What is the bench press?

The bench press is one of the three lifts in powerlifting (the other two are squat and deadlift). It is an upper body exercise working primarily the chest, shoulders and triceps.

Lying on your back on a bench, lower the bar to your chest and press it back up again.

Why is it such a great exercise?

Actually, because the bench press is so incredibly popular it often needs to be talked down as an exercise, in an attempt to get people doing something else in the gym, such as squatting. But it is good to have a pressing exercise in your training, whether this is a bench press or some kind of overhead press, and if you are a powerlifter it is of course mandatory.

For men in particular, the bench press is seen as the ultimate chest developer. There are also some sports where horizontal pressing strength is beneficial.

How to perform the bench press

In terms of technique, the bench press is the simplest of the three power lifts. Despite this, it is surprising how much bad benching form you see in gyms! Often this involves cheating on the range of motion, i.e. not bringing the bar all the way down to the chest.

Step 1: Starting position

Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor, not up on the bench. Bench pressing with your feet on the bench is one of the bodybuilding variations of the lift and not conducive to lifting heavy weights. If you can’t get your feet flat on the floor because the bench is too high, find some blocks to put your feet on.

Place your head underneath centre of the bar – make sure the bar is equally placed on the rack, not sticking out too far on one side, otherwise when you pick it up it will tilt to one side.

Your forehead should be under the bar when it is on the rack. When you unrack it, the bar will come forward so that it is over your chest. If you start with your chest under the bar while it is still racked, it will be in the wrong position when it is unracked.

When you position your hands on the bar your forearms should vertical – perpendicular to the floor (this is shown more clearly in the photograph in Step 3 below). Some people bench with hands as far apart as possible in order to reduce the range of motion of the bar but this is not good for the shoulders and can be uncomfortable.

Your back should retain its natural slight arch. Try to maintain the same arch throughout the lift. Your shoulders and bum stay in contact with the bench throughout.

Step 2: Unrack the bar

Either lift the bar off the racks yourself or get your spotter to help you (see the section below for how to spot). In both cases, you need to bring the bar over your nipple line before you start to lower it. Your arms should be locked out at this point.

Step 3: Lower the bar to the chest

Before you start to move the bar, take a deep breath in and then lower the bar to your chest. If you don’t touch the chest, the rep doesn’t count. Make sure that you bring the bar down towards your nipple line, not your neck or clavicle.

A helpful tip from strength coach Mark Rippetoe is to look up at the ceiling, rather than follow the bar with your eyes. Pick a spot on the ceiling where you will aim to push the bar. Having this target to aim for helps you to keep the bar travelling in the right path.

Step 4: Press the bar up

Once the bar has touched your chest, press up until your arms are locked out (looking at that target spot on the ceiling). Don’t bounce the bar off the chest. Powerlifters will actually pause to stop the bar’s momentum before pressing upwards, as that is the correct procedure for competition. For non powerlifters it is not necessary to stop the bar, but to avoid bouncing it, just touch the chest lightly before pressing up.

There is a sticking point for most people about an inch above the chest where you have to work hard to push the bar up. This is the point that spotters should look out for, as it is where most failures occur.

As you press upwards, you can arch your back slightly but don’t bring your bum off the bench and keep feet flat on the floor. You should end up in the same position as you started with arms locked out over your chest.

Some people breathe out as they press upwards, others hold their breath throughout the rep. For a more detailed discussion of breathing in the bench press, see this post.

Step 5: Rack the bar

Either rack the bar yourself or get your spotter to help you. If you have taken a wide grip on the bar, be careful not to trap your fingers under it as you rack!

Preventing injury

It is possible to really hurt yourself bench pressing – but most of the risk can easily be mitigated.

Dropping a heavy bar on your chest is not a healthy thing to do and can cause serious injury. It is safest to use a spotter or safety stands that are set at a height just above your chest. Do not bench without unless you are doing light weights and are very confident of making all your reps. This is particularly important for people who work out alone in a home gym.

If you train in a commercial gym, don’t be shy: ask for a spot if you don’t have a training partner. If you really don’t want to ask a fellow gym goer, ask one of the gym staff – it should be their job to help.

There is also no harm in telling someone how you would like them to spot. It doesn’t have to sound bossy or patronizing. Say something like: “Usually I prefer x, y, z – is that okay?”

Likewise, if you are asked to spot someone else, ask them:

• How many reps they are going for
• Whether they want help with racking and unracking

See below for more information about spotting.

If you are benching without any safety provision and you do fail on a rep, rather than try to lift the bar immediately, try rolling it down your chest and then sitting up. It is then easier to lift the bar off your body.

Shoulder injuries are also common in the bench press but can be prevented or mitigated in the following ways:

• train your back as well as your chest so you don’t end up with strength imbalances. Pulling movements such as row, deadlift and pullup are all good exercises for this purpose.
• maintain good form – another great reason for always touching the chest in the bench press is that it prevents lifters from using weights that are too heavy for them
• make sure you are warmed up before you bench and don’t overdo it
• include one-arm dumbbell bench presses in your training cycle occasionally, to improve your weak side (most people have a stronger side and a weak side)

How to spot the bench press

Some trainees like a hand off, others don’t. Personally I like to have my spotter help me unrack and rack.

