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Determining Training Weights
Determining Training Weights
Explode Your Bench by Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
Explode Your Bench by Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
Explode Your Bench by Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Andys Bench Press
3. Bench Press Raw (for Athletes, Bodybuilders and Raw Powerlifters)
4. Benching Equipped (for Powerlifters)
5. Setting-Up
6. Un-Racking The Bar
7. Going Down
8. Coming Up
9. Racking the Bar
10. A Word On Technique
11. Mind-Set
12. About The Authors
Explode Your Bench by Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
1. Introduction
The Bench Press is the most famous and popular weight training
exercise in the world and is, of course, one of the three official
Powerlifts (along with the Squat and the Deadlift).
Such is the prevalence of people performing the Bench Press, at
some time or another every man is likely to have been asked the
question, So, what can ya Bench? Well, one thing is for sure, if you
improve your Bench Press technique your answer to that question
will rise. However, before we get into the technique details that this
book is all about, lets have a look at the Bench Press in more detail.
The Bench Press involves laying on a Bench, un-racking a bar,
lowering it to ones chest and pressing it back to the start position.
This sounds fairly straight forwards. However, the majority of gym
goers manage to make a real mess of this and we see all kinds of
mistakes, performed in gyms all over the world.
The downside to these mistakes are many, with some of the most
common being a massively increased injury risk, a loss of power and
people thinking they are much stronger on the lift then they really
are.
Talking of strength, what kind of numbers are the best strength
athletes in the world putting up in competition on the Bench Press?
Well, the average man weighs around 12.5 to 13 stone or around
180 pounds. The all-time Bench Press record in the 181 pound class
is 750 pounds (340kg) by Jason Fry. This was done with the aid of a
Bench Shirt (supportive equipment that helps competitors in
Powerlifting meets lift more weight) and boggles the mind.
Three men have benched over 1000lbs (455kg) in competition. The
all-time record, regardless of weight class is 1075lbs (488kg) by Ryan
Kennelly in the 308 pound (140kg) weight class. This kind of strength
Explode Your Bench by Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman 2011, All Rights Reserved
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Andy would like to give thanks to Bill Crawford of Metal Militia for
taking his understanding of technique and programming to another
level and allowing him to make such rapid progress in recent months.
We hope to pass some of this new found knowledge (as well as that
collected through 20 years of hard training) onto you in this book
and hopefully you will then use it to help you reach your goals faster,
regardless of whether or not you are aiming for your first
bodyweight bench press or your first 500lbs bench press.
Outside of Powerlifting the Bench Press is held in high regard by
many athletes and associations to do with many different sports.
Perhaps the most famous use of the Bench Press in professional
sports (outside of Powerlifting) is seen in American Football.
At the NFL combine all athletes hopeful of landing a multi-million
dollar contracts with a top team are asked to perform many physical
tasks to prove their worthiness. The main test of Upper body
strength and conditioning is the Bench press. In this test, athletes are
asked to perform as many reps as possible with 225lbs (100kg). It is
not un-common to see the best guys do in excess of 40 reps with this
weight!
So the Bench Press is known and practised throughout the world; by
Powerlifters, professional athletes and weekend gym warriors alike.
But what muscles does the Bench Press use?
If the Bench Press is performed with good technique, as we will
explain and demonstrate in this book, then the lift is truly a total
body lift. Most people, especially those using the lift for aesthetic
purposes, may think that the Bench Press is just a chest exercise. This
is misguided and this illogical thinking can lead to poor technique
and a high injury risk.
Explode Your Bench by Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman 2011, All Rights Reserved
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A well performed Bench Press uses the pecs, anterior (front) delts
and triceps as the prime movers. However, the entire back and legs
are also important if you wish to maximise your Bench Press
numbers.
This may require a change in thinking for some of you reading this
and the technique we describe in this book may challenge your
beliefs. So, our challenge to you is to read with an open mind,
practise what you learn here and watch your Bench Press strength
and your physique improve dramatically.
Explode Your Bench by Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
Explode Your Bench by Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
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lifters can usually touch as low as they like and this means you will
often see athletes touching the belly, as opposed to the lower chest.
This is not advisable raw and is not allowed in federations like the
IPF.
