, I recognize that a 315 lb bench press isn’t THAT big of a deal, and certainly doesn’t give me any bragging rights – especially considering some of the insane weights that guys like Vinny DiCenzo, Rock Lewis, and countless other raw and powerlifters put up on a regular basis.

That said, I still know how to COACH the bench press, and below is an article that I wrote last year that sorta got lost in the shuffle and never made it to print.

Lucky for you I happened to find it and decided I post up here.  Enjoy!

Tips For a Badass Bench Press

In the realm of fitness, deadlifts and Shake Weights* aside, no other exercise exhibits as much machismo and general “badassery” as the bench press. Like a moth to a flame, it’s the first thing that most trainees (especially newbies) gravitate toward when they embark on a fitness routine, or, you know, if it’s Monday.

It’s no secret that attaining an impressive bench press – whatever that number may be – is kind of a big deal in fitness circles, allowing one a certain degree of bragging rights; it’s something that many trainees strive for on a weekly, sometimes yearly, basis.

However, not everyone makes significant progress with the bench press and even worse, many often end up hurt in the process — which is ironic, given its overwhelming popularity. It doesn’t have to be this way. A few simple tips can help your bench press soar.

But First, Lets Address the Stuff You’re Probably Going to Skip Anyways

While addressing posture may seem trivial and mundane, and yes, you may prefer to swallow a live grenade, it’s critical to discuss. So deal with it.

Let’s face it, there are a lot of people walking around with less than stellar posture. With many spending upwards of 8 to 12 hours per day sitting in front of a computer at work, not to mention the endless hours commuting, and/or hunching over their iPhone it’s no surprise.

Exhibiting a kyphotic posture – rounded shoulders and upper back, or what I like to call the Mr. Burns effect – will absolutely affect rotator cuff mobility, as well as general joint function, which in turn will affect overall performance and how much weight one will be able to bench press.

Interestingly, it’s often popular for fitness professionals to prescribe copious amounts of direct rotator cuff work to help fix one’s posture in addition to providing more “stability” to the joint – with the idea being that the more stable the joint is, the more proficient it will be at transferring force.

This is true, to a degree.

However, rarely, if ever, is the rotator cuff the issue when referring to bench press performance. Rather, what you need to be more cognizant of is thoracic spine mobility and scapular stability.

As my good buddy, Dean Somerset, CSCS, notes, “while the rotator cuff’s function is undoubtedly one of providing stability to the glenohumeral joint and allowing it to have a pivot rotation versus a gliding within the capsule, it doesn’t need a lot of direct work when training for the bench press, even if the problem is a rotator cuff tear.”

In other words, if you’re walking around with a Quasimodo posture, all the rotator cuff work in the world isn’t going to improve your bench press.

Instead by addressing the real issues — improving t-spine mobility and targeting the scapular stabilizers like the serratus anterior and lower traps, which tend to be woefully weak in many trainees — you’ll improve overall shoulder function and help place the scapulae in an optimal position to transfer force.

Using a great analogy that pretty much everyone uses and I’m no different, it’s sort of like shooting a cannon from a canoe; it’s not necessarily a good idea, nor optimal. Shoot it from solid ground, however, and it’s a different result altogether.

For many trainees, they’re so unstable – due to poor positioning – that they never see any improvements in their bench press. Make the joint more stable – again, by improving t-spine mobility and scapular stability – and good things will happen.

While there are certain scenarios where dedicated rotator cuff work might be warranted – they’re few and far between. Instead, focus on thoracic mobility (rotation as well as extension) and improving scapular function, to set yourself up for success.

Here are a few drills that might help and provide some insight:

Quadruped Extension-Rotation

Bench T-Spine Mobilization

Forearm Wall Slides – 135 Degrees with OH Shrug & Lift Off

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7QVMrFDQ0FI

Side Lying Windmill

Those are just a few, of course, but should get the ball rolling in the right direction for most people reading.

For Those That Skipped the Nerdy Stuff, You Can Start Reading Here

It All Starts With the Set-Up: Part I

How you set up for the bench press can make or break your performance, and subsequently, long-term progress to boot. While conventional wisdom will dictate that the bench press is a fairly innocuous exercise that anyone can just show up and perform (kind of like pooping), it’s actually a bit more complicated.

