Hi Mehdi,

How are you ? Hope you doing well. I'd like thank for your support. I really like your blogs because they keep me motivated. I religiously check your website everyday.

I have just started your SL5x5 program and completed 2 days of worked. Just curious if I can do bench press on the machine. I work out alone and wonder  if can set proper weight on the machine. I have  cybex gym in my house. I want to do bench press on machine due to safety issue. What weight should I set and increase on machine bench press based on your SL5x5 program. I don't know if it going to work out but your suggestion is appreciated.

Thanks
Asif

Bench Pressing on machines is better than doing nothing, but not ideal. I did a lot of Benching inside the smith and on that vertical chest press machine from 1999 to 2004 (the period I trained in a public gym) because that's what all the other guys did and I didn't know better. Bench Pressed with free weights too though, the do-7-exercises-on-chest-day-until-sore-and-pumped idiocy.

The big difference between machines and free weights, is that barbells allow for natural movements. When you Bench Press with free weights, you don't have a perfectly vertical bar path. Yet machines force you into these fixed, unnatural movements. Couple that with heavy weights - crucial because muscle size is directly related to strength gains - and you get shoulder impingement.

So you may not never get stuck with the bar on your chest with machines, but injuring your shoulders you will. On top of that, machines balance the weight for you which is less effective for muscle building, strength gains and fat loss. That's why I don't recommend doing StrongLifts 5x5 on machines.

Dumbbells aren't safe either  - the only way to get them back to the floor if you get stuck with the Dumbbell Bench is by throwing them. The total weight is also always lower than when using Barbells and that means less muscle gains. Heck, Arnold didn't got big with Dumbbells - he Barbell Benched Pressed 440lb.

Anyway, it's been my observation that most guys are afraid of things that never happen. I've been training alone, in home gym, without spotter, for the majority of the past 7 years. Failed reps on the Bench Press countless of times, got stuck under the bar a lot, but never ended up in the hospital. Here's 3 powerful tips I've found useful to Bench Press safely when training alone...

1. Get a Power Rack. Power Racks have safety pins to catch the bar if you get stuck under it. Sell that cybex gym on eBay or craiglist, and invest that money in a Power Rack like mine. If you're one of those cheapskates, build it yourself from scaffold or wood. If you lack space: get Squat Stands and saw horses.

They key is to set the safety pins correctly so you don't hit them on the way down and mess with your bar path. Bench with your back arched (keep your glutes on the Bench) so when you do get stuck, you just have to suck in your stomach for the bar to rest on the pins. Then simply get under the bar.

2. Stay Away From Failure. Just stop the set if you think you won't be able to do another rep. So when you've just done 3 reps on set 4 with StrongLifts 5x5 and feel you won't be able to do Bench the last 2 reps - stop. Give it another go on your 5th set, get as many reps as you can, and stop again when you think you'll fail. Then try to do better the next time you Bench Press.

There's only one problem with this method - there's a difference between what you THINK you can Bench, and what you can ACTUALLY Bench. Safety boosts confidence under the bar - you know you can go all out because nothing can go wrong. But by stopping your sets early without even giving it a try, you'll often find yourself Benching at lower intensities and thus making slower gains. That's why I think it's better to Bench inside a Power Rack and go all out.

3. Do The Roll of Shame. This is what I do with submaximal weights (meaning, when not going for 1RMs). Basically you just roll the bar to your legs and then Deadlift it. Here's a video of a Japanese guy over 50y old showing the Roll of Shame Bench Press technique with 264lb. If he can Bench safely like this...

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you're training in a public gym, just ask one of the gym goers to spot you. Heck, ask the gym manager if you're the only one training at that time because you lift late at night or early in the morning. Nobody is ever going to refuse you a spot, it doesn't exist. Don't be concerned if your Bench Press weights are still light, with StrongLifts 5x5 you're going to surpass the other guys quickly.

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• You will Bench more - a tight upper-back creates a solid base for you to press from. Too many times guys Bench Press with zero stability, all shaky, and lose their arch because they're simply not tight.
• You will Squat more - a tight upper-back creates a solid shelf for the bar to rest on and locks it into position. It won't start moving up & down.
• You will eliminate shoulder pain - your shoulders will no longer roll forward when Benching. The low bar position will feel easier on Squats.

If you're not sure what I mean with squeezing your shoulder-blades together, here's a little trick I use when coaching private clients 1-on-1: I put my fingers between their shoulder-blades and ask them to pinch my hand as hard as they can. This will automatically make them squeeze their shoulder-blades correctly.

So imagine someone puts a pen on your spine between your shoulder-blades, and then squeeze it hard. Meanwhile you lift your chest up. This is the position you want to hold from start to finish on the Bench and Squat, a position you must assume before you even start the lift.

