I've been competitively bench pressing for almost 15 years now. I've been around some of the best bench pressers to ever lift a weight. These include George Halbert and Bill Crawford, which have taught me many things to develop my bench press to the fullest. Of all the things I've learned, I compiled a list of the five most useful.
1.) Never push your shirt work past your raw potential.
This is a major mistake made by many lifters today. Too many times I've seen lifters get way too much out of a shirt, and couldn’t lift their way out of a middle school wrestling match. I have a lot of respect for big benchers who figure out shirts, but remember that outside of powerlifting...nobody cares how much you do in a shirt. Being a lifter competitively means that you should be able to out lift others in any condition. I never liked walking into a commercial gym knowing that a weekend warrior could out bench me. That’s why I worked my raw bench up to 620 pounds, with a large shirt bench of over 800.
2.) Never train with improper form or undermine technique.
Technique will not only allow you to hit bigger numbers, but allow you to make progress for many years. This is just as important for raw benching, as it is for benching with a shirt. It's important to make your arms the primary pressers, and build a massive upper back to protect the shoulders and make a long-lasting base. This is true regardless of your goal and no one knows more about technique than Bill Crawford. I've traveled numerous times from Ohio to upstate New York to train and learn from him.
3.) Always try to find someone that can get you better.
I've traveled from Indiana to central Ohio to just train and get advice. I eventually moved to Ohio in 2005 to train. To get better at anything, it takes constant learning and sometimes more than just training. Bill Crawford and George Halbert were the two most influential training help/lifting partners in my career. George taught me the value of being strong at everything I do, and to never forget the value of brute strength. Bill got my bench from 675 to 815 pounds in about one year.
4.) Train around partners that want to get better and coach you.
This is a tough part of getting better and having goals in order. My partners come into the gym ready for war. We don’t talk much about how much we partied last night, or problems with work. We come in to get strong. I;ve had many training partners in my career, and will have many more. Sometimes your progress in anything depends on who you associate with. Never get caught up in trying to be the big fish in the small pond. Try to be the Great White that can destroy anything in the Ocean.
5.) Don’t forget the little things.
It's important with bench pressing to have all of the small muscles prepared, conditioned and flexible. Much of our training after the big stuff is dedicated to conditioning and strengthening the smaller muscles (triceps, rear delts, rotator cuffs, etc). This ensures that we press correctly while maximally straining, and that we do it safely.
I try to follow these examples closely, which has led me to an 815 competition bench as a full powerlifter, and consistent raw strength gains over many years. I've helped many of my colleagues hit huge benches. These include jumps from 640 to 715 pounds by Chuck Fought, Melissa Henry from 260 to 370 pounds...and many others. Hopefully this can give you some insight on new bench gains.
I'm holding a seminar at Gorilla Pit on May 15, in Cleveland. There are only a few seats left where I'll give personal advice to each person and go over their technique to help with progress. Please contact Ty at the Gorilla Pit for more info.