How to bench:

The bench press is one of the 5 key compound exercises in the gym. It is a great way to build on multiple muscles, as well as giving health benefits from burning calories to improving posture.

It is important that you take the time and get this movement right in order to avoid injury:

Bench Press Instructions: 

Step 1: Firstly you want to spend 5-10 minutes warming up and getting blood in to your shoulders and chest. It is important you do this properly to avoid injury. You can see a few great warmup exercises in this video. It is also a good idea to build up the weight over multiple sets instead of going straight in one your highest weight.

Step 2:  Select the weight you want to lift. If you are going for a PB (personal best), make sure you have a spotter there to ensure you complete the movement safely.

Step 3: Lay down on the bench, Your feet should be flat or pushing down on the palm of your foot. You want to squeeze your shoulder blades together, this will help with positioning, stability and protect your joints. You want to create an arch in your back, this means ensuring your shoulder blades and your glutes are the only parts of your back that are touching the bench.

Step 4: Hand positions, you want to ensure that your hands are atleast shoulder width apart. This will allow the pectorals to stretch, so you get the most out of the lift. You can go wider than this, however not too wide as you will lose range of motion. When bringing the bar down, you want to bring your elbows down at a 45 degree angle, once again this will give you the most out of those pectorals. It will also reduce strain through the shoulders.

Step 5: bring the bar down so it touches your chest. Without bouncing the bar against your chest, drive the weight back up until your arms are fully extended.

Now you know how to bench press you can unlock our exclusive t-shirt range ‘Chest Day, Every Day’ aimed at motivating you to hit your bench press goals.

There are 3 t-shirt levels for men and women and you can unlock these by hitting:

Bronze: 50kg for men and 20kg for women.
Silver: 100kg for men and 50 kg for women.
Gold: 150kg for men and 90kg for women.

To unlock the t-shirts all you need to do is register to our website: gamifiedfitness.store and send us over video of you completing your max flat bench!

You can visit our how it works section for more information.

Be sure to check out our squat range as well ‘Never Skip Leg Day’.

Written by Liam Ashley. Instagram: _lacoaching_