As a Powerlifting world record holder, Bobbie Butters knows a thing or two about the bench press. It might look like a simple movement, but to execute it well takes a lot of practice. Whether you’re a complete beginner, or you’re looking for small ways to improve your lift, Bobbie has given us her top tips for performing a bench press.

What is the Bench Press?

The bench press is an upper body movement where you’re pushing a weight away from your chest whilst lying down on a weight bench. A traditional bench press uses a Barbell for load, however Dumbbells and Kettlebells can also be used.

And remember, a Powerlifting bench press differs from a regular bench press. Whereas an everyday lifter might keep their back flat on the bench and practise different variations of the bench press, Powerlifters perform the movement with a barbell and with a noticeable curve in their upper spine. This is to protect the shoulders and minimise the distance between the bar and chest.

How to Bench Press

Lying down on a bench with the barbell above you in the Rack, you lift the weight off the barbell rest, slowly lower it down towards your chest and push the weight back up until your elbows are locked out. This is the basics of the bench press, but if you want to master it, there are three key areas you need to focus on -

• Set up.

• Leg drive and timing.

• Bar path.

In order to perform a good lift, you need to be able to execute all three of these areas well. 

Bench Press Technique

You need to nail your set up when it comes to the bench press. You want to have an easy and repeatable process so that every single repetition looks the same, no matter how many reps you’re doing, whether you're practising or in competition.

When assessing the bench press setup, one way to look at it is a top-down approach. Start by making sure that your feet are grounded with at least the balls of your feet pressed down into the floor. Next up, your glutes should make contact with the bench. To make sure your body is as stable as possible, squeeze your glutes and brace your core during the movement.

Finally, your shoulders should also be making contact with the bench. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your chest to protect your joints during the movement.

Bench Press Leg Drive

Leg drive is a technique used in powerlifting whereby you use the force produced from your legs making contact with the floor to help push the bar up.

Some people use leg drive more, some people use it less depending on how they bench press. Bobbie allows the bar to sink ever so slightly when the bar rests on her chest, and as she starts to press, she drives her feet into the floor. Instead of driving directly downwards into the floor, Bobbie pushes her feet forwards and away, so the force is going into the floor at an angle and helps drive the bar up and off her chest.

The timing of a leg drive is the most important part. You don’t want to start pushing the barbell and then drive your legs because you will lose the force created. Make sure as soon as you start pushing the weight you drive your feet into the floor.

Bench Press Bar Path

This is one of the most important things to get right from the beginning. If you’re new to bench press this might be one of the first things you decide to focus on. The bar path is the direction you push the bar back up from your chest position.

Once you’ve paused at your chest, you need to drive the barbell almost back towards your shoulders in a ‘J-curve’. The reason for this is to ensure the bar is driving towards your shoulder. If you press straight up, you end up with a bar in front of your shoulder.

2023 Powerlifting Rule Changes

There is a new bench press rule. One of the bench press rules is to ensure that your glutes, shoulders and head are in contact with the bench the whole time. You also have to lock your elbows out at the same position they started in. This is known as a good lift.

Now there’s a new rule that’s come into place called ‘bench depth’. Ultimately, it’s looking at whether or not the elbows come in line or below the shoulder. To make sure there’s a certain amount of range of motion in the movement.

These are tips that help Bobbie with her own development of the bench press. Although sound advice, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all going to work for you. Hopefully you can take something from this and develop a technique and form that works best for you.

Written by guest author Eryn Barber.

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Tags: Equipment > Bars and Weight Plates ; Equipment > Benches ; Exercise Type > Strength