Imagine someone puts a pen between your shoulder-blades and squeeze it.

Shoulder-blades together does not apply to the Deadlift and Overhead Press. You should just keep your chest up and your shoulders back when you pull/press, but not actually squeeze your shoulder-blades together because this wouldn't be effective for strength on these two exercises.

But you should squeeze your shoulder-blades together on the Barbell Row and on Pull-ups. If you don't, you're turning them into an arm exercises, pulling more with your biceps than with your upper-back, which isn't the point. So pinch your shoulder-blades together at the top, when the bar hits your chest.

If you're a desk jockey like me, and have a hunchback, quasimodo-like posture with tight shoulders, you'll have a hard time squeezing your shoulder-blades together for the Squat and the Bench Press. Don't worry - simply do mobility exercises to improve your shoulder flexibility. Couple of recommendations:

• Doorway pec stretches – stretch your pecs
• Shoulder dislocations – improves shoulder flexiblity
• Thoracic Extension on roller – eliminates hunchback posture

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And I'm not talking about doing more sets or more reps, I'm talking about Benching more frequently and more consistently.

Yes you could do tons of assistance exercises or use Bench Press variations, but the best way to truly increase your Bench is to Bench Press more.

Here's why: technique is The key. The Bench Press looks like a no-brainer lift, but its technique mastery is more challenging than Squat's. Why do you think most guys just plain suck at benching and experience shoulder pain?

If your shoulders hurt, keep your elbows in, force your chest up, squeeze your shoulder-blades together.

If you always struggle with the lockout, practice rotating your elbows out when you approach the lockout.

If you're weak off your chest, push yourself away from the bar vs. the bar away from you, and master the leg drive.

The best way to increase your Bench Press is to Bench Press more.

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Reader Shahim asked:

I've been weight lifting for a while and have performed the Bench Press with my feet placed on the leg extension bar of the bench.

I find that this position is a lot more comfortable than keeping my feet on the floor. Is there anything wrong with this position?

Feet Up. You have 2 reasons to Bench Press with your feet on the bench, in the air or on the leg extension bar:

• Lower Back Pain. Your lower back hurts when your feet are flat on the floor. Stop avoiding what hurts, work on spinal flexibility: cat/camels.
• Overload. You want to make the Bench Press harder by removing your legs from the movement.

Feet on The Floor. I recommend to Bench Press with your feet flat on the floor. It has 2 benefits over pressing with your feet up.

• Safer. Feet flat on the floor is more stable. Your body isn't fixed when pressing with your feet up or on the bench.
• Stronger. You can squeeze your glutes & calves more easily when your feet are flat on the floor. This makes you stronger.

How to Put Your Feet. The correct foot placement to achieve more stability & strength on the Bench Press:

• Weight on Heels. Curl your toes up if necessary. Push from the heels. Squeeze your glutes & calves while pressing the bar up.
• Knees over Feet. Makes it easier to drive from your heels. Put your shins perpendicular to the floor.
• Wide Stance. Wide is more stable than narrow. Push your knees out. If it feels uncomfortable, you're overdoing the foot width.

Feet up feels better because you're used to do them like that. Change to feet flat on the floor. You'll get used to it after a few weeks.

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"How much do you bench?". I'm sure you often get that question. The Bench Press is the most performed exercise in the average gym. No wonder many want to increase their Bench Press.

If you're a football player or if you just want to be the strongest at your gym, you need a big Bench Press. Here are 5 ways to increase your Bench Press.

1. Improve your Technique. Solid Bench Press technique will help you lift more weight & avoid injury. Follow these tips:

• Bar Close to Wrists. Grab the bar close to your wrists, not close to your fingers. Read this article on correct Bench Press grip.
• Squeeze the Bar. Squeeze the bar hard so it doesn't move. Try to break the bar apart like breaking spaghetti. This activates your triceps more.
• Tighten Your Upper-back. Pull your shoulder-blades together & keep them tight. This gives your body a solid base to press from.
• Drive Into the Bench. Use your legs to drive yourself into the bench. This puts pressure on your upper-back & traps, building a solid base.
• Push in a Straight Line. Keep the bar above your elbows, don't press it to your face. Fix a point on the ceiling where you want the bar to go.
• Keep Your Elbows Tucked. The only way you can push the bar in a straight line. It also makes using your lats easier.

2. Strengthen Back & Arms. You need a solid base to Bench Press from as well as strong arms to bring the bar down & back up. Strengthen:

• Upper-back & Lats. Barbell Rows work your upper-back and lats hard. They're also the exact opposite movement of the Bench Press.
• Triceps. Lockout the weight. Close Grip bench press, Dips, Floor Press, JM Press, etc will strengthen your triceps.
• Biceps. The brachialis acts as a stabilizer in the Bench Press. Hammer Curls will strengthen this muscle.

