Are you a beginner to the bench press and looking for awesome tips to help you out?
Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Because in this post, I’ll be going over the best bench press tips for beginners.
You see, I’ve been out of the gym for a few years because of a medical surgery and now I’m back to square one.
And on top of that, I never used to bench press in the first place.
You see, when I first got into lifting, I was afraid of the bench.
WHY?
Because I was afraid of what people might think.
I could lift very little. Literally, barely more weight than just the bar.
So I recently thought, you know what? I’m going to start benching.
I read a lot of articles and watched a ton of videos to get the best information on how to bench.
And I’ve got a lot better thanks to these few tips:
Table of Contents
Correctly grip the bar
When you wrap your fingers and thumb around the bar, you’re going to notice an immediate difference.
Never forget to engage the thumb with the bar. This is something that many people miss.
When you wrap your thumb around the bar, you will notice an immediate difference in your power.
Have a wide grip. The wider you grip the bar, the less it will have to travel.
WARNING: Don’t grip too wide because you’ll injure your shoulder.
Make sure your arms are a shoulder-width apart.
Now, you need to develop a strong grip. I’m talking about squeezing that bar fairly tightly.
The tighter you grip, the more muscle fibers you’re going to be able to use.
Do you think that’s useless advice?
Ok then… Try tensing your biceps as hard as you can without making a fist.
Now, try squeezing your biceps whilst making a fist.
That’s right, your bicep was stronger because you were able to close your fist and squeeze.
So make sure to squeeze the bar when you’re benching.
Have your index finger on the ring of the bar. Not your pinky finger. This is a very common mistake and one that I was making.
However, the wide grip may not work for you if you have short arms.
Put it this way, if you’re shorter than 5’10, place your pinky finger on the ring of the bar instead.
Correctly gripping the bar will instantly allow you to bench more. This is a killer tip.
INJURY PREVENTION TIP: Don’t bend your wrist, keep them straight. This will prevent wrist pains.
Arch your back
Did you know that most people can lift more weight whilst on an incline bench rather than a flat bench?
Well it’s true. You can even test this out for yourself.
Arching your back is actually the closest thing to replicating an incline you can get on a flat bench.
Arching your back will also decrease the distance the bar has to travel. This will help you push for more reps.
As a beginner, this can be tough to do. When you first try it, it feels very awkward.
That’s why you need to practice and get your arch right.
And when you do… BOOM! You’ll instantly increase your bench.
Correct feet placement
Did you know that you can increase your bench simply by positioning your feet?
Well you can. When I found out about this, it completely blew me away. Using your feet for the bench, I mean…
…who on Earth thought of it?
Definitely not me. I found out about this method in the Critical Bench program along with more epic tips.
Never, and I repeat NEVER have your feet off the ground.
It’s very important to keep your feet on the ground with either your heals or toes.
Or else you’re going to have a tough time lifting the weight you want and reach the level you desire.
Try spreading your feet out. Typically, what you’ll find by spreading your feet out is, better balance and power gains.
Keeping your feet spread wide will also help with maintaining that arch in your back.
Tuck in your elbows
One of the biggest reasons why I avoided the bench was because I was afraid I’d injure myself.
Which is true, if you don’t do the bench properly.
Shoulder pain is one of the biggest reasons why people stopped benching or couldn’t bench in the first place.
Make sure you tuck your elbows in to take the strain off your shoulders.
By tucking your elbows in, the bar will be touching below your nipples an that’s where you want it to help minimise the risk of injury.
By doing this, you’ll lose a couple of pounds on the bench.
HOWEVER…
With this tip, you’ll be able to lift more in the long term.
Flare your lats
Did you know that you use your lats when you bench?
Me neither. When I discovered this tip, it helped tremendously increase my bench.
When you bench, make sure to try to flare your lats, tense them and try push with them.
Constantly keep your lats flexed throughout the entire movement. You’ll be able to lift more weight this way.
Make sure to train your lats and increase their strength to improve your bench.
When you do back day, make sure to train your lats first.
This way, you’ll be able to train your lats when you’re fresh and full of energy.
Increase the strength of your triceps
Your triceps are one of the main muscles that are critical to the bench press.
So make sure you’re training your triceps vigorously.
When you do arm day, I would recommend training your triceps before your biceps.
WHY?
Because you’ll be engaging your triceps a lot more than your biceps in the bench press.
Conclusion
So those were the best bench press tips for beginners.
By applying the tips in this guide with your next bench press workout, you’ll instantly be able to lift more.
These tips don’t only apply to the bench but also you’re other exercises.
For example, you can still correctly grip the bar in your other chest exercises, arm exercise and even your leg exercises.
In fact, these tips have helped me increase my leg workouts. Pretty insane, I know.
So make sure to try out the advice in this little article.
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