Other than possible racking and unracking, the spotter should keep their hands off the bar unless the lifter cannot lift it at all. The spotter is not there to help the lifter complete the lift, she is there to prevent the lifter seriously injuring herself.

The spotter will need to make a judgement as to how close to the bar she needs to have her hands. She can either have her hands completely out of the way, ready to approach if things get difficult. Or she can position her hands inches from the bar, ready to grab it in an instant.

Generally, there will be plenty of warning that the lifter will not make the lift – she will be straining hard, the bar will be moving very slowly or wobbling. As a spotter you don’t want to rush in too quickly to take the bar away from the lifter: sometimes it takes a few seconds of real effort to get the bar moving up off the chest, so if you take the bar at the first sign of trouble, you have invalidated that rep for anyone who is serious about their training. Pretty annoying if you are going for a PB!

Here’s an example of what my spotter does when I bench.

I tell her how many reps I am aiming for and she asks whether I need a hand off – in this case I have said yes. She counts 1, 2, 3, so that we can lift at the same time and then leaves me to it.

By the third rep, although I make an effort, the bar starts to wobble and you can tell that I am not going to make it, so my spotter steps in and helps me to rack the bar. Although one might want more time in a competition to really try to get the bar up, in a normal training session you would want to stop at this point, as form is collapsing.

Read more:

Breathing in the bench press

Unilateral exercises

Long live your bench by Ian King

Spotting the bench press part 1 by Mark Rippetoe (you tube clip)

Spotting the bench press part 2 by Mark Rippetoe (you tube clip)

This type of technique, where you forceably expire against a closed airway, is known as the Valsalva Maneuver. People do it naturally when straining to lift a heavy weight, or to equalize pressure in the ears (holding your nose and breathing out). It has been adopted by powerlifters to protect the spine and stabilise the upper body when lifting heavy.

However, this technique of holding my breath throughout the duration of the rep has elicited comment from people in the gym who see me bench, as it goes against what they have been told about breathing during lifting.

The argument that my fellow gym-goers usually proffer for breathing out on the upward part of the lift is that it helps you to push upwards more explosively in the bench press. While this may well be a psychological help, I am less convinced of its effectiveness in reality. Imagine that your car is stuck in a ditch and you are trying to push it out all by yourself. As you strain against the car, pushing with all your might, are you holding your breath or breathing out? Practically everyone holds their breath, without even thinking about it. It makes it easier to push.

The reason that people are instructed not to hold their breath while lifting is safety. Holding your breath while your torso muscles are contracted creates intra thoracic pressure which can result in dizziness, blackouts or, in extreme circumstances, a hernia or a stroke.

Most trainers therefore recommend this breathing pattern but Mark Rippetoe is one authority who recommends holding your breath throughout the rep as “it provides support for the chest. This takes the form of increased tightness throughout the thoracic cavity due to the increase in pressure provided by the big, held breath. A tight ribcage allows for a more efficient transfer of power to the bar by the muscles attached to it when they contract.”

Some trainers hedge their bets – such as Dr Ian King or Tom Venuto and Richie Smyth, who recommend that you hold your breath as you change direction and continue holding until you’ve pushed upward through the sticking point. Once that is over, you can afford to start breathing out.

This probably wouldn’t prevent any problems caused by too much straining, as you would still be straining at the sticking point. However, by reducing the length of time you need to hold your breath, it might make you less dizzy and less likely to drop the bar on your head (not that this should be a problem as you will of course be benching with a good spotter!).

There are some interesting issues and choices raised here. On the one hand, the Valsalva Maneuver carries some risk – of blackout, hernia, stroke etc. On the other hand, it gives more protection to the spine, and can help in lifting heavier weights.

For me, use of the Valsalva Maneuver is a no-brainer in the squat and the deadlift. I perceive the risk of a back injury to be much greater than the risk of some kind of hernia, so I choose to protect my back using this breathing technique. It is also true that the body adapts to the demands placed upon it and you would expect the risks to be significantly less for someone who lifts regularly and progressively than for someone who puts their body under enormous strain without any prior training or development.

The bench press, though, is a slightly different animal as it involves much less load on the spine than the squat or the deadlift, so the advantages will be less in proportion to the risk. The issue seems to be more one of efficacy than safety: stabilizing the chest makes the lift more efficient.

I am not sure whether I have managed to change any minds in my local gym so far, but I will continue to use the Valsalva Maneuver in the bench press and see if the results speak for themselves.

More information

Mark Rippetoe on breathing in the bench press (wmv video clip)

Dr Ian King on the bench press (see point 15)

What is the push press?

A push press is a press from the shoulders to a locked-out position overhead, using a dip – a bend in the knees – to help drive the weight upwards. The push press can be performed with the weight across either the front of the shoulders or the back of the shoulders. Most people perform the push press with the weight across the front of the shoulders.

