Cues for the Bench Press (@gshyoung)

by Gary Young

Before I start, I should add the disclaimer that whilst I have a decent bench press, I am not the strongest bench presser in the 74kg class in Australia, nor do I hold any bench press records. I have, however, managed to notably improve my bench from a 135kg plateau to 167.5kg (with a short pause) in training purely from technique tweaks. My best bench in competition is only 155kg, but that’s another story…

The bench press, like the sumo deadlift, is a very technical lift and, as such, commands great attention with the initial setup.  How you setup for the bench press will dictate how easy or difficult the lift will be.  These are my cues I use which work for me:

1.     Take your grip on the bar and dig you shoulder blades back into the bench.  You want to pinch your shoulders back as far, and as tight, as you can, and then down – ‘back’ and then ‘down’.  The ‘down’ is important, because you don’t want your shoulders to be in an elevated shrug position (you’re not working your traps and the traps won’t help with the bench).  The ‘down’ movement will help activate and load the lats, which is crucial.

2.     For me, personally, I prefer the maximum legal grip permissible in the IPF.  That is, the index fingers on the power rings.  You want to grip the bar as tight as possible when setting up.  You want everything tight.  Tight setup and tight grip. (Grip with is strictly individual and based on one's shoulder health)

3.     Mobility will vary from individual to individual, so the degree to which you can generate an arch will be affected by this. I personally have a moderate arch, it’s the best I can do given my level of mobility, and it looks pretty mediocre.  You want to arch up to the bar, as much as possible.  This will not be comfortable, and nor should it be.  The arch will help isolate the shoulders from any unnecessary movement in the press.

4.     Given I compete in the IPF, I need to ensure my heels are at all times in contact with the ground.  Once I am satisfied with the setup, I fill my chest with air and then unrack the bar, holding it at arm’s length with my elbows locked out.  My butt is also firmly planted on the bench.

5.     Once I am given the ‘start’ command, I pull the bar towards my chest in a controlled manner.  At the same time, I am also thinking about raising my chest to meet the bar.  The key word here is ‘controlled’.  As I pull the bar down towards my chest, I am also loading my lats.  Think of it as a ‘spring load’ that generates tension on the lats.  My elbows are also directly beneath the bar during this movement.

6.     Once the bar is stationary on my chest, and the ‘press’ command is given, I press the bar up and then back until my elbows are locked out.  

Das it.  As you can see, the setup is 80% of the lift; 15% is bringing the bar to your chest and the remainder is just pressing the bar!

Gary's benchpress setup

This is a guest post by Gary Young, IPF U74kg from Australia. Gary's best meet numbers are 227.5kg squat / 155kg bench press / 252.5kg deadlift for a 635kg total @ 73kg. He is currently prepping for Oceania in December. Read more about him on: http://nextlevelpowerlifting.blogspot.sg/2014/11/the-spirit-of-competition-derrick-kim.html

You can equip yourself with some of the best products available in the market for benchpress by checking out our shop: www.nextlevelpowerlifting.com (aka Slingshot and Gangsta wraps). Price is also listed in our blog for our local readers :)