3. Lift Fast. Lifting slow will never make you strong. Lift fast. The faster you are, the more weight you can Bench Press. You can add bands and/or chains to train on speed specifically if you want.

4. Eat More. The bigger your muscles, the stronger you are. Eat at least your body-weight in lbs x 18 calories. Get 1g/lbs protein daily from meat, poultry, fish, eggs & whey. Read this article on how to build muscle.

5. Avoid Injuries. Shoulder injuries are common with the Bench Press. If you eat right & train hard, they're the only thing that can prevent you to increase your Bench Press. Some tips:

• Balance. Make sure you train the opposite movement to prevent muscle imbalances. Row as often as you Bench Press.
• Proper Technique. Don't let your shoulders roll forward, don't flare your elbows, don't let your wrists roll backwards, don't use a false grip, etc.
• Posture. Winging shoulder-blades will get you shoulder injuries sooner or later. Overhead Squats, shoulder dislocations, scap push ups, face pulls will help.

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The last 2 weeks I’ve noticed a pain in my wrist following the Bench Press. First time I lifted through it and my wrist hurt for a week. Second time I dropped my last set and it hurt less. Third time I narrowed my Bench Press grip and had no pain.

Do I Bench Press a weight my wrist can take without pain while I strengthen the wrist? Or do I get a wrist brace and keep lifting heavy? I had no wrist pain the last week, but did felt a “warning pain” when I used a wide Bench Press grip last time

Why Your Wrists Hurt. A common error on the Bench Press is gripping the bar high in your hands, close to your fingers. The weight of the bar makes your wrists roll back, stretching them beyond their normal range of motion.

Gripping the bar incorrectly increases the risks of wrists injuries. Your elbows & shoulders are forced to overcompensate, which can also get them injured. Wrists wraps & wrists curls won't help, you need to grip the bar correctly.

Left: bad technique, wrist rolls back. Right: correct technique, wrist inline with forearm.

Correct Bench Press Grip Technique. Your wrists must stay inline with your forearms on the Bench Press. The only way to do this is to put the bar in the palm of your hand, close to your wrist.

Picture below. The bar is close to the fingers on the left. Notice the pink: the fingers can't wrap completely around the bar. The solution is to put the bar close to your wrists like on the right.

Left: bad technique, bar close to fingers. Right: correct technique, bar close to wrists.

How to Grip the Bar Correctly. Your fingers support the bar on the Bench Press. But they don't control the bar. Your thumbs do. This is safer on your wrists & increases power transfer to the bar.

• Setup for the Bench Press
• Put the bar over your palm heels (picture below)
• Rotate your hands out
• Hook your thumbs around the bar
• Wrap your fingers around the bar
• Squeeze the bar hard so it can’t move in your hand

Pain means something is not right: technique, flexibility, posture, ... It’s your responsibility to find out what. Never train through the pain.

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Unfortunately the Bench Press causes most injuries, especially shoulder injuries. This article will teach you how to Bench Press with proper technique so you can bench more weight without injuring yourself.

What's The Bench Press? Lie on an upright support bench or a bench inside a Power Rack. Unrack the weight & lower it to your chest. Press it back up until your arms are locked. You've done a Bench Press.

You have several ways to Bench Press by varying grip, grip width, bench angle, etc. Some Bench Press variations are:

• Close Grip Bench Press. Shoulder width grip. Emphasis triceps.
• Reverse Grip Bench Press. Palms facing you. Also emphasis triceps.
• Incline Bench Press. From an incline bench. Emphasis shoulders.
• Decline Bench Press. From a decline bench. Allows more weight.
• Floor Press. Bench Press while lying on the floor. More triceps.

Benefits of The Bench Press. Why should you Bench Press? Here are two reasons to do the exercise.

• Builds Muscle. Bench Press if you want a big chest, as popularized by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 70s. Front Shoulders & triceps work too.
• Builds Strength. The Bench Press is the strength training exercise that lets you lift the most weight using your upper-body muscles.

Bench Press Safety. Most injuries in the gym happen when doing The Bench Press. One reason is of course because it's the exercise done the most. Other reasons are not using the following tips.

• No Thumbless Grip. Use your thumbs when doing the Bench Press. You don't want the bar to slip out of your hands.
• Start Light. Add weight gradually. You'll get a feeling of what you can & can't handle while learning proper Bench Press technique.
• Ask Someone to Spot. Spotters will help you if you get stuck with the bar on your chest. If you don't have a spotter, read the guide on how to Bench Press safely when you're alone.

