How many people do you see in the gym trying to make an exercise more difficult, believing the more difficult it is, the more effective the exercise will be? All they’re really doing is putting their body in an unnatural position, which limits muscular overload and increases the chances of an injury.

The bench press is a perfect example. You see people crossing their feet in the air, using a thumbless grip, or only lowering the bar halfway to their chest. All of this causes you to handle less weight because you can’t generate maximum power due to your body’s position. Many guys make the big mistake of zapping their strength even before they start their working sets.

Be sure to warm up without tiring the muscles. No matter how strong you are, I still recommend starting with the 45-lb Olympic bar to get the feel of the movement and assess your orthopedic status. A good rule of thumb for warm ups is to reduce the reps for each warm up set by half. For example, start with 12 and then move to six, three, and one or eight, four, and two. Then move on to your working set weight.

Your number of warm-up sets all depends on how much weight you can use during your muscle building work sets. Don’t move up in weight based on using different weight plates like 25, 35, and 45. The same rules apply for increasing your working weight over time. Use the smallest plates available, which are usually 1.5–2.5-lb plates, to ensure steady progress.

When you execute the bench press, you should maintain three contact points—feet on the ground, butt and upper back on the bench, and hands and thumbs wrapped around the bar. Keep these points set while maintaining a natural arch in your lower back. This will put you into a strong and sturdy position, allowing you to achieve maximum power and overload.

It also helps to have a spotter lift the loaded bar off the rack and gently hand it out to you. Reaching back to unrack the bar takes your body out of the strong and tight position you need to be in to press maximum weights. Remember to squeeze your shoulder blades together and stick your chest up. If you don’t have a spotter, try to set the rack so you only have to slide or slightly elevate the bar off the rack.

When bench pressing, think of your body as a coiled spring and explode using the position of your entire body at the bottom of each rep. Remember, the more power you can generate, the more weight you can lift. The more weight you can lift, the more overload you create. The more overload you create, the more muscle you put on! Try these tips the next time you bench. I guarantee that you will bench press more weight the very first day.

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