Bench Pressing Equipped takes time to learn and experimentation
with different sizes and styles of shirt to find one that works for you.
If you want to compete equipped then study your federations rule
book to make sure you buy a shirt that conforms to the rules. Other
than that the next best advice we can give is not to start off with a
shirt that is stronger than you or too tight for you as both these
things will lead to problems.
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5. Setting up
The set-up is the most important part of the Bench Press. If you get
this right you are paving the way for correct execution of the
movement. However, if you have a poor set up you are likely to
struggle the whole way through the movement and you will be
making compensations all the time. This will increase the risk of
injury and almost definitely result in a loss of power. Two things you
definitely do not want!
The issue of setting up correctly is often overlooked, both by novice
trainees and more advanced athletes alike. Yet, if you pay attention
to your set up, it can be one of the fastest ways to help eliminate any
pains you have and make your Bench Press numbers go up.
An excellent training program for an intermediate athlete could see
him or her add 2% to their Bench Press for 3 months on the trot.
However, technical improvements can see much greater increases in
the same time frame. So pay attention to your set up.
Setting up correctly is not just the most important part of the Bench
Press. It is the most important part of nearly all technical sporting
movements.
Tiger Woods does not place his feet in just any old position before
attempting to drive the Golf ball 300 yards. And Roger Federer does
not stand in just any old spot before attempting to serve an ace past
his opponent. In all sports, setting up a big key to success. So pay
attention to this chapter very carefully.
A good set up on the Bench Press involves being stable and tight.
There will be three points of contact between you and the bench and
you and the floor. These points of contact are your upper back (on
the bench), your Glutes (on the Bench) and your feet (on the floor).
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- Head Position
Your head should be placed so that when the bar is in the rack; your
eyes are directly under the bar or just behind it.
If your head is too far back on the bench then two potential
problems can arise. Firstly, your head will be off the bench and not
supported. This is a terrible position as an injury to the neck could
arise.
Secondly, when you un-rack the bar it will be too close to the stands.
This means that during the performance of the Bench Press you are
likely to hit the rack. If you do this on the way down or the way up
you will fail the movement in a Powerlifting meet. And if you do this
is training you will lose a whole lot of power.
So position the head correctly.
- Upper Back Position
The upper back must be as tight as possible when performing your
Bench Presses. In order to assume this position, you must force your
shoulders back and down and your chest out. Before un-racking the
bar you should feel uncomfortable tightness in your upper back.
Anything less and you are not trying hard enough.
To understand the level of tightness we are talking about, try this
simple drill with a Jump Stretch Band. Take a mini band or light band
and stand tall with the band in your hands at the same width as you
bench at and in line with your lower chest. Now pull the band apart
by spreading your hands out to your sides and forcing your shoulders
back and down. The tightness you now feel in your upper back is
exactly what you want to re-create when you set up for your Bench
Press.
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The reason for getting the upper back tight and forcing the chest out
is twofold. Firstly, it creates a very stable position from which to
press. And secondly, it makes your range of motion as short as
possible. (The shorter the Range of Motion, the more weight you
should be able to lift).
Certain individuals may have problems assuming this position. Likely
candidates are those with poor posture (think Neanderthal man). If
this applies to you then try foam rolling your upper back and pecs
and doing some upper body mobility drills prior to Benching. After
your training sessions, perform some static stretching for your pecs,
delts, lats and triceps. For Mobility Drills we highly recommend any
of the Warm up/Mobility DVD programs by Eric Cressey, Mike
Robertson and Bill Hartman.
Over time your posture should improve and your ability to get your
shoulders back and down and your upper back tight will get better.
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- Grip
If you are Benching Raw you want to grip the bar so that when the
bar is on your chest your forearms are perpendicular to the floor. It
will take some experimenting to find this position and a good starting
point is to try your pinky fingers on the ring.
If you grip the bar too wide you will involve the Pecs too much and
risk injury to them. If you grip the bar too narrow you will involve the
triceps at the expense of the pecs, whilst also increasing the Range of
Motion. So it pays to play around and find the right grip for you.
If you are Benching in a shirt you will want a wider grip. The Shirt will
offer protection to the pecs and thereby allow you to do this and at
the same time you will benefit from a shorter range of motion and
you will be able to touch the bar to your chest easier.
