Programming is easier than you might think even though it has a very fancy name. If you want to read a good book about the topic please refer to Mark Rippetoe's book Practical programming for strength training. Alternatively, you can go to Powerlifting to win as there are many concepts of his book as explained in the various articles published on the website. It is also a good starting point for picking your programs.

 

Consistency

 

Consistency is the one simple thing that gets overlooked the most by beginners. If you turn to the strongest men on earth and the ones who are best at strength related sports, they are usually very strong because they have been doing the same things for a very long time. Improving on strength is not a sprint it is a marathon. Mini gains over time add up to excellence. Be patient and consistent and you will be rewarded. It is more important to show up to the gym rather than what you do in the gym.

 

Simplicity

 

Good programs for strength are simple to follow. If the program is good and well thought out you just punch in your numbers into a spreadsheet and you are done. This goes for the Juggernaut method, Stronglifts 5x5, and Jim Wendler 531 calculator. If you have to scratch your head and think when you enter the gym the program is either badly written or you are not ready for it yet. Keep it short and simple with some foundation movements. Take it up a notch once you mastered them by getting someone to look at your form, point out our weaknesses and prescribe the necessary accessory work to fix those.

 

Overload

 

A simple and consistent program will use the concept of overload to get you stronger. The best way I found to understand this concept is Pavel Tsatsoulines grease the groove approach. Translated to compound movements it means that you slap on a nickel (2.5kg plate) each side on your lifts each week or each month depending on how advanced you are. No overload means that you will stagnate and not progress. Any fitness program that has no form of progression built in is pointless in my opinion. You are training to get better, not to kill time.

 

Rep range

 

To optimize for strength you will operate between 1 - 5 repetitions per set. Per session, you will most likely work somewhere between 15 - 30, 40 repetitions maximum. The load will be between 75% - 95% of your training or real one repetition maximum (1RM). I would always recommend the training repetition maximum to prevent injury which is calculated at 90% of your real 1RM. Rest between set ranges from 2 - 10 minutes depending on what you are doing. The closer you get to your training maximum the longer the rest between sets should be.

 

 

The bench press is the easiest lift of the big three to learn but the hardest to master for competition. This is due to the fact that the bench press involves the most commands from the judges in the competition, but at the same time is the easiest to execute in the gym without supervision. Hereby you will find tips on how to execute your bench press even better.

White Knuckle

 

White knuckling helps to activate all of your fast twitching fibers to develop more strength. The concept is simple and can be applied to all lifts in the gym. All you do is to squeeze the bar as hard as you can until your knuckles turn white. This leaves you with 1 to 2 more repetitions per set and more control over the weight during it.

 

Horseshoe

 

While you white knuckle you want to bend the barbell like a horseshoe pulling it into you. To achieve this think about your pinkie fingers trying to touch your nose by bending the barbell. This will make it easier for you to retract your shoulders during the lift and get more activation into your triceps and lats.

 

Retract shoulders

 

You want your shoulder blades on the bench, not your entire back. Think of this like trying to suck the bench in and pinch it between your shoulders to keep it attached to your back, even if you were to get up. This will provide a more stable base to press as much weight as possible. 

 

Elbows in 

 

Position your elbows so that they are close to your body and form a straight line with your wrists and underarm. The 90-degree angle which is sometimes proposed is better suited for bodybuilding purposes at lower load and higher repetition ranges and less applicable to strength training. This way you minimize the injury risk for your rotator cuffs in the shoulder, which is common for powerlifters.

 

Wrists straight

 

To develop maximum power you need to ensure that your arms and shoulders are rigid. This continues by keeping your wrists as straight as possible during the lift. Think about this like you want to hit someone in a boxing fight. Arms and fists should in a straight line to maximize the force projected on impact and not lose anything by instabilities because the wrists pronounced forwards or backward. 

 

Grip

 

There some recommendations out there for the suicide grip in which you do not wrap your thumb around the bar. Whenever I used that grip I was weaker and pressed less while also exposing myself to more risk to drop the weight onto my head, throat or abdomen. Use the closed grip instead in which you wrap your thumb around the barbell.

 

Built an arch

 

Walk your feet as close as possible to your head and built an arch. This will enable you to use leg drive for the bench press. This is what you are doing when your backside comes off the bench to complete the last repetition of a hard set anyway. Take care that your back stays on the bench at all times as otherwise the lift will get qualified in a powerlifting competition. It is also more taxing on your spine when your butt comes off the bench. 