Firstly, rule number one of bench pressing — especially if you’re looking to push some respectable weight – is to never, ever, under any circumstance bench press with your feet up in the air. Unless, of course, you’re actually trying to make people laugh at you and/or want to be weak.

If that’s the case – have at it!

Think about it: By placing your feet up in the air, you’re making yourself more unstable, and in turn, less capable of transferring force efficiently. Resultantly, this will affect how much weight you’re able to use, which defeats the purpose if you’re looking to improve your bench pressing “badasstitude.”

It also looks dumb — really dumb. And no one wants to look dumb.

With that out of way, you need to understand some very basic set-up parameters that will undoubtedly help clean up your bench technique and lead to more weight on the bar.

Step 1: Set your Feet. Dig your feet into the ground!

Don’t just haphazardly flop them out in front of you like a pair of dead fish. Literally, corkscrew those mofo’s into the ground – to the side and underneath you — and use them to push your back into the bench. This is called leg drive, and it’s a trick that many powerlifters utilize to help engage more of the entire body into the movement.

That’s because the bench press is more of a full-body movement than one might think, and by incorporating more leg drive, it’s not uncommon to see an instant increase in the amount of weight used.

Step 2: Grab the bar as if you want to choke it to death.

Too often, trainees gingerly grab the bar as if they’re scared they’re going to hurt it. Grab it and strangle it! By doing so, you’ll force the rotator cuff to fire and provide more stability throughout the shoulders.

Step 3: Place your shoulder blades in your back pocket.

As Mike Robertson, CSCS and co-owner of IFAST training facility located in Indianapolis, IN, notes, “The more stable you are through your upper back, the more strength you’ll be able to display and the less likely you are to strain a pec while benching.”

Grab the bar with your hands – remember, crush it! – lift yourself off the bench slightly and try to pinch your shoulder blades together and depress them by visualizing placing them in your back pocket.

For the visual learners in the crowd, you can always just watch this superb video by Dave Tate.

It All Starts with the Set-Up: Part II

In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, placing a little more of an emphasis on technique very well may be the missing ingredient to a badass bench.

Still reading? Well, you made it this far, you might as well keep going!

Step 4: It’s okay to arch your lower back.

There’s a major misconception in the fitness community that it’s somehow detrimental to arch one’s lumbar spine while benching. While this practice may be problematic for some individuals, it’s a bit remiss to make such broad generalizations.

For starters, the lumbar spine already has a natural lordotic arch to it anyway, so why would maintaining that arch be dangerous? In fact, increasing one’s arch is another useful trick many powerlifters advocate because it helps shorten the distance the bar has to travel.

Secondly, and more to the point, Craig Rasmussen, CSCS and one of the program designers at Results Fitness located in Santa Clarita, CA, says, “I believe that many people simply confuse the (correct) advice of keeping your butt on the bench with the bogus advice of keeping the lumbar spine on the bench. This will entail having a curve in your lumbar spine. You don’t need to press your lumbar spine into the bench as you perform a bench press, but you do need to keep your butt on the bench or you’re changing the movement into an unsupported decline bench press, which is not a good idea.”

Step 5: Get a hand-off.

It sounds borderline trivial, but it’s anything but. Getting a hand-off – as opposed to a “spot” – is an often overlooked component to the bench press.

Remember all that talk above about proper upper back positioning when you bench, and how, if it’s not optimal, it can drastically affect how much weight you’re actually able to lift?

No? What the F, dude?  It was like 30 seconds ago!  Go back and read it again!

Well, when you don’t ask for a proper hand-off, you’re essentially setting yourself up for failure. Think about what you have to do to unrack the bar on your own: “press” the bar by protracting your shoulders and allowing them to anteriorly tilt – losing any semblance of upper back tightness in the process.

Conversely, by getting a proper hand-off, you’re able to keep the upper back compact and “tight.”

In reality, a hand-off should assist you only in the sense of “gliding” the bar over the j-hooks – the hand-off(er) should not lift the bar out of the hooks for you.

