The Bench, now in its done-n-done'er state -- Mark Holowchak (1997)

 

Thanks be to Robert Wildes for this one!
And ain't that one great photo.

Beautiful plates. 

THE BENCH:

Let "Anything Goes" Go Right Out the Window - 

Proper Bench Pressing Technique for Powerlifting

(1997)

In most powerlifting circles there is one common technical belief lifters cling to stubbornly, unremittingly, and wrongly concerning the execution of the powerlifts. This is the belief that the structural uniqueness of each individual makes it difficult to apply a standard lifting technique to everyone. 

With respect to bench pressing, the structural-uniqueness hypothesis may be loosely translated as follow: There is no one technique that all successful bench pressers use. Strictly speaking, this is true. No one best bench press technique exists which is applicable across the board and without exception. Yet, does this mean that there is no one best bench pressing technique applicable to the overwhelming majority of benchers irrespective of structural uniqueness? 

In short, if each lifter is structurally uniquem, does it follow that, technically speaking, anything goes? 

Everything, it seems, hinges on what is meant by "structural uniqueness." 

If by "structural uniqueness" we mean that each bencher differs wildly, wilder than a Bob Wildes with a pack-a hellhounds on his trail, and unpredictably with respect to body structure (muscle type, tendon/ligament insertion, bone length and thickness, etc.), then, of course, anything does go. Yet. "structural uniqueness" does not mean that in the main, the structural differences, from one person to the next, that concern how one should approach the bench technically are negligible. 

The structural similarities that almost all of us share give me good reason to say that, unless you are a freak of nature (or some injury prevents you), one should perform the bench press in the manner described below! 

In what follows, I detail a technique that I believe will work for the great majority of benchers. I also list the technical rules that you should follow in performing the lift.    

Proper Bench Pressing Technique:

The Ready Position

Getting into the "ready" position to receive the hand-off

After plentifully chalking your hands and the top of your back (to assure that your grip does not slip and your shoulders do not slide on the bench during the lift), situate yourself on the bench in such a manner that your feet are squarely and flatly on the ground, your shoulders are firmly on the bench (each shoulder overhanging the sides of the bench by an equal amount), and your body sufficiently down the bench, just enough to prevent any possibility of the bar hitting the bench racks on the way up. Your weight should be both on your shoulders and feet (on the whole of each foot and not on one part) and your buttocks should only be lightly touching the bench. This allows for maximum arch of the back, thereby making the chest larger and lessening the lowering distance for increased leverage through blast-off efficiency. 

Improved leverage enables you to drive the bar off your chest with greater rapidity and improves the overall likelihood of a successful lift. To achieve such a position it is best that first you plant your feet while sitting on the edge of the bench. Then, after laying on the bench and checking to see that each shoulder overhangs the bench by an equal amount (this can be roughly done by simulating a press with no bar and gauging the feel of the shoulders on the bench), grasp the uprights of the bench and push yourself down the bench, toward your feet, which remain squarely planted on the ground. 

 

With your feet planted and your back firmly in position (lower back arched and upper back squarely on the bench), your buttocks should lightly touch the bench. Your hands should be evenly chalked and widely spaced on the bar. You are now in the ready position and prepared for the hand-off. 

 

 

The Descent

 

The descent into madness, er, Just prior to the lift-off, take a huge breath of air, as much as you possibly can. This, too, enlarges the chest cavity for improved leverage. (The one doing the lift-off should lift no more than 50-100 pounds of weight from the racks. Maybe a bit more for pressers attempting more than one quarter of a ton. Concentrate mostly on guiding the bar to your perpendicular or lockout position.).

 

Upon receiving the lift-off, I recommend that you breathe out while steadying the bar in preparation for the descent. Just before the descent, take in another huge breath of air. 

 Establishing the proper position for wide grip benching

Using a wide grip (one where the angle of the upper arm to lower arm when the bar is at the chest is at least 90 degrees), begin the movement with your arms, at lockout, exactly perpendicular to the body. 

Maintaining the arch with the strictest consistency (with your weight primarily on the feet and shoulders with buttocks only lightly touching the bench) slowly descend the bar, by a path that describes one-half of a hyperbola to a spot on the chest that allows for maximum pectoral usage and drive. {Not necessarily the highest point on the body using this bench-method}. This spot is generally slightly above the nipples for most lifters, but may vary ever so slightly from lifter to lifter.

     

Bringing the bar to the drive position

A slow descent is essential for two reasons. First, a quick descent occurs when the muscles occurs when the muscles lowering the weight are relaxed significantly. Gravity becomes the prime mover and the stress on the tendons and ligaments upon catching the weight at the bottom is prodigious! Injuries are much more likely. Second, a slow descent allows for perfect control of bar placement upon the chest, which is necessary to the strongest surge possible.

At the Chest

At this bottom position, the arms should be at slightly less than a 90-degree angle to the body, at about 75 degrees. 

Appropriate arm alignment at the bottom

Also, the bar should be at or slightly above the nipples. A spot lower than this may involve the pecs more, but at the expense of being unable to lock the lift out because the leverage of the arms is lost. A higher spot uses the leverage of the arms most efficiently, but takes the all important and larger pecs out of play. 

In short, any deviation from your "sweet spot" on the chest will result in poorer leverage and greatly reduce the blast you get at the bottom, thereby reducing the probability of a successful lift. On hitting the sweet spot, still the bar as quickly as possible so that there is no untoward delay of the "press" signal.

The Blast Off

Upon receiving the signal, drive the bar upward with as much force as you can muster. Great force at the bottom is indispensable because it generates momentum. Momentum enables you to overcome the primary sticking point of the bench press -- the transition from pectorals as primary movers in the lower part of the lift to the triceps as primary movers in the upper half.  

All this talk of benching has me craving a bit of the Norb . . . 

Succesfull 400 lb. Press

on the meat-n-potatoes diet

 and training plan

Okay, where was I yesterday (said the drunk to himself), where were we, where was this author, where were all of us who share this good-enough-for-me common bond . . . 

Continuing . . . 

Just like the descent, the ascent of the bench press describes one half of a parabola. Keep surging throughout with as much force as you can muster until completion. 

After completing the upward movement, wait for the referee's signal to rack the bar Throughout the lift, the arch of the back should be rigorously maintained. 

Of all the lifter's I have had the privilege to witness throughout the years; the one whose technique embodies these mechanical principles best is MIKE MACDONALD (every letter in that name should be upper case). It is no accident he has held so many world records throughout his career. 

KEY POINTS

1) Utilize a Wide Grip. 

A wide grip shortens the distance the bar has to travel (we're gonna need a longer bar!) and involves the large pectoral muscles to the fullest. Mechanically, it is the most efficient grip. 

2) Maximize the Arch of Your Back.

Arch as much as possible within the rules (we're gonna need a new spine!) and maintain this arch throughout the whole lift. This improves leverage by, in effect, making the chest larger and, again, lessening the distance the bar has to travel. 

3) Work With the One Who Lifts You Off.

Love the one you're with, and get the technique of a smooth transaction together. 

4) Take in as Much Air as Possibubble. 

As much as possible before descending with the bar. This too enlarges the levarage. Wait for it . . . (We're gonna need a larger lung! If you can't be funny, go with attrition and attempt to wear the reader down.)

5) Utilize a Slow, Controlled Descent.

With a quick desent, you lose control, and the likelihood of hitting the sweet spot is reduced.

6) Enjoy Your Lifting!