5 Ways To INCREASE Your Bench Press

Discover 5 unique ways to increase the amount you bench press. If you find that you're weak with dumbbell chest exercises or barbell bench press then this video will help you learn what to do to lift more weight. You'll not only get a stronger bench, but you'll also build more muscle, and explode your max in all your upper body pushing movements.


Timestamps:
1. Compensatory Acceleration Training (CAT) 0:45
2. Plyometrics 3:03
3. Start Dead Bench Pressing 5:59
4: Technique 8:08
5. Include Auxillary Workouts 9:24

When I first started Bench Pressing I was one of the weakest guys at the gym. I remember actually being embarrassed to bench in front of other people at my high school. And I would go to a separate gym after school to work on it privately. Since then I’ve really improved my bench and I did it naturally, just by using a couple simple methods that I’m about to share with you today. I know how frustrating it can be to feel weak with this exercise, so I want to go over 5 specific things that you can start doing right away to improve your bench press. And you don’t just have to take my word for it because these 5 strategies that I’m about to show you have been tried and tested by the best benchers in the business. As long as you use them consistently you’ll be amazed at how quickly your benching power will skyrocket. So lets get started with our first method - something known as compensatory acceleration training or CAT. This involves using explosive force to power out of the bottom portion of the bench. To start you want to select a heavy enough weight that will barely allow you to squeeze out 8 reps. When bringing the bar down towards your chest you want to imagine that the bar explodes as it touches your chest, powering back up to the starting position. By exploding as hard as possible on the positive or lifting portion of the rep, you’ll be able to use the improved leverage and momentum as the weight drives up to push through the traditional sticking point, which is just before lockout. One study found that sticking points on the bench press usually happen once you’re 90 percent through the lift. Another study found that sticking points happen because of a lack of transitional phases and not producing enough force to overcome the weight. The researchers in this study concluded that focusing on explosive power off the chest and carrying that power all the way through to lockout is vital to improving your bench. They also found that having better control on the eccentric part of the lift will help with getting the weight back up as well. So, the goal should be to lower the weight to your chest in a slow and controlled way and then explode up as fast as you can. If you aim to get enough speed after coming off your chest, you’ll be able to overcome the sticking points. Another study focused on muscle activity during the upward movement portion of the bench press. Researchers broke the upward phase of the bench into three parts – Phase 1 was the pre-sticking point, Phase 2 which was the sticking point, and Phase 3 was when the barbell sped up again after moving past the sticking point. On average The sticking point was reached somewhere between 1/5th and 1/3rd of a second...

Research:

One study found that sticking points on the bench press usually happen once you are 90 percent through the lift
[1] The Sticking Point in the Bench Press, the Squat, and the Deadlift: Similarities and Differences, and Their Significance for Research and Practice

The researchers concluded that focusing on explosive power off the chest and carrying that power all the way through to lockout was vital to improving your bench. They also found that having better control on the eccentric part of the lift will help to get the weight back up
[2] Effect of Different Pushing Speeds on Bench Press

The researchers found that the deltoids and pectorals increased activation after the sticking point, while the biceps decreased activity. The sticking point was reached between .2 and .35 of a second after the bar came off the chest

[3] The Sticking Period in a Maximum Bench Press (Journal Sports Sciences 2010)
All athletes experienced a considerably greater one rep max after performing the plyometric exercises than when building up with sub maximal lifts. The average increase was 4% higher when doing plyometrics
[4] Acute Explosive-Force Movements Enhance Bench Press Performance in Athletic Men

The study, which was focused on beginner weight trainers, recommended that beginners should perform concentric training in addition to full range movements to get stronger faster.
[5] Effect of Muscle Actions Against Strength Gains

[freakied]

How to increase your bench press (simplified):
1. get fat
2. bench often
Ask me how I know.

[TheAllianceEnt]

When I lift 265, I ABSOLUTELY "imagine that the bar explodes up off my chest"...but it's very clearly exploding down into my chest.

[sthawork]

"The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow"

-Arnold Schwarzenegger

[FLMZ]

Wow I started with 125 lbs now I'm at 725 lbs works great




edit: For those who think im joking, im not. Im being dead serious this video has helped me increase my bench by 2025lbs.

[Isaacac.]

My legs are monstrous compared to my upper body and today I got really fed up of doing bench. This has helped me to understand what areas I can improve on, so let’s see how it goes. Thanks again mate!

[yapaul]

Who else is watching this while laying in bed practicing the form

[GravityTransformation]

Immediately after watching this make sure you send him an email stating that his elbows are flarred out, he doesnt know what hes doing, and that he should have his Mr Olympia titles stripped from him for being so naive. Or you can give me a minute to explain why benching like this is not a SIN. 

