SET UP
What to look for:
- Feet flat on ground – helps to point toes outward to activate glutes
- Glutes on bench
- Squeeze shoulder blades together and glide body up to get eyes under the bar
- Hands are centered on the bar with neutral wrist position
- Shoulders should not be protracted to reach the bar on the rack position
- Full grip with thumbs wrapped around the bar
Set Up
- Eyes under bar
- 4 points of contact on a surface (feet, butt, shoulder blades, head)
- Neutral curve in low back
- If hyperextension – curve from T-Spine
- Knuckles to the sky
- Bar at wrist (no protraction in SH blades)
It’s go time
- Top position
- Push the feet down to the floor
- Quick deep breath for full body tension
- Eccentric
- Row the bar down
- Bend the bar (to find the lats)
- Hold breath in for tension
- Concentric
- Push your body into the bench
- Forced exhale when it gets hard
Common Errors and Corrections
- Exaggerated curve in lumbar – cue to curve from T-Spine
- T-spine mobilization on bench
- T-spine extension on foam roller
- Pain in low back
- Not enough pressure on shoulder blades
- Retract and slide shoulders up on the bench for stability and to open chest
- Chicken wing arms
- Focus on ‘pulling’ with back instead of the bar to find the lats
- Practice movement without bar on bench to find straight forearms
- 1 of 4 points come off bench
- Push feet and body into the ground/bench
- pain/internal shoulder rotation
- Glide shoulders up on bench
- Feet coming off ground when it gets hard
- Bring heels in closer – quads should be engaged and glutes on fire, cue push the floor down with your feet
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