What Is The Right Form For Bench Press?

PROTECT YOUR BENCH

Let's spend a minute talking about safety in the bench press today.  

First things first... Do not bench by yourself if you are going to be lifting anything approaching your max. Secondly, don't use clips on the ends of the barbell if you are going to be benching by yourself.  Third, if you are going to be benching by yourself, bench in a power rack or use safeties.

Now, let's talk about a few things to set yourself up for success.  When you set up for a set of bench press, lay on the bench so that your eyes are just barely on the side of the bar toward your feet.  Even on a light set of bench press, nothing will throw you off more than hitting one of the J-cups during one of your reps.  It can be disastrous if it's a hard set.  

If you're benching in a power rack or are using safeties we need to make sure that they are at the correct height.  Adjust the safeties before your set so that they will catch the bar when your chest is flat on the bench.  In the bench press, we push our chest up to the ceiling.  That means that the bottom of each rep will be slightly higher than this setting of the safeties.  

Let's say you don't take our advice about the safeties and you find yourself at the bottom of a bench press rep that you can't get out of.  What do you do? Rock the barbell side to side until enough of the weights fall off of one side that the bar tips and falls off of you.  What you DO NOT DO is roll the bar down your chest, stomach and abdomen.  Many people have caused serious internal injuries and/or died from doing this. 

Happy safe benching everyone!