How To Be A Good Bench Press Spotter

Having a good spotter is very important. For one if you have a reliable spotter who motivates you, your bench press journey on Critical Bench will be that much more successful. The thing about training partners is that it's always hard to find someone who is as dedicated to training as you are. However, when you do find a training partner who is as dedicated, reliable and understands the "art" of spotting, then every time you step onto the bench you will feel more confident, energized and you will have one less thing to worry about. Remember, if you change your circumstances in the gym, then you will have better and more productive workouts every-time you step foot into the gym. So get together with your spotter or alone as we all have to spot at some point! In this article I will provide you with new insight about how to spot and coach the bencher effectively.

Tip #1 - The timing of the handoff

When you are lying on the bench, you always want to communicate with your spotter. For example if you are lying on the bench, have your spotter count to 3 and after your spotter counts to 3, he will then un-rack the weight and hand it off to you. I find the 3 count to be important because if you aren't prepared to take the weight, you will either get hurt or you won't have your technique down right when it's time to attempt the heavy lift! Not only do I find the 3 count beneficial for safety but I also find the 3 count as an opportunity to get prepared for the lift. Once the spotter counts to 3, you can then begin to squeeze the bar extra hard, get tight, and take the weight! Once the "1, 2, 3" command starts, you will be ready to go, it's crunch time now, baby!

2) The magic touch when un-racking the weight

The spotter needs to help balance, and control the weight as he helps the bencher un-rack the weight. For example, if the spotter gives the bencher an un-even hand off and un-racks the weight with too much force, then that can throw the benchers groove completely off. This can be hazardous to the bencher's performance. The last thing that the bencher needs is to get the "press" command, when he doesn't have the weight in proper groove.

So in conclusion, some lifters spot with too much force when un-racking the weight, some lift one side more so than the other and some don't assist enough off the rack. These bad spotting techniques put the bencher at risk of missing the weight and potential injury. I think in order to master the art of "hand offs" the spotter and bencher will need to practice handoffs (taking the weight off the rack) with lighter weights.

3) Practice hand offs with lighter/medium weights

A bencher and spotter should both step under a lighter weigh, ex: 135, 185, or 225. As the spotter hands the weight to the bencher, the bencher should say "Yes, good sport", or "Do this differently". So the bottom line is practice hand offs with the lighter weights so you can be confident with the heavier weights. Practice makes improvements.

4) The Spotter's role during the lift

A good spotter should always say something positive to the bencher before the bencher steps under the weight. For example the spotter could yell "Light weight", "Bench Fast" ,"Fill your belly with air, belly filled with air", "Elbows in, elbows in, bench lower" flair out your lats, I said flair out your freakin lats", "stay tight", "arch higher", "yeah you got it, keep showing me that animal desire"! The thing is, if a spotter motivates the lifter before and during the lift, it's going to bring out the lifters "higher self", into play instead of their "regular selves", allowing the bencher to be more intense and aggressive on the bench when they are benching. The bench press is all about technique and mechanics, if the spotter can remind the bencher and yell positive cues, this will help the bencher propel the weights to lockout.

5) The Spotter's role after the lift

At the end of the lift, the spotter should give the bencher feed back. The spotter can yell "You're a strong animal, however, next time control the weight, bring it down slower, squeeze your quads into the bench and use your legs more. When you're benching 500lbs everything needs to be perfect, so make 315 perfect too". So the spotter should also give the bencher little detailed tips to improve their technique for the next time that the bencher attempts to bench again, this way the bencher continues to grow. If you are training a day with drop sets, tri sets, or speed benches, the spotter should say "Let's go, don't rest, keep moving", If the bencher is doing a heavy day, the spotter can say, "put your sweat shirt on, relax, keep warm and practice mental imagery for your next attempt". Also the spotter should always be educating themselves like on a speed bench day the spotter can say "It's more effective to do 8 sets of 2 reps then 8 sets of 3 reps, as training has evolved, that's right speed benches are 8 sets of 2 now". Finally, the spotter could give the bencher little pointers like "put your index finger on the ring to bench wide, so you don't have to bring the bar down as far, and this will help you widen your back. You know, wider backs, means bigger bench". On the other hand if the bencher is doing a burn out set after 2-3 heavy bench sets, the spotter can say "Pause on every rep and use a narrow grip, this will improve your competition max"! All of these details of attitude and communication between the spotter and bencher should take the benchers benching ability to new heights. So, the bottom line is that your spotter should be like your "coach", instead of just a person just existing to keep you safe.

