bench press Archives - Page 5 of 12

Technique Tuesday: Scapular Position During Pressing Exercises

Scapular position during pressing exercises is crucial for strength and shoulder health. Should your scaps stay locked in one position? Should they move around? Some of both? The answer depends on what pressing exercise you’re doing. There are some crucial differences between barbell/dumbbell presses and push-ups, landmine presses, etc. This week’s Technique Tuesday explains. …

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6 Ways to Improve Your Bench Press Lockout

Lists, Powerlifting / By tonybonvechio

I used to think the bench press lockout was something raw lifters didn’t need to train. If you lifted raw and you missed at lockout, it was because you messed up something in your setup. Or so I thought. While the geared lifters of the late 90’s and early 2000’s were preaching nothing but triceps to …

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Technique Tuesday: Push Yourself Away from the Bar

Technique Tuesdays / By tonybonvechio

“Push yourself away from the bar” is a common bench press cue that works great in theory, but gets butchered by many lifters. When done improperly, it not only saps you of strength but puts your shoulders in a potentially dangerous position. This week’s Technique Tuesday explains the right and wrong way to implement this …

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Technique Tuesday: What Should You Do Between Sets? (Bench Edition)

Technique Tuesdays / By tonybonvechio

Last week’s Technique Tuesday discussed what you should do between sets of squats, so naturally, this week focuses on the bench press. Remember, your “A2” exercise should do one of three things: Mobilize (in this case, thoracic spine mobility) Activate (lat tension) Excite (explosive pressing movement) Watch the video below to see what exercises I …

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10 Lessons from My First 400 Pound Bench Press

Lists, Powerlifting / By tonybonvechio

Two weeks ago, I completed my first 400 pound bench press. This had been a goal of mine since the second I hit my first 315 press, which was a LONG time ago. The journey from the 3’s to the 4’s has been fun, but not without its share of ups and downs. Every struggle …

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Problem Solving with Paused Reps – Bench Press Edition

Powerlifting / By tonybonvechio

Continuing on the theme of using paused reps to fix weak points, this installment addresses several bench press technique mistakes and how to use paused reps to eliminate them. (If you missed Part 1 of this series which covered paused squats, click here.) More so than the squat and deadlift, pauses are essential for building a …

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Technique Tuesday: 2-for-1 Edition

Technique Tuesdays / By tonybonvechio

I’ve been slacking the past week as I prepare for my wedding this weekend. Since I didn’t share my Technique Tuesday last week, you’ll get a double-dose this week. 2 Bench Press Habits You Need to Break Far too often I see lifters do two highly-detrimental things on the bench press: lift their head off …

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Seminar Update: Optimizing the Big 3 in Santa Cruz, CA

Powerlifting / By tonybonvechio

It’s official: this summer, Greg Robins and I are hitting the road to take our Optimizing the Big 3 powerlifting seminar to Santa Cruz, California. We’ll be taking our squat, bench press and deadlifting wisdom to the West Coast for the first time ever, so check the link below to register today! When: Sunday, June …

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Technique Tuesday: 1 Quick Way to Improve Your Bench Press Elbow Position

Powerlifting, Technique Tuesdays / By tonybonvechio

Overtucking the elbows during the bench press is a huge problem for a lot of lifters. This week’s Technique Tuesday will show you a quick fix for this that helps you “feel” exactly what it means to use the lats to tuck the elbows instead of your wrists. Simply wrapping a band around your wrists …

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Technique Tuesday: How to Spot the Bench Press

Powerlifting, Technique Tuesdays / By tonybonvechio

Continuing off last week’s theme of spotting, this week’s Technique Tuesday shows you how to spot the bench press. Whether you’re just learning the exercise or trying to move big weights, having a training partner who knows what they’re doing with a hand-off and spotting technique can make a huge difference in safety and performance. …

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