Bench Press & Shoulders Pain. Shoulder pain from doing the Bench Press is common. Switching to dumbbells or quiting the Bench Press avoids pain, but doesn't solve your shoulder problem. What you should do:

• Improve Technique. If you don't Bench Press with proper technique you'll injure yourself sooner or later. Read on.
• Fix Posture. You can't Bench Press with proper technique if you have slouching shoulders. Start doing shoulder dislocations. Focus on bringing your chest forward & squeezing your shoulder-blades.
• Avoid Muscle Imbalances. The Bench Press works your front shoulders more than the back ones. If you don't strengthen these by doing the Barbell Row & Overhead Press, you'll get a muscle imbalance. Causing bad posture & thus bad Bench Press technique. Get on StrongLifts 5x5, it's a balanced program.

Correct Bench Grip on the right: bar in hand palm.
Bench Press Setup. You need a strong base to press the weight from. Tighten your upper-back. Grip the bar hard: try to break it apart like breaking spaghetti.

• Grip Width. Too narrow & you'll lose strength. Too wide & the distance the bar travels shortens. Grip width should be about 55-71cm/22-28" depending on your build. Forearms perpendicular to the floor when the bar touches your chest.
• Gripping the Bar. Secure the bar with your thumbs by rotating your hands in. Put the bar in the palm of your hand, close to your wrist. If you put the bar close to your fingers, you'll get wrist pain.
• Tight Upper-back. Squeeze your shoulder-blades before getting on the bench. Keep your shoulder-blades back & down at all times like on the picture below. This gives your body a solid base to press the bar from.
• Chest Up. Don't allow your chest to go flat or shoulders to roll forward. You'll lose upper-back tightness, losing power & increasing risk of shoulder injury. Keep your chest up at all time.
• Feet. Use a wide foot stance to increase stability on the bench. Feet flat on the floor, weight on the heels, lower leg perpendicular to the floor. This prevents extreme arching of your lower back.

Tight upper-back, squeezing the shoulder-blades. Image credit: dehwang.
The Bench Press. Remember to keep the tight position during the Bench Press from start to finish. Squeeze the bar, keep your upper-back tight & your chest up. Unrack the weight with straight arms. Bench.

• Bar to Chest. Touch your chest where your forearms are perpendicular to the floor when looking from the side.
• Press in a Straight Line. Don't look at the bar. Fix a point at the ceiling. Press the bar in a straight line above your chest, not towards your face. Keep the bar above your elbows during the whole lift.

Common Errors. The following Bench Press errors are either inefficient or potentially dangerous. Avoid them at all costs.

• Unracking with Bent Arms. Don't risk the bar falling on your face. Your arms are strongest when your elbows are locked. Unrack & bring the bar above your chest with locked elbows.
• Pressing to Your Face. The shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line. Press in a straight line. Fix a point at the ceiling where you want the bar to go. Don't look at the bar.
• Bending Your Wrists. This will get you wrist pain. Put the bar in the palm of your hand. Close to your wrists, not close to your fingers. Squeeze the bar so it doesn't move.
• Elbows. Too high is bad for your shoulders. Too low is inefficient. Put your elbows between perpendicular to & parallel with your torso.
• Shoulders Forward. Don't let your shoulders roll forward. It's bad posture, bad technique & a guaranteed way to get shoulder injuries. Keep your chest up, shoulder-blades back & down and upper-back tight.
• Glutes off the Bench. This makes the distance the bar travels shorter & thus the Bench Press easier. However it puts pressure on your back, especially when the weight gets heavy. You're more stable when your glutes are on the bench. Keep them there.
• Pushing Your Head into The Bench. You'll injure your neck. Tighten your neck muscles, without pushing your head into the bench.

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He weighs about 72kg (165lbs) & told me his Bench Press was stuck at 60kg (132lbs)

I watched his technique & gave him a few tips. He went home with a 70kg (154lbs) Bench Press max. Here's how.

1. Use Your Thumbs. Forget the thumbless grip. Put your thumbs around the bar. This is:

• Safer: the bar can not roll out of your hands
• More effective: more power can be transferred to the bar

2. Squeeze The Bar. Not only should you use your thumbs, you should also squeeze the bar.

Try to break the bar apart, as if you were breaking spaghetti. This will involve more muscles leading to more weight.

3. Be Fast. One rule for all exercises: lift as fast as you can. All sports are done fast, strength training included. The only reason the gym manager don't want you to lift fast, is so you don't break his equipment.

The faster you go, the bigger the weights you can move:

• Touch & go: explode from the bottom
• Be as fast as you can on the way up

Then try to go even faster on the next set.

4. Keep Your Upper Back Tight. This will make you more stable on the bench:

• Put your shoulderblades back & down
• Bring your chest forward
• Drive against the bench

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