6) A little spot can add higher intensity, resulting in better gains

Sometimes a little spot and assistance is healthy for the lifter. If the spotter keeps his hands on the bar during the lift, this can actually increase the intensity of the lift and help the bencher get stronger. For example, let's say a bencher can only do 315x3 on their own, but with the assistance of a spotter they might get 6 reps. This could actually help the bencher train harder and this could be effective if it's done every once in awhile and not during every single workout.

7) Dangers of assisted reps for the spotter

On the other hand if a bencher can only bench 315x1 and the spotter assist the bencher so he does 315x15, or 365x8, then that isn't useful for the bencher or the spotter. The bencher is actually putting the spotter in a great deal of danger because during every single rep, the spotter has to perform an awkward rowing motion to help the bencher get the weight up. The spotter is doing most of the work and he could fall onto the bencher while the bencher is benching. This puts both the spotter and the bencher at great risk of injury.


8) Mental dangers of assisted reps

If the bencher is always doing force reps, then it's a great way to get weak fast and ruin your journey of strength. For example if a bencher struggles benching 240 once and then if they throw 300 on and have a spotter do the weight with them, the bencher might believe that they are doing the weight. This will automatically give the bencher a false sense of strength and the bencher won't learn to control the weight on his own. Most of all, the bencher will have doubt and never want the spotter to let go of the weight because the bencher knows that he isn't as strong as his self proclaimed benching ability. The thing is, if a bencher has a 200lbs bench max and they are being assisted with 250lbs, and the bencher wants to get to 300lbs, then they are 100lbs away from their goals instead of 50lbs. Forced reps are one of the biggest mistakes that rookies and young benchers make and they are a habit that is very hard to break. Early on in the benchers training careers, they should do their reps on their own and get assistance when they can't go anymore. If you are stuck in a rut and you can only train with force reps, then I suggest you get a home gym and train where people can't see you. This way you can get stronger and trust me you will see a 50lbs increase in your bench press fast.

Finally, remember being happy with yourself is the key to being a good bencher. For example, some guys can bench 350 but they think that 350 isn't a strong bench because they desire 500lbs in their minds and feel that is where they should be. So they refuse seeing the best benchers in the world and getting help. On the other hand there are guys that only bench 250lbs as a max and they will say "I'm okay with myself, it's okay that I only bench 250", since the second guy thinks that it's okay that he benches 250lbs he has an open mind, he will learn from the best, do the lifts on his own and obviously improve.

Remember, there are many 700+ benchers out there and they aren't the brightest and they have awful technique, and that is why they bench in the 700s instead of the 900s. They have so much hubris (excessive pride) that they aren't willing to look at their bad habits. The guys who are comfortable with themselves even if they bench 225 will eventually be the strong and happier benchers in the end because they can train right without letting the concept of "never being good enough" ruin them.

9) How to spot an ego lifter

If a bencher comes into the gym and loads the bar and says spot me, give them a tiny bit of assistance. A tiny bit means, gently guide the weight up as the bencher is trying to move the weight from off their chest to lockout. For example let's say a bencher loads the bar to 275lbs and this is their one rep max but for whatever reason they want to feel secure and want your hands on the bar. So, spot them in slow motion for the first rep. Then if they want to attempt another rep, spot them again in slow motion so that the lift takes 5-6 seconds for them to perform. Trust me they are going to want to rack it and not do three painful reps with 275. The purpose for a "gentle guide" instead of "force reps" is that if you forced their reps the lifter will do 10 reps and he will keep going heavier. If he goes too heavy then the lifter is putting him self at danger. Some lifters will in fact step under weights 100lbs over their max, if they get a good spot.

