Better Your Bench - Beast Over Burden - #531

Learn how to better your bench with proper technique and good equipment. Improper gear and form means less weight on the bar. Bench more. Learn the way.

Better Your Bench with Good Equipment

For anyone who has tried to bench heavy in a commercial gym, they typically find that the experience is frustrating. Weights are harder than expected and may even come with missed reps.

Bad equipment is often to blame.

Whether it is slippery bars with nearly no knurl to those bench-rack combinations that have the bar far too low or too high to slick benches that prevent you from digging into the bench and freezing your scapulae, these gear problems abound in commercial gyms.

You can, typically, make a bad situation worse. You can better your bench.

Wearing a bar grip shirt helps your shoulder blades stick better to the bench. You may want to bench in a squat rack, which typically has smaller jumps between holes, then in those bench-rack combos. Having a spotter so you don't have to shrug the bar 4 inches off the j-hooks can help.

You may need to put plates underneath your feet so you can get a better arch.

At home, getting a monolift is a good investment, especially if you tend to experience shoulder pain.

Also, you may need to lower expectations. This can be a good situation for autoregulation.

Better Your Bench with Correct Technique

Technique matters too.

You want to have the maximum amount of stability for the longest duration possible.

You should not be wiggling after the bar is unracked. Don't do it!

Build tension as you set up. Your legs should drive up the bench into your shoulders into an arch. You should use the weight of the bar to help pin your shoulders down into the bench. You should squeeze the bar hard.

Another consideration is breathing. If you can do it efficiently, complete 2-3 reps on one breath. If not, focus on maintaining scapula position between breaths.

Better your bench with proper equipment and good technique.

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