Regardless of whether you are Benching Raw or Equipped, grip with
bar with your thumbs around the bar. Or put differently; do not use a
thumb less grip.
- Abs, Lower Back and Glutes
The Abs must be tight when performing the Bench Press. The Law of
Irradiation basically states that if you tense a muscle as hard as
possible, then the muscles around it will tense as hard as possible as
well.
To prove this to yourself, please perform the following exercise (first
brought to our attention by Pavel Tsatsouline in his book Power to
the People).
Try tensing your biceps with your hands and forearms relaxed. Take
note of how hard your biceps become. Now try the simple test again
and this time squeeze your fists as hard as possible whilst flexing
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your biceps. Note how much harder you are now able to flex your
biceps!
Now lets get back to the abs. The abs are at the centre of the body
so it is extremely important that they remain tight and braced
throughout the execution of your Bench Presses and of course, in
your set up.
Do not suck your abs in. Rather, brace them or push your belly out
against your belt if you are wearing one. To brace the abs, do what
you would do if somebody was going to punch you in the gut. You
will not go far wrong if you follow your instinct on this one.
Your Glutes will be in contact with the Bench (and will remain so
during your entire set of Bench Presses). The Glutes must not be
relaxed, but rather, like the upper back, must be flexed and tight.
If you have issues flexing your Glutes, then an excellent drill to
include in your warm ups, (prior to performing your bench presses),
is the simple Glute Bridge. Do 2 sets of 12 reps before every session
and you will soon learn how to flex those Glutes as hard as possible.
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In order to achieve the best arch you possibly can and thereby make
your range of motion as short as possible you should try to get your
upper back and Glutes as close to one another as possible when
setting up on the Bench Press. Think of forcing your tail bone
towards your shoulders in order to achieve this.
If you are set up as described so far, then you will find that you lower
back is not touching the bench. This is the correct position to be in.
The amount of daylight you can see under your back will depend
on how much of an arch you have managed to achieve.
As with anything in sport, you must practise your set up over and
over again and on every set up perform. Do not take your warm up
sets for granted. Every set is a chance to work on your arch.
Some people have naturally very flexible spines and can achieve a
very good arch straight away. Look to Japanese lifters for examples
of this. Other people have spines that do not really want to arch and
will never achieve a great arch. Either way, as long as your upper
back is tight, the Glutes are tight and the abs braced, then your torso
is in a good position to Bench from.
- Foot Position
There are two ways to place your feet when performing the Bench
Press. You can either have your feet flat or be up on the balls of your
feet. Both methods have pros and cons.
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have found that having the feet out in front of the knees is their
strongest position.
Finding a sweet spot is a matter of trial and error. No matter which
foot position you go for, aim to find a spot where you can drive with
the legs, without your Glutes coming off the Bench during the
execution the Bench Press movement.
The advantage that Benching on the balls of your feet brings is that it
will usually result in an athlete being able to assume a higher arch
during the set up. This reduces the range of motion and could result
in more weight being lifted.
For equipped lifters, this method also allows them to drive their
heels down towards the floor as they are lowering the bar towards
the chest. This has the effect of further raising their belly into the air
(creating a bigger arch) and this helps them to touch, which can be
tough in a very tight bench shirt.
However, some lifters who bench up on the balls of their feet
experience stability issues; especially when they have their feet close
together, nearly touching the bench. This is the main drawback of
this method and can be seen when lifters un-rack near maximal
weights and look like they are rowing a canoe as they try to get
stable before performing their set.
Andy himself had this problem for many years and experimented
with the flat footed version in order to compensate. However;
despite this curing his stability issues, it resulted in less of an arch
and further to press the weight. So, Bill Crawford suggested that he
try going back to the up on the balls of your feet method and this
time having his feet out wide. And guess what, voila; stability
problem solved and high arch achieved. Best of both worlds.
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So foot position can be a tricky thing. Play around and find your ideal
Bench Press stance. Athletes and gym-warriors are probably best
sticking to the flat footed stance for simplicities sake. Competitive
Powerlifters, must, as ever, know the rules of the federation that
they compete in and then find their strongest stance, whilst
conforming to the rules.
