5-There are two styles that are widely used in the bench, a more
dynamic style (Dan Green style) in which you lower the bar quickly
letting it sink into your chest before the press command-which allows
for great leg drive but is a more high risk-high reward technique. A
more strict style (Brandon Lilly style) where you pause the bar on
your chest by touching it as lightly as possible, maintaining as much
tightness as possible through the whole body before getting the press
command. One isn’t necessarily better than the other, you just need to
see what works best for you.
6-Regardless of style you use, leg drive is critical. Your leg drive should
drive you down the bench towards your head, but since your shoulder
blades are dug into the bench you won’t move, instead the highpoint of
your chest will rise. Your feet should be pressed into the ground (heel
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up or down depending on federation and comfort) and you should
think about doing an explosive leg extension action but instead of you
leg extending, you will drive your body towards your head.
7-The bench press is a violent movement. As you loaded the spring
with the descent of the bar, now you must violently uncoil it in the
press. As your elbows tuck on the way down, they should flare on the
way up.
8-Practice a strong lockout by fully locking out every rep, rather than
cutting them short as ‘bodybuilder reps’ and hold the final rep of each
set at lockout for a 3-5 count before racking it.
COMMON BENCH PROBLEMS AND EXERCISES
TO HELP FIX THEM
The first step in fixing all of these is technique, once that is dealt with,
work on these...
Weak Off the Chest
-Paused Reps, training a longer pause than you will be required to do
in competition is the simplest way to build strength off of the chest.
Pauses of 3- 10 seconds will work best.
-Deep Stretch DB Press, letting the dumbbells sink deep and stretch
your chest will build strength off the chest. Reps in the 6-12 range
will work best. -Cambered Bar Bench Presses, if you have access to a
cambered bar that will increase your range of motion by 1-2” this will
be very beneficial in improving bottom end strength.
-Back Strength, stronger lats and upper back will not only increase
the thickness of the back and shorten the range of motion it will also
improve drive from the chest.
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Weak In The Midrange
-Spoto Press, pause the weight 1” off your chest, try to quickly drop
the weight to that point and stop it with the tension in your lats. The
bar never touches the chest in this variation.
-Dead Bench, set the bar on pins 1” above your chest. Press up from
this dead position. These are done only for singles.
Weak At Lockout
-Closegrip Bench, your grip doesn’t need to be excessively close 1-2”
inside your competition grip will suffice
-Dips, these worked for Pat Casey, Kaz, Al Davis and plenty of other all
time greats. Take them through a full range of motion, load them up
and work them hard in the 5 to 12 rep range.
