How to Bench Press with Proper Form (AVOID MISTAKES!)
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Published 2018-07-17
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Learn how to bench press with this great guide. Bench Pressing is a staple movement of weightlifting and is important to preform properly. By doing so, you can build a great looking chest and ensure that your muscle building progress is always upwards.
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0:47 - Retract your shoulders
1:20 - Points of contact
1:47 - Natural lower back arch
2:30 - Bench press grip (hand placement)
3:32 - Barbell path
4:48 - Generating power + feet placement
5:21 - Breathing + bracing
The bench press is considered one of THE foundational exercises for the upper body for good reason. It trains all of the “pushing” muscles in a way that allows for heavy loads and develops the chest, shoulders, and triceps extremely effectively. It would be very difficult to find a bodybuilder who didn’t develop their chest muscles without the use of the bench press. It's also one of the “big 3” movements that powerlifters compete in along with the squat and the deadlift. One of the most common questions that people ask others to gauge their strength is “how much can you bench.”
That all being said the bench press is also responsible for many shoulder, pec and elbow injuries. In fact, a damaged AC joint in the shoulder is sometimes referred to as “bench press shoulder.” If done properly the bench press can develop impressive muscle and strength. Below we list how to set up and execute a proper bench press for maximum power, strength, chest development and in a way that minimizes the risk of injury.
Step One: Lay down on a flat bench. Your feet should be on the floor and NOT up in the air or on the bench. Keep the knees bent at 90 degrees with your feet directly under your knees. Your upper back, shoulder blades, and butt should be in contact with the bench and should remain in contact with the bench. Your low back should have a natural arch and should not be in contact with the bench.
Step Two: Grab the bar with a relatively wide distance. Your grip should be wider than your shoulders. Typically, your ring finger or pinky finger will be placed on the rings that are present on all bench press bars.
Step Three: Squeeze your shoulder blades back and down. In other words, pinch your shoulder blades together while simultaneously bring them down your back…basically don’t let them shrug.
Step Four: Grip the bar hard and unrack the weight. Brace your entire body. Slowly lower the weight to below your nipple line. Your elbows shouldn’t be out at 90 degrees (that a great way to hurt your shoulder). Elbows should be at about 75 degrees. Touch your chest with the bar and press it all the way back up. It should take you about 3 seconds to lower the bar and about 1-3 seconds to raise the bar.
That’s it! You are bench pressing! You are on your way to developing a muscular chest, shoulders, and triceps!
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All Comments (21)
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I am a newbie with lifting weights, and we are lucky enough we have these guys spreading the good word and teaching proper form.
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Update6 months and I'm still loving this bench. youtube.com/post/Ugkxo_64lVTGMk7y4aXTPxPOcQ3YTLyQ6… I use it almost daily. I've gotten used to the small wobble and it's no problem at all. Love the storage, it folds right next to my weight set in the garage and hardly takes any space. I wish the covering material was a little bit tougher. I have a feeling that in a couple years it'll tear, but the bench is very well priced that I would just buy a new one.3 month usage review. Awesome bench for someone looking for compactness and storage. I did have to drill a couple holes to adjust my preferred seating position and leg bar position but that's only due to my personal preference. It's very sturdy for normal workouts, but for anyone going above 100# dumbbell press it wobbles ever so slightly. I would probably go with a fixed bench if that's the case. That being said i can accomplish 99% of my normal gym workout with this setup. Very happy with the purchase.
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Getting into weight lifting is way more complex than I thought
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this guy knows his shit, immediately felt it in my chest right after. crazy how much i didn’t know before this video
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Never knew how much I didn’t know till now
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I’ve been going to the gym consistently for about 1-2 years now and I’ve never felt better. Well I’m only 21 but I notice a huge impact on my mental and obviously physical health. I like to re-watch proper form videos / different workout vids. Great explanation & well put together man! Dope channel name too haha
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Thank you so much! I started my weight lifting today! after 20 years of procrastinating since I was 15 yrs old. I think no one is too old to start exercising/weight lifting. Subscribed!
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Wow, I've been doing at home bench press workouts and I think that's the first time I've done it with complete proper form, I felt the difference. I was the person who felt it in the shoulders and arms, and that set I felt it in the chest. Thank you!
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As soon as he mentioned the shoulder I knew I’ve been doing this wrong 😂 shoulder has been hurting 2
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i saw an older video of this on your channel and tried it out yesterday. not only did ifeel it in my chest and less in my arms but i was actually able to do it alot easier too
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Knew I was doing something wrong with my shoulder hurting.. now I know. Thank you!
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finally a teaching style that I can understand easily. Thanks for this, I subscribed!
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17 year lifter here. Learned a lot here. Already feel the difference. You guys rock.
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As a newbie to working out and trying to build muscles, your videos have been of immense value to me. You are a fantastic teacher! Thanks!!!!
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Incredible video. Concise straight to the point and visually helpful as well, starting out back in the day I used to feel a little wonky in my shoulders because every chest day I would use my shoulders a lot especially when I fatigued and channels like this helped me learn to better my form and help prevent any further stupid injury I was probably doing to my body especially my rotator cuffs. Keep up the great instructional videos.
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It's been over 10yrs in my fitness journey. I usually do HIIT and circuit training but trying out a new strength program and want to compromise less form to volume. I found this very helpful.
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Thank you for the guide. I was benching 45kg and not really triggering my chest. I get more from the cables. Turns out I was letting my shoulders roll slightly so it was just missing my trigger points. Still get more notice from the cable machines. Practice makes perfect!
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Thank you for this. Really like your teaching style.
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I like the way you explain the exercise and movement. This makes me want to get back into the gym.
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Short, clear and precise! Awesome!