I know that there are lifters like Jimmy the Bull who benches over 1000lbs with 3 spotters assisting him but that is a different type of training and if you want to gain mass that way, then make sure that you get many spotters for safety. I also understand that there are plenty of men whether they are training with boards, bands, shirts, or even without any equipment at all, who always load the bench press bar past 500,600, and 700lbs. If you are one of these men then having reliable spotters is important because you can't mess up. So if you are ever in need make sure that you have 3 strong spotters with 3 extra buddies along the side because you can't mess up with 700lbs, or you will get hurt. This is the world of bench press extreme.

10) Get the right spotter

Remember, everyone is different and everyone has different goals. The best advice is to find what works for you, as nobody knows what you truly want as much as you do. Some benchers want a spotter that cranks up the volume, yells in their face and others want silence and concentration. As there are others in the grey, who want some intensity but they want to focus at the same time. So follow some of these tips of course but remember some lifters want more assistance and others are against forced reps completely. So, find the spotter and training partner that works for you! I believe by finding a spotter that is always trying to find "what could be better", a spotter that sees huge weights as being "attainable", and who is always believing that you can make consistent progress is the way to go. Get a spotter who thinks that benching 500lbs is not a big deal because the stronger your mind is the easier it will be to bench 500lbs! So get a good partner today and let the attitude of training and gaining begin!
Critical Bench

Train Your Weak Link for a Big Bench

"I was curious on your opinion about over head presses. I read in Powerlifting USA that many big benchers feel that overhead work such as dumbbell presses can cause strain on the shoulder joints and rotator cuffs. Many top benchers completely avoid this type of training. What do you think?"

Thanks, Mike Westerdal

"I do not agree that overhead presses weaken the shoulders. I think this misperception comes from many big benchers failing to develop the rotator cuff adequately. I think weak shoulders result from failing to develop the rotator cuff, the four small muscles that secure the head of the humerus to the glenoid fossa of the scapula.

The result of pressing heavy overhead is a tear in the rotator cuff in the weakness position, which is the subscapularis muscle. As you know many heavy benchers fixate on the bench and muscular imbalances develop in the rotator cuff of the shoulder. The weakest position of the shoulder is when you overhead press, because it has only a single muscle, the subscapularis, to hold the head of the humerus in place.

Heavy weight in an undertrained muscle will tear it in it's weakest position. If you don't train the rotator cuff, it will tear, no if, and, or buts. That is why the device the "shoulder horn" is supposed to work. It isolates the rotator cuff and by selectively building this group you can improve your bench. You are only as strong as your weakest link and as you know every big bencher has problems with the rotator cuff. To ignore the overhead work totally, is to set up imbalances in the rotator cuff that will come back to haunt you.

I have never used a shoulder horn, but it is supposed to strengthen the rotator cuff. Too many people feel they have to go big all the time...the rotator cuff are four small muscles that secure the head of the humerus to the glenoid fossa of the scapula. If the rotator cuff is built up slowly, it only stands to reason that your bench will improve because you are training your weak link.

Train the weak link and you will prevent injury, and improve your lift overall. If you are interested let me know and I will get together with some physical medicine docs and give you a program to isolate and strength the rotator cuff. Again I am not a sports medicine doc, or an orthopedist, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I am a pediatrician for 18 years with the last 5 of those being into weight training."
Critical Bench

Simplifying the Bench Press

One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to get their bench max up is training with lots of sets and reps! Strength gains come very easy, and so do personal records, as long as you keep the reps down and weight up while attacking your weak points on the bench press. I remember when I was younger; I thought I knew everything about Big Benching. Many people including myself have discovered that doing lots of reps and sets and eating clean will help you attain size and definition which will impress some women, (they all have their own style) but you won't get strong. You will only be able to dream of what it would be like to move a big weight.