Also, just to throw it out there:  every time you yell out “it’s all you, it’s all you, it’s all you” when spotting, a dolphin gets punched in the face.  Stop it!

Step 6: Keep your elbows from flaring out.

Watch any elite powerlifter bench and what do you see? Well for starters, you won’t see them with their feet in the air. Seriously, stop it! Secondly, you’ll probably notice how they tend to keep their elbows from flaring out. Why? Namely, it prevents your shoulders from hating you.

Allowing the elbows to flare out – while true, does place more emphasis on the pecs – places infinitely more stress on the shoulders, and you want to protect them as much as possible.

Instead, when lowering the bar, try to keep the elbows at a 45-degree angle from the torso. In other words, if taking a bird-eye view, your arms should make more of a “W” shape than a “T” throughout the duration of the movement

It may be awkward at first, and it will definitely take some practice, but it will keep your shoulders healthier in the long run. And that’s a huge step in the right direction for long-term bench pressing success.

And that’s it!

*Yes, I’m kidding.

**Top Photo courtesy of BodyBuilding.com

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 4/6/12

Two things before we get to the stuff you should be reading:

1.  I’m not going to lie, I kinda want to go see Titanic 3D this weekend. There, I said it. Let the ball busting begin.

I remember when the movie first came out in theaters (SPOILER ALERT:  the ship sinks) – back when I was in college – and being absolutely blown away.  Sure, it had the sappy love story and all that, but the special effects were on point, and well, it did show boob – albeit PG-13 boob.  But boob nonetheless!

Okay, dammit…..you got me.  Yes, I got a little teary eyed when Rose told Jack she’d “never let go.” The first time I saw it (yes, I went twice**), I balled like a little school girl.  The second time, I was on a date, so I was able to hold it together. Sorta.

Whatever.  Don’t play it off like you didn’t get a little emotional during that part, too.

Anyways, I just remember Titanic being one of the more memorable movie experiences – right up there with Grindhouse (easily, the most fun I’ve ever had at the movies), and Avatar (which goes without saying), and I think seeing it in 3D would be kinda cool.  Thing is, I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On without fighting off the urge to jump off a cliff.

If you don’t see a blog here on Monday, you’ll know the answer.

2.  My boy Dean Somerset is holding a sweet sale on his best-selling product Post Rehab Essentials all Easter weekend. I have a lot of respect for Dean, I consider him a good friend, and I think he’s one of the brightest minds in the industry when it comes to assessment and program design, which is why I feel this is a MUST HAVE product for any fitness professional to have at their disposal.

To sweeten the pot, Dean’s added two additional incentives on top of the already stellar content:

  • “Developing Medical Referrals for Fitness Professionals” – 40 minute webinar

For this weekend only, the entire package is on sale for only $99, down from the regular $209.  With the money you save, you could watch Titanic like ten times!

15 Commandments for the 3 Big Lifts – Todd Bumgardner

This article drew me in like a moth to a flame.  With a title as simple, basic, and badass as this, how could it not?  The only way I would have clicked on the link quicker is if the article were titled, “Hey, Tony Gentilcore, Click Here to See Naked Pics of Alicia Keys!”

All kidding aside, this is an excellent piece by Todd which provides some solid tips/cues/advice on how to improve your performance with the big 3 – squats, deadlifts, and bench press.

Love it.

5 Questions with a Girl Gone STRONG: Jen Comas Keck – Trey Potter

Trey continues with his on-going series with the Girls Gone Strong crew, and I think this may be the best of the bunch thus far (no offense to the other ladies

 Choose the Best Breakfast Foods – Men’s Health

I thought this was a pretty neat (yes I just used the word neat) idea by Men’s Health to test the breakfast IQ of its readers.  What’s yours?

Well, don’t just stare at the screen…….take the test and find out!

 

** Okay, I actually went three times.  DON’T JUDGE ME!!!!!!!!!!

CategoriesUncategorized

Bench Press Article Teaser

Either later this week, or most likely next week, my latest article on Livestrong.com will come out titled Tips for a Badass Bench.