- Putting it all together: finding the perfect set up
There are many different ways to ensure that you achieve a good set
up that encompasses the points above. In order to ensure that you
get a good set up every time, Andy will describe a method based on
how he assumes his set up for the Bench Press.
Once you have a routine that works, use it on every set of every
Bench Press you do. This way your set up will get better and better
and more consistent every time you practise it.
- Lay on the Bench with your eyes under the bar and an
underhand grip on the bar
- Using the bar for leverage, lift your upper back off the bench,
squeeze your shoulders back and down and force your chest
out and then place your upper back on the bench and maintain
the tightness you have created during this phase of the set up
- Assume your Bench Press grip
- Force your Glutes towards your upper back in order to create
the best arch you can
- Place your feet where you want them
- You are set up and ready to un-rack the bar
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If your arms are massively bent, then you will perform half a rep just
to get the bar out of the rack. This will waste energy, compromise
your set-up and increase injury risk. And if the j-hooks are set too
high and you have to stretch to reach the bar in the rack then you
will again compromise your set-up and it will be very difficult and
unsafe when you come to un-rack the bar.
If you are training with a partner, here is how you and your partner
should work to un-rack your Bench Presses:
-
Your partner should know what you say before you un-rack the
bar
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matter that you keep it the same and you training partner knows
exactly when to un-rack the bar.
Lets say you choose to say 3,2,1 and then your training partner
will un-rack the bar immediately after you say 1. As soon as you
say 1 you must then take that deep breath into your belly. This
creates further tightness as your training partner lifts the bar out to
you.
In order to maintain your set-up position, your training partner
should aim to lift the bar so that it just clears the j-hooks. If your
partner lifts the bar way higher than the j-hooks you will lose some
of the upper back tightness and arch you created in your set-up. This
will increase your range of motion and make the set harder.
Your training partner should take most of the weight between
starting to un-rack the bar and getting it into the start position over
your sternum. This movement is quite a few inches and it will take
some practise for you to trust your training partner to do this
efficiently for you. It is especially important on your heavier sets
(even more so if you are wearing a Bench shirt).
This is because lifting the weight out of the rack yourself, without a
partner, and then getting it into position is extremely harsh on the
shoulders. Over time this can take its toll and lead to shoulder
injuries. So the message is, dont Bench without a good training
partner who can lift the bar off safely for you. The pros are
outweighed by the cons, especially if you are an athlete and are
simply using the Bench Press to improve your upper body strength
for another sport.
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A great drill for re-creating the feeling you should get during the unracking phase of your Bench Presses is the Straight Arm Pull Down.
To perform this movement:
- Stand in front of a high pulley station with a straight bar
attached
- Take two paces back, with the bar in your hands at around your
Bench Press grip width
- Assume an athletic stance (slight knee bend, lower back
arched, push the Glutes back, lean the torso over until you are
at around a 60 degree angle)
- Force your shoulders back and down, your chest out and get
that upper back tightness
- Start with the bar at eye level
- Keeping your chest out and shoulders back and down; lower
the bar to your legs
- Return to the start position and repeat for reps
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- The idea is to keep your chest out and feel the lats pull the bar
from the start position to your legs and then back again
- Moderate weight rules on this drill. If you allow your ego to get
in the way you will not get the correct feeling
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7. Going Down
Now that you have un-racked the bar and have it positioned in the
start position, (directly over your sternum); you are ready to begin
lowering the bar down to your chest.
To begin with, do not be in a rush to start lowering the bar. Instead,
hold the bar for a second once it is in the start position, prior to
beginning the descent. This will force you to stabilise the bar and is a
good technique to develop grip strength for the Bench Press.
With your breath still held, squeeze the bar as hard as possible and
start to lower it down. Feel like you are breaking the bar apart. To
break the bar apart your left hand will feel like it is twisting counterclockwise and your right hand will feel like it is twisting clockwise.
This squeezing of the bar should take place throughout the descent.
Aim to keep the forearms perpendicular to the floor and touch the
bar on your sternum/lower chest level. There is much talk of tucking
the elbows. We have found that this is an un-natural command for
many Raw lifters and causes them to tuck too much. Instead, if you
just think of touching the bar to your sternum, you will find that you
probably do just that and your elbows will naturally tuck to do this.
