Weight Lifting Techniques to Increase Your Bench Press
by Jason M. Stallworth, posted on December 29th, 2010
by Jason M. Stallworth, posted on December 29th, 2010
When people notice that you lift weights the question you often hear is ‘how much can you bench press?’ What I find even more humorous is I’ve had people come up to me and simply ask ‘how much weight can you lift?’ I don’t even know how to respond to that, so of course I ask what exercise they’re talking about. And as expected the majority of the time they’re asking about bench pressing. The question of how much can you bench press really leads to an inaccurate example of strength though as there are many other compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, barbell rows and so forth. But rarely does anyone ask how much weight you do on barbell rows or any of the other exercises listed.
None the less deep down we do indeed want a big bench, right? Actually every weight lifter or bodybuilding enthusiast wants to be strong on every lift. So here are a few weight lifting techniques that will help increase your bench press so that you can throw out an impressive number the next time someone asks you how much can you bench press (or lift!).
5 X 5 Powerlifting Technique - This is an old school weight lifting technique known to build strength and is often done for bench press. You want to do a couple of warm up sets first then throw on some heavy weight and do 5 sets of 5 reps (give or take) for bench press. Do this once a week.
Negative Reps - Doing negatives (taking several seconds on the descent of the lift, lowering the bar towards your chest) forces you to control the weight. In turn your chest muscles will get used to handling heavy loads. Negatives are usually performed on the last set of bench press and the last rep or two.
Forces Reps - This should go without saying but you really need a trusted spotter when you’re doing forced reps on bench press. You need someone who isn’t going to help you too much and will make you work for those extra reps. Forced reps will make you grow and will make you strong.
It’s also important to work all body parts with equal amount of attention and dedication. Having a strong back and legs will increase your overall strength. If you want to increase your bench press you also need to be doing movements like deadlifts and squats.
None the less deep down we do indeed want a big bench, right? Actually every weight lifter or bodybuilding enthusiast wants to be strong on every lift. So here are a few weight lifting techniques that will help increase your bench press so that you can throw out an impressive number the next time someone asks you how much can you bench press (or lift!).
5 X 5 Powerlifting Technique - This is an old school weight lifting technique known to build strength and is often done for bench press. You want to do a couple of warm up sets first then throw on some heavy weight and do 5 sets of 5 reps (give or take) for bench press. Do this once a week.
Negative Reps - Doing negatives (taking several seconds on the descent of the lift, lowering the bar towards your chest) forces you to control the weight. In turn your chest muscles will get used to handling heavy loads. Negatives are usually performed on the last set of bench press and the last rep or two.
Forces Reps - This should go without saying but you really need a trusted spotter when you’re doing forced reps on bench press. You need someone who isn’t going to help you too much and will make you work for those extra reps. Forced reps will make you grow and will make you strong.
It’s also important to work all body parts with equal amount of attention and dedication. Having a strong back and legs will increase your overall strength. If you want to increase your bench press you also need to be doing movements like deadlifts and squats.
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