In it, I discuss some of the variables that get overlooked when it comes to benching.  Namely, how to properly set-up.

It’s not the sexiest topic in the world, and I can only imagine how many people will roll their eyes and scoff, but it’s a topic that often gets drastically overlooked. In fact, I’d garner a guess that if more people paid attention to how they set-up, and not just flop themselves on the bench like a dead fish, they’d see a drastic improvement in their benching performance.

But all of that is for another time.  Today, rather, I’m going to share with you a section that I had to omit due to word count restrictions.  In no uncertain terms, I submitted the original version and received a comment back from my editor along the lines of “WTF Tony??????”

Which was was her way of saying, “lets cut this bad boy down a few hundred words. Whadya say?”

Nevertheless, I did exactly that but figured the information was still valid and could be useful for a lot people out there reading.  Soooo, here you go.  Enjoy.

Tips for a Badass Bench (the part I had to ax)

As with any exercise, the bench press follows a strength curve. Meaning, depending on length-tension relationships of the muscles involved with the movement, certain portions of the lift may be more problematic than others. For instance, some trainees tend to have more trouble off the chest, and tend to miss the lift during that portion. On the flip side, some may lower the bar to the chest, crush it, and then stall mid-way through or even closer to lockout.

Or, you know, you’re delusional and the weight could simply be too heavy.

Just throwing it out there……..

Everyone’s different.

Speaking in general terms, however, for those who tend to miss off the chest, some dedicated speed work may be in order.

In other words, getting faster will undoubtedly help you get stronger.

I go into a little more detail on this in the actual article (which I’ll link to once it’s available), but suffice it to say placing a little more emphasis on bar speed, and subsequently, possessing the ability to plow through any sticking point will go a long way in terms of increasing one’s bench pressing prowess.

Relative to most trainees reading, though – especially beginners and intermediates –  it wouldn’t hurt to incorporate some high(er) rep dumbbell presses into the mix. Dumbbells allow for a bit more range of motion compared to the bench press, which, for those who tend to be weaker off the chest, can come in handy.

For those who seem to stall halfway up, or even at lockout, board presses would be very useful.  Below is a video of Jen Comas Keck board pressing her ass off.  She’s a lot better looking than me, so I figured the guys reading would appreciate the hook up.  And, for the ladies, they’d have the opportunity of seeing another female lifting appreciable weight.

Basically, while board presses do decrease the range of motion, they allow you to overload the ROM where you’re weakest.

Simply put, you take a pair of 2-by-4s and either tape or nail them together. From there, either have someone hold them in place on your chest or just stick them underneath your shirt.

You set up as you normally would, un-rack the bar – with a hand-off, of course – lower the bar to the boards and come to a pause; let the bar sink into them, and then press as explosively as you can.

The above is an important point because many trainees tend to use more of a tap-n-go approach which is flat out wrong.

Using a variety of boards – 1 board, 2 boards, even 3 and 4 boards – is a fantastic way to help increase your bench. But only use them sporadically and not as a substitute for full-range bench press variations.

And finally, as counterintuitive as it may seem, spending more time building the backside of your body can come in handy when trying to increase your bench press. Firstly, from a postural standpoint, training the backside can help to offset many of the imbalances that can arise when benching too much. Yeah, I’m talking to you.

It’s not un-common for many coaches and trainers to program more horizontal rowing variations like seated rows, 1-arm dumbbell rows and chest supported rows to help retain more structural balance. In fact, it’s not un-common to see some coaches program two to three rowing variations for every ONE pressing variation.

Also, having a strong – and thick – upper back will provide more of a base of support to bench from. Look at the backs of any lifter who has an impressive bench – powerlifters are a great example. They’re backs are ginormous.

You can’t expect to build an impressive bench press JUST by bench pressing. While specificity is important, you also need to address your weaknesses. And for many, it’s a small and weak upper back.

Nothing revolutionary, by any means, but hopefully these tips shed some light on a few of my thoughts; and trust me, the full article will be way m0re boss.

Have any of your own tips?  Chime in below……

And remember, I’ll keep you posted on the actual – full length – article as soon as it’s up.