 

Hand positioning

 

optimal hand positioning varies widely between different lifters for the bench press. To generalize the hands are most likely placed about thumbs wide in from the beginning of the knurling of the barbell up until to the outer knurl. The smaller you are the more likely it becomes that your ideal position is with a narrower grip. A wide grip has the advantage that the range of motion for the bench press can be considerably reduced in combination with an arch. This usually translates into the higher amount of weight being moved. For me personally, i prefer my strongest, triceps heavy, hand position and gladly push the few millimeters more. If you are bench pressing with a bench press shirt, it is very likely that you will prefer a wider grip. 

 

Execution

 

The bench press can be performed as a touch and go exercise or as a paused bench press. A touch and go bench press uses more momentum of the bar and is, therefore, less challenging than a paused bench press. You will always press more on a touch and go rather than paused bench press. For the paused bench press the weight is lowered to your chest and being put to rest there so that all momentum is gone. This is the form required in most powerlifting competitions.

 

Programs are pre-written exercise regimen to help you to know what works and not have to think too hard when you walk into the gym. Below are the three I used most successfully to build my bench press and you I linked to the respective reviews I have done of them.

 

Stronglifts 5x5

 

As the name suggests this is a 5x5 template which is popular amongst beginners. 5x5 templates have also been successfully used during the glory 80s of powerlifting and weightlifting in the eastern block. You can read up about the program on the Stronglifts 5x5 website and for a specific overview of how it looks in practice you can refer to my ten-month reviews of the Stronglifts 5x5 program

 

Wendler 531

 

Wendler 531 is an intermediate lifting program which is especially interesting when you are getting bored of doing 5x5s or hit a plateau. Hitting a plateau means that you are still training hard but do not progress and do not know why that exactly is. You will find the outline of Jim Wendler 531 by Jim Wendler himself on the T-Nation blog. You can check out my personal review after 8 months of doing it here on marathon-CrossFit.

 

Smolov Jr

 

Smolov Jr is an intensive one-month program in which you focus on only one lift rather than all three big lifts like in Stronglifts and Wendler. This program is ideal for busting plateaus or when one specific lift is lagging behind the other two. This program enabled me to push my bench press from 140kg to 150kg and I encourage you to read up about it.

 

Safety is a big one in the gym. Injuries throw you back for month or years. Take precautions to avoid that you undo your own hard work by dropping a barbell on your head, tear a triceps or biceps or wreck your spine.

 

Warm up

 

My preferred warm-up for the bench press or kettlebell halos. I do them with a lightweight that I can conveniently control for ten rotations in each direction. Two sets by ten and you are ready to go. Doing this makes it less likely that you will injure your shoulder.

 

Pins

 

Always set the safety pins up in a squat rack. Proper bench pressing is done in a squat rack to protect you from injury. The safety pins should be set up at a height that enables you to exit out of a failed bench press when you get out of your arch. By lowering your back onto the bench you will get below the height of the safety bar. Leave the weight there, push it forward and escape.

 

Spotter

 

Spotters are good when they know what you are doing. Make sure to instruct someone you ask for a spot who does not know you how the spot should be executed. This is even more important one go to the limit. Tell them if you require a lift-off, how long you want to pause the rep and how many repetitions you are aiming for. Make also clear that you only want to be helped on request or when you are clearly pinned under the bar. It is also good advice to pick one of the big guys in the gym to spot you in a nice way when they are available. Once you surpass the 120kg mark on the bench press most average members will not feel comfortable with giving you a spot.

 

Collars

 

Collars always come with a spotter on the bench press. If you are in control of the movement there is little to no need for collars. On maximum attempts, you want to eliminate any slag the plates might have. When you put collars on without having a spotter you deprive yourself of the option to wiggle yourself out of being pinned by getting rid of the plates. If you use collars, make sure to have the safety pins set up correctly or that someone is there to help you when you need it.

 

I am pinned, what do I do

 

First and furthermost it is important to stay calm. The only thing you achieve by a panic is to hit yourself or a bystander with the barbell. Loudly and clearly scream for help. usually, there is always someone kind of to help you out of your misery. If you are alone you either have to let the plates slide off the sleeves as controlled as possible or, if you have collars on, do the roll of shame. The roll of shame is the maneuver to push the barbell of yourself. Painful and not recommended. 

 

These are the tips and trick which helped me to build a 150kg bench press in three years from scratch. Not the most impressive in the world but a record in my local gym for my weight class. Stay consistent, simple and safe. The rest will come. If you have any questions please comment below.