With Bench Shirts things can change a bit because some shirts are
designed for a lot of tucking and a touching point at the upper belly
instead of the lower chest. We cannot go through different
techniques for every shirt because it all depends on whos wearing it
and where your federation allows you to touch.
Regardless, in a shirt you must still think of breaking the bar apart on
the descent and keeping the forearms perpendicular to the floor.
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If you go into any commercial gym today you will see a lot of guys
benching in a style that involves touching the bar to the upper
chest/throat area. This is probably because they are trying to isolate
their pecs more.
Never use this style and if you already do, please change to the one
described by us in this book. Touching to the upper chest will
severely chew up your shoulders and will almost definitely lead to
shoulder injuries at some point. And when you are injured you cant
train so your pecs wont be getting any stimulation then!
Also, imagine if you drop the bar and you have been lowering the bar
to the throat area! Which do you prefer: a broken jaw? No front
teeth? Or a crushed windpipe? Because they are all on the cards
with this style of Bench (especially if your spotter decides his phone
is more interesting than you).
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- When you pause; stay tight. Do not let yourself lose tightness
when the bar is stationary on your chest
- Pausing may help to develop starting strength
- Dont be afraid to use both styles. Pause for a few weeks in
training and then do a few weeks of touch and go pressing
- Remember, if you do the same things you always did, youll get
the same things you always got
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8. Coming Up
The ascent of the Bench Press is the phase where you drive the bar
from your chest and back to the start position.
To perform this phase as efficiently as possibly requires a lot of leg
drive. This is where the Bench Press really becomes a total body
movement.
Your Pecs, Delts and Triceps are small muscles in comparison to
those of your lower body; such as the Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads and
Calves. If you learn to utilise a good leg drive on the Bench then your
numbers will go up very quickly (especially if your legs are used to
being passive on the Bench Press).
As soon as you begin to drive the bar off your chest you must drive
with the legs. If your feet are flat, with your heels more or less
directly under your knees then think of driving the heels into the
floor as hard as you can. Simultaneously keep forcing you knees out,
keeping your Glutes tight and carry on driving the bar up in a straight
line towards the start position.
If your feet are flat but you are using the feet forwards position,
(where your heels are in front of your knees); try to drive your feet
forwards in your shoes. Imagine you are trying to force your big toe
to touch the end of your shoe. Try this at the gym and you will soon
get the feeling. At the same time keep forcing the knees out, keep
the Glutes tight and drive the bar in a straight line back towards the
start position.
If you are Benching up on the balls of your feet then you will need to
drive through the balls of your feet in order to utilise your leg drive.
With this style, you still want to force the knees out and keep the
Glutes tight; but the bar path will probably be slightly backwards
towards your chin. This is a subtle difference with this style of
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11. Mind-set
A bullet proof mind-set can be the difference between a PR and a
disappointment, or a World Record and 5 spotters having to pull the
bar off your chest. With that in mind, lets look at how Andy
approaches his Bench Press from a mental point of view.
1. Get in the zone before you get to the gym. You can do this be
listening to some empowering music in the car on the way to the
gym.
2. Visualise your top set before you do it. The human mind cannot
tell the difference between something strongly imagined and
something you have actually done. So if you visualise lifts in your
mind, with enough intensity and clarity, prior to doing them, you
should find the performance of the lift much easier when you come
to do it.
3. Never think of failure. This one is obvious but it is easy to let your
mind play games on you if you are not careful. Do not think of
missing your top set or a PB in competition. This is just weak. As soon
as any negative thought like this comes to mind you must change
your focus immediately to something empowering: like smoking the
lift!
4. Never let a weight intimidate you. Think of others who have done
what you are about to attempt and this way you will see that it is
entirely possible
5. Commit to the lift. Once the bar is in your hands you must be
aggressive and attack the weight once it touches your chest
6. Believe in yourself. A Bench Press is a solo physical endeavour and
you and only you can break gym PBs and meet PBs. Nobody else
can do it for you.
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Explode Your Bench by Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman 2011, All Rights Reserved
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