Our aim in this guide is to teach you not just the proper way to bench, but to help you be more intuitive in the way you treat technique, form, and function.

A lot of the variables found in this document outline the standard of form, but NOT the absolute necessities. The necessities we need to remember are based entirely on the leverages set by your body structure. Identifying that based on the length of your limbs (arms and legs), torso, and mobility of your joints is what will dictate where you should be within the range of setting up for the bench press.

Neutral and set positions of form and technique are based off of a range, not a set standard. And that range will differ based on the individual needs of your body. Our goal here is to help educate you on how to do that precisely. Now before we dive fully into learning how to bench press, we need to become more familiar with the movement and how our analysis of the technique is meant to be used.

When comparing the bench press to the other two of the big 3 (squat and deadlift), we believe here at Primitive Movement that it’s a more complicated movement to teach.

This is because many believe there isn’t much to it. You lay down on the bench, unrack the bar, and either go to town smashing the bar onto your chest incessantly, or half rep until you can’t. If anyone else hasn’t told you, I am here to tell you that you’re quite a bit off. That’s WAY off actually.

That is the exact reason why it’s so tough to teach. The relearning aspects concerning the lift.

With this mindset, it can be hard to switch back to an empty barbell and realize that we have to respect this as much as any lift. And that is why we move with purpose and NOT for completion. Overall, the goal with our bench press analysis here is geared towards strength, and a great base to build from if you are considering building more strength or prepping for a powerlifting meet.

The reason we say “build from” is as mentioned earlier; the meat and potatoes are to become intuitive in the needs for the leverages of YOUR body.

So even though we are going into a deep breakdown in this How To Bench Press tutorial, we invite you to be mindful and open in the overall needs for your body type.

And with that being said, there definitely is some work in what should be done before an athlete is put under the barbell to assure the highest level of success with minimal risk.

We need to be sure we limit injuries in the gym and build a foundation that will allow us to continue to lift and resistance train for decades to come. Be sure to look out for future content detailing exactly what should be done in the timeframe leading up to using a BB to bench press; and also look out for details on a proper warm up routine including mobility and activation work for specific movements such as the bench press and many more. So without further ado, let’s get into it!

As you sit on the bench to position yourself, keep your feet close together and slide them back close to the bench pad.

This will help you build tension in the quadriceps (knee extensors) which create drive and force into your back and ultimately the barbell (BB).

Think of your foot position as a way to squeeze the bench pad with your thighs.
As you then lay on the bench push your hips into the air (off the bench). You can then readjust your feet if needed so you create optimal drive with your legs.

You can see in the back arch video clip that we are also using the barbell to create stability as we learn to push and extend with our quads.

This will ensure that your arm length is appropriate as we get into the next step ofsetting our lats as well as allow enough room for a proper bar path (up and back) throughout the movement.

We’ll get more specific on the proper bar path in step 5.

Grab onto the barbell with a grip slightly wider than elbow width. This will give you a proper position at the bottom, ideally having your fist directly over your elbow as the barbell taps the sternum (just about or below nipple level, again depending on the anatomy and leverages of your body).

The sternum is the midpoint of the body and the bottom end of where your ribs connect.

As you grab the bar make sure your knuckles are facing towards the sky and squeeze with the entire hand. This includes squeezing with the pinky side of the hand as much as the thumb side.

We recommend starting to wrap your hand onto the bar with your pinky side first as demonstrated in the “Grip” video grip.

As you work the eccentric portion of the lift (negative or muscle lengthening as the pecs and triceps are stretching) think of it as a pull into your lats and drop the elbows in about 75 degrees (unless otherwise stated based off leverages; refer to the protip in step 3 if needed) to assure you have adequate drive from your triceps on the concentric (up or contracting) phase of the movement.

As you are pushing up be sure to use your feet and legs to drive into the ground and squeeze the bench with your thighs so you continue to transfer force throughout the entire movement. In short; take a deep breath in through your nose and fill your belly, pull the barbell into your sternum and keep your elbows slightly tucked, and push up and back to your shoulders. This will create a slanted bar path with efficient drive from the two strong positions of the hand stacked on top of the shoulder and the hand stacked on top of the elbow.

Be sure to use these tips and keep this at the forefront of your training and fitness routine always. They will only propel you to be a better lifter and overall athlete in the long term.