Why is it such a great exercise?

There are three main overhead pressing exercises: the shoulder press, the push press and the push jerk. These three form a continuum of overhead pressing that starts at one end with absolutely no leg involvement (shoulder press) and finishes with quite a lot of leg involvement (push jerk). Crossfit has a useful video that shows the differences between these exercises side by side

Crossfit video: tri panel of shoulder press, push press and push jerk (wmv)

I think the most useful exercise is the push press, although it is fine to practise the others too. The shoulder press is pure upper body, particularly shoulder strength with no involvement from the legs. A push jerk is more technical, as there is a re-bend of the knees in order to receive the bar with bent legs before pushing up into the final locked out position. The push press gets the best of both worlds. Because there is involvement from the legs, heavier weights can be pressed than would be possible in the shoulder press and it’s more of a full body movement (although of course much of the effort comes from the upper body). However, it is not as technical as the push jerk, so it is easier to perform.

How to perform the push press

The key to the push press is to drive aggressively and get your torso right underneath the bar for maximum stability. At heavy weights you are more likely to be a bit wobbly so keep everything tight and use your abs to keep your body stable.

Step 1: Starting position

Take the bar out of a rack or clean it to the racked position across the front of the shoulders. Feet should be shoulder-width or slightly wider apart.

The hands hold the bar just outside the shoulders and elbows should always be forward of the bar. They do not have to be pushed right up as they would be in a clean or front squat, but having them forward of the bar keeps the bar in the right position. If the elbows drop, the bar drops and not only is it less stable and harder to hold but you also have to lift it that extra inch further.

Step 2: Dip and drive

Dip down at the knees and use that momentum to drive the bar upwards. Bend your knees to a quarter squat and as you drive back upwards, press the bar up with your shoulders and arms. Make sure that when you bend down at the knees, you don’t push your hips forward. You want to maintain that hip angle so that you can use the power that comes from extending (straightening) the knees and hips. It’s a fast, snapping motion.

Step 3: Lockout with bar overhead

Finish with arms straight and the bar locked out overhead. Poke your head through the window made by your arms so that the bar is over your hips. When you press upwards, the bar should be as close to your face as possible without bashing yourself, so you will probably end up tilting your head back slightly before driving your head forward as the bar clears your face. At the same time, the hips come back slightly so that there is a slight curve in the lower back at the end. This helps to give the drive some extra oomph when the weight gets heavy.

Be careful not to re-bend the knees after the initial dip and drive. This would make the exercise a push jerk, if you received the bar with bent knees.

If you can’t quite get your head around the notion of the hip drive, take a look at this video by Coach Mark Rippetoe, where he talks about this aspect of the exercise. He is teaching the shoulder press rather than the push press, but the principle still applies.

How to use the push press in your training

The push press is a great exercise for upper body and core strength, and probably more functional than the bench press. It can be used as part of a strength routine, for example on the same day as squats. It also builds strength for the Olympic lifts.

You can push press anything, not just a barbell. An uneven or instable weight such as a sandbag or water barrel makes a good training tool in this exercise.

The press or push press can also be added into a routine involving other exercises. A popular combination is the push press added to a front squat, known as a thruster.

You can also add a push press to a Turkish get-up from the standing position halfway through the exercise.

Further information and related posts

Crossfit push press instruction wmv mov

The clean: common problems

Below are some useful assistance exercises to prepare you for the demands of olympic weightlifting.

Front squats

Front squats are a useful precursor to the clean as they involve squatting with the barbell balanced across the front of the shoulders – which is the top position of the clean.

Front squats are a great exercise in themselves, even if you never intend to clean and jerk at all. Mike Boyle, for example, recommends front squats over back squats as you get a similar result much more safely. Read more about Mike’s position on front squats and injury-free training in general.

Hang power clean

I’ll be honest with you, I’m partly into this exercise because I think it looks good! Fortunately, it’s also a good strength exercise. The hang part means that it starts from a hanging position not from the floor; the power part means that it is performed only with a partial squat not a full squat.

Some people argue that unless you are training to be an olympic lifter, there’s no need to do full squat cleans; you will get good results with the hang power clean, which is easier to perform than the full clean. You can see where front squats come in, as practice for catching the bar in the clean.

Push press

This exercise is good training for both of the olympic events, as it involves pressing the bar overhead. It’s also a great shoulder exercise.

The push press is actually the second of three exercises that form the progression to the ‘jerk’ part of the olympic lift. The first exercise is the military press, which is the same as the push press except you don’t bend your legs as you press – all the effort comes from the arms and shoulders. The push press is the second exercise, using the legs to initiate the move and get the bar off the shoulders. The push jerk takes it one step further by incorporating not just the bend in the legs but the actual jump as well.

Overhead squat

I have heard about the merits of this exercise from a number of sources and it is an important precursor to the snatch. But mainly I was inspired to do it by seeing the Crossfit women training this move so much. It takes incredible strength and hip power to perform this exercise, especially for high reps and with a lot of weight. My hips were aching after this session as they weren’t used to being worked so hard!