The bench press is a very technical lift , slight tweaks and changes can make big differences in your performance.
Take a look at the videos below that cover 6 technique cues that played a big part in my 215kg bench press.
I am confident that at the very least, one of these videos will improve your technique. This will increase your strength potential and reduce your risk of injury.
Longevity plays a key factor in the pursuit of strength. So aim to find the technique that is right for YOU.
Not all cues/techniques, resonate with everyone. So keep what is useful and disregard what isn't. However, bear in mind that a technique that could be very effective for you, may not feel great right away. sometimes it will, sometimes it won't.
How long you should stick with the new technique to determine whether it is effective is an entire article in itself , let's not go down that wormhole. I just want to make it clear that it make take many sessions before you 'reap the rewards' so to speak.
A good example of this in my own training was 'retracting the shoulder blades'. Because I spent so much of my early training days laying flat as a pancake on the bench press with absolutely no back tightness, I became efficient in this position.
Eventually when I started venturing into the powerlifting realm it became apparent that retracting your shoulder blades played a big role in a strong, stable bench press. The majority of the top coaches and lifters reiterated this, but I just couldn't get the hang of it.
Fast forward 2-3 months and my bench press started climbing again, whilst feeling less stress on the shoulder joint. The combination of learning new motor patterns and strengthening 'lagging' musculature (particularly mid/upper back and triceps) takes time.
Years later I couldn't imagine NOT retracting the shoulder blades during a bench press.
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