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The bench press is one of the most classic powerlifting lifts you can add to your chest workout. That said, it is one of the most complex simply because there are so many places in the lift that you can go wrong. In this video, I created a check list to give your helpful reference for each of the most important places in the lift that you will want to get right so you can increase your gains and keep your joints safe in the process.
As a physical therapist, one of my biggest concerns will always be the long term safety of a movement as well as the risk to reward ratio of performing the lift. In the case of the bench press, this is one of the most fundamental power moves that all athletes and novice lifters should master. There are plenty of things that can go wrong however, and the joints like the shoulders, wrists, elbows and even your back can become vulnerable if you don’t get it right.
The first thing you need to note is where you are going to be doing the bench press in the first place. Ideally, you’ll have access to a power rack that you can set up a bench in and have the appropriate pins in place to catch the bar should you fail. If doing it here, you will also want to put the clips on the ends of the bar for added safety. If you are training at home however, the clips might be best left off the bar just in case you get stuck under the bar and need a way to dump the weights to get out from under it.
Next the alignment of the bar in the rack and the bench on the bar is crucial to setting up a good lift. Simple enough, but make sure that everything is centered before laying back on the bench. Next look up at the bar and ensure that your eyes are at the same height as the bar itself. This will set you up for a good liftoff from the rack. Along the same lines, you want to be sure that your bar holders are not too high or too low. If you arms are fully extended as you reach up for the bar then you are set too high and will have no leverage when it comes to lifting the bar out of its resting position.
Next focus on the position of your feet and your chest before initiating the liftoff. Your feet need to be under your knees in order to be able to contract the glutes during the movement and add to your pushing power on the bench press. If they are too far out in front of you, much of your pushing power will be lost before you even begin.
Likewise your chest must be arched. This establishes a stable base of your shoulder blades pushing down and into the bench, which will act as a counterforce for the bar as you press it in the opposite direction. Lift the bar and tighten the abs as you lower it down to the chest. The bar path is crtiical. Make sure it is traveling down and forward and not just straight down. This will be more easily accomplished by keeping your elbows tucked closer to your sides, about 75 degrees away.
At the end of your set, fully straighten the elbows and then slowly allow the bar to travel backwards towards the catches. From here, lower the bar once it has engaged the rack and you’re done. A perfectly executed bench press set. Let the chest gains begin, and let the healthy shoulders and joints continue!
If you are looking for a complete training system that puts the science back in strength to help you get the most out of every lift while keeping the latest in sports medicine at the forefront of your workouts to ensure your gym longevity, head to and get your ATHLEAN-X Training System. Start training like an athlete so you can look like an athlete in the next 90 days and beyond.
For more chest workouts and videos on how to do the bench press and the best bench press for your upper chest, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at
49 comments
Thanks a lot for the footage of already damaged shoulders man. Helps a lot as I'm having some tendon problems with my right shoulder for the last couple of months but don't want to stop stone cold.
3:19 For some reason, close-grip bench pressing feels so much easier and more natural to me than regular or wide-grip. I have no idea why…
Lately, my pinky fingers are at least an inch away from where the knurling begins.
This stuff seems like common sense and pretty much came naturally to me but everything hes said makes sense and works. I recommend him for beginning lifters or people wanting a few tips and pointers.
awesome, thanks
I've been back in the gym for about 3 months. It's been like 4yrs since I last trained. And honestly I've been having so many aches and pains because of bad form which I carried through when I started again. These videos help so much. It's so hard to correct bad habits and form, but its especially harder when you dont know what you're doing wrong exactly.
Thanks for always helping the community out with your channel mate. You're not only helping prevent injuries but also educating us on how and why we get the injuries. Hope you continue to pump out the great videos.
FJB
Thanks
Beans⁸
Can you do a video on how to work up to doing an unassisted pull ups? Thanks!
Rabbiting on about your grip everyone’s grip is different!! Shut up and get on with telling us the mistakes instead of rabbiting on about your preferences x
skip to 8:04 thats all you need 👌
Is that why my bone sticks up on just one of my shoulders 😞 didn't even realise
Thank you when I bench the bar always hit the re rack
I'm like 70kg and my pr is 220lbs with bad form and I don't train, can I become the elite benchlifter?
Thanks! Great tips or lesson! 👏🏼❤️😁
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Thank you.
I was always going to high up on my chest and noticed I would always get joint pain on my shoulder especially when I was closer to 200 lbs BP.
I naturally started what I felt was cheating by actually going lower on my sternum but it felt more natural to lower and push the bar halfway or lower down my sternum.
And the pain started going away. I always thought my arms needed to be high on my chest. Boy, was I wrong.
Thanks for helping save peoples shoulders.
Jeff: it's 135lbs it's simple
Me: hell no that's my weigh xd
Can you give me some tips on using the soloflex, I have the bench press bar attachment so use strictly free weights for my pressing exercises instead of the resistant bands. I’m a father of six and don’t have a lifting partner so I got this and have seen some really good gains but I want to make sure I’m not hurting myself. Thank you
god bless you
Thank you Jeff, ur advice are so precious.. I try my best to follow all these tips in my training and believe me they are very helpful.. just want to say a big thanks to you.. and 1 more thing u look like Fernando Torres..
$
how tall is this guy?
I feel like I never do right bech press. I dont’t feel much pressure on my chest. I usually feel more presssure on my backarm. And it bothering me
A lot.
135 is simple for him and I can't even bench press 60 pounds properly
Your gains are killing your gains😉😉😉😉🤔🤔🤔
This guy is a joke everyone. Don't let him fool you.
I have this pain in my shoulder but after watching this video i will avoid my mistakes to get rid of this pain hopefully. Thanks for this video. Love from Pakistan
Just shared your video with one of my brothers in Nairobi, Kenya. I trust he'll learn a bunch of pointers on how to safely bench-press. Please do a video on how a spotter should hold the bar when the lifter is going heavy and explain how one should incorporate progressive overload in a chest training program. Thanks Jeff.
Many pt are bullshet only aleanx true master of the bar and the weight tech
Great explanation!
Is the chest press safer than the bench press?
My nigga thanks
Guys is 145 bad on the bar? Like should I have a higher press
Jeff is doing god's work
I have the same left bone kinda sticking it out too. Kinda painful
What did you do with that to heal ?
Ima have to watch this like 5 more tines to drill this in my head
Yes someone who knows.It really annoys me when people think they’re strong when they are literally doing everything incorrectly
Dang, this was so i ndetail. Thank you for this! so so good
does all this aplply even if I use dumbbells instead?
I made this mistake today
where the hell are these kind of knowledged trainers
Great video 👍
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17
Why many people start from heavy weight on bench press and then lower the weights on ech set?
This video was educational when it was new and still is at the end of 2021. It’s always good to refresh your foundations
I’m starting to workout almost everyday I’m benching 175 3 reps. Im 19 weigh 155 6’4. I’m working on gaining weight rn so I’m a little out of shape but still get my lifts in.
Just think about what your doing when you workout. When you push someone, you want your elbows as close to your side as possible. Once your extend, it's hard to break the straightness of your arm with your elbows not pointing outward(aimed away from sides). Even when throwing a punch, elbows in. When you bench, it should be the same. ELBOWS IN.
Thank you so much 🙂