First, if you watch the demonstration portions of this video that I made you will notice that there is 0 elbow flare. It is only in the beginning of the video where I selected some footage from one of my own chest workouts, where I was specifically trying to target my chest, that you see elbow flare. And I didn't flare my elbows out accidentally. That's right it was not an accident, it was not a mistake, and Ive been successfully benching like this for over 15 years. Heres why:

While powerlifters will look for the ranges of motion where they have more strength to lift more weight bodybuilders do not. If it was your first time seeing a powerlifter benching you would probably think that their form looks off. Why are they bridging so hard? Cant this hurt their lower back or their neck? Why are they involving their legs in an exercise thats meant to target their chest? These are all fair questions. Unfortunately there is a growing number of peope that believe that benching like a powerlifter is the only way to bench press mostly because these people are just repeating some information that they saw in another video that was repeating information from yet another video. With that said, I have to say that powerlifters are on point with their methods to increase strength especially with the bench press. Thats why all the form demonstrations in this video are done in more of a way designed to get stronger, mimicking many powerlifting principles. But like I said, I did include some clips of myself bench pressing during one of my chest workouts designed to target my chest. There is in fact a reason why many bodybuilders flare their elbows out more than a powerlifter and theres a reason why they dont bridge/ use their legs.

I have a lagging chest, and when you take a wide grip and flare your elbows out it emphasizes the pectorals more. This works similar to the mechanics of a dumbbell chest fly except you can use a lot more weight. Saying something like this makes the "form police's" ears ring. It is blasphemy and breaks the sacred commandments of benching rules for this year (note: these rules may change next year in which case theyll all be parroting eachother again). The truth is bodybuilders only do the bench press to grow their chest. If they bridge like a powerlifter does on bench press they may be able to lift more weight, but they will reduce the amount of load placed on the chest muscles they are trying to target. Taking a wide grip and keeping the arms out brings the pecs into action by calling on them to adduct the arms/shoulder joint more than if the elbows were tucked in close to the body. Many people will tell you that this does not make a difference and that your chest will grow just as much if you keep your arms in. While some lifters can and do have their pecs respond to bench pressing with arms in, for many of us, all the regular bench pressing in the world won’t make a difference to our chests. Im one of those people. In over 15 years Ive seen drastic improvements to my chest and have remained injury free by switching up grip width and the angle of my elbows.

I still vary up my bench press form. Sometimes I do "bridge" more and bring my elbows inward, like what is demonstrated in the demonstrations section in the video. Benching like that helps me increase my strength. By varying it up I'm able to get the best of both worlds. I can build strength and sculpt my chest. I can take a close inward grip and bring my elbows close to my ribs to target my triceps more. In the same way I can take a wider grip and flare the elbows out more to target the chest more. As far as injuries, both power lifters and bodybuilders get shoulder injuries. I've been lucky enough to avoid a shoulder injury for 15 years, but there is no guarantee that you will do the same. Injuries aren't always predictable and you cant just pin it down to a certain form to avoid an injury.

[ReneJaanus]

You just have to do the exercise and push your limits. This is how you improve.
Be prepared, concentrate, use both your upper and lower body, breathe correctly and this is how you do it ;)

[budmank]

I’m 58 years old my best bench so far is 270 after 18 months of working out . I can’t wait to try out these tips to get over a 300 lb bench for the first time in my life . Why am I telling you this ? It’s because I want people to know it’s never to late in life to get in shape .

[thatstuff]

1 tip that got me benching 315 you can’t skip back day it helps a ton

[sean.momentum]

I've always found that treating the bench press as a movement rather than a muscle has always helped. So if you get stuck on your chest - start programming in pause pressing. If you get stick in the mid point start trying some floor press, close grip bench press or even close grip block press. I know it sounds weird; but I got this from a friend who got me into general bodybuilding training into powerlifting and it WORKED (He did also bench 170kg at 90kg so I knew he couldnt be lying?) Now it's something I still do after 5 years of him teaching me this. I hope this just helps one person out there!

[ooMaRcInoo]

watching you bench press with your elbows that wide was painful, however, you presented intersting methods and provided real proof not like some people on youtube that go by the rule " it worked for me it has to work for you"

[iamthesandog]

Max, Thank you for the education; I am going to deploy the methods you discussed. I appreciate you. Take care.

[michaelsaba]

Thank you for all your great videos. Seriously considering the 6 week challenge. Also appreciate your incorporation of studies in your videos.

[jonathanluis]

Videos like this is why I dont stray to far from Athleanx

[moneysoles]

I just spent the whole video in the comment section and now I have to rewatch it

[NBA_LIFE]

When u first started bench pressing u were still bigger than me after going to the gym for 7 months😂😂😂😭😭

[dimaisatree]

I went from 155lbs max to 175lbs in about 3 weeks, got stuck there for like a 2 weeks (couldn’t bench anything over 175lbs and then all of a sudden I was able to bench 190lbs. Now, about 3 weeks later I can bench 195lbs and the last 2 weeks I haven’t been able to bench that 200 which has been my goal ever since I started going to the gym 2 months ago.

[j.yumuraj]

This is a gem in the coal mine of YouTube fitness content. Thank you.

[thebutcher]

Graphics and editing are your best yet