I can't speak for everyone, but I didn't really like having a barrel chest, big triceps and having a weak bench press. That's when I decided to do some research on the Internet, which convinced me to perform sets of 3 reps fast with a weight half that of my max. I thought my bench would go up like magic because I was getting some speed strength (I was wrong). How can you get strong just repping 135 or doing 135 for 8 sets of 3 reps fast? If you do that, you won't have the tendon strength or any power at all to move a big weight. I think that many articles on the Internet confuse beginners because they talk about hundreds of different kinds of training styles and methods and equipment such as chains, bands, board presses, floor presses, power racks, force reps etc. I think they are interesting because you have a personal record in each bench press area. They are very good training techniques to use accordingly to target your weak points, but people must remember that Tra! ining Hard is what gets you strong.

It's not specifically what you do but rather how much intensity you put into it! (Form is still very important.) You can train using any program you want but if you stay in a comfort zone, you won't get strong no matter what program you are using. Benching big weights is mostly in your head. The mind is way stronger than the body. Your mind decides how hard you train and this mental factor is one of the BIGGEST determinants of how far you can go. You can't fear a weight. You need to crush it and have the mind ready to go to the next level, and than to the next, and than to the next. Each time you progress you will get to a scarier and scarier level...Some guys can rack lockout around 900 lbs, so trust me you can you can amaze yourself. You will understand it when you keep going heavier and realize that you're still progressing. It feels great to see progress.

If it's easy then why do it at all? You'll never know how far you can go until you try! So for those of you who have been training with lots of reps and sets, you will need to lower the reps, up the weight, up the food and get Attitude to reach the next level. To get strong, you need lower reps for tendon strength and you will consistently get stronger. Getting stronger is NOT simple. YOU NEED TO KEEP OVERLOADING YOUR MUSCLES, STRENGTHENING YOUR TENDONS AND ATTACKING YOUR WEAK POINTS...The bottom line is...Get that magic #10-12 reps and lots of sets out of your head. Reach within yourself and find the confidence and attitude you need to accomplish anything. Push yourself beyond the limits and work harder than everyone else. Eat mass quantities of healthy food. When you do these things consistently, the strength gains will come very easily. You will get super strong, plain and simple.
Critical Bench

22 Steps To A Bigger Bench Press

1. TIME-

Time is very important when it comes to getting stronger. Every year when people work hard at benching, they will see big increases in the weights they move yearly, monthly, and even weekly. If many of you look back at how strong you were 10 years ago, 5 years ago, 2 years ago, last year or even 2 months ago, you will see big changes in the weights you are benching. Some maxes go up faster than others, but all of them go up in time with hard work. These gains will also keep going up in the future. Lots of little gains equal huge #s over time. You can really become extremely strong over time.

2. SACRIFICE-

If you want an amazing bench, you won't be able to stay out late and have fun every night because getting enough sleep is very important. You will need to eat large portions of healthy foods frequently and take supps by the clock, which takes lots of work and becomes expensive. You will have to fight through pain in the gym to keep going to the next level and live in some kind of pain from the wear and tear on the body from very heavy workouts. Most importantly, you will have to be in the gym working hard when you wish you could be out doing other things. To be truly great at anything you need to make it a lifestyle.

3. SHIRTS-

Lets face the facts, if you want to go as far as you can go in the bench press and bench the biggest weights possible, you will have to start learning how to use bench press shirts. The biggest weights ever benched were benched with the shirts. The strongest man at around 230 can bench more with a shirt than the strongest man over 300 can RAW. The biggest raw benches today are a little over 700, and the biggest shirt benches are around 800. Lots of benchers' maxes go up tremendously over 150 and 200lbs when they use shirts. Lots of them think using the shirts makes benching more hardcore because you can hit scarier weights. Other people don't like bench press shirts because it isn't the same as benching RAW. Besides, RAW benching is the way people around the world bench. There are all different kinds of shirts and some people get more out of them than others and different shirts work differently for different people.

4.GAINING WEIGHT-

When getting stronger, gaining weight is very important. You will see that when you get heavier you will be able to lift more. However, some lifters don't want to look fat. If that is the case, eat lots of healthy foods while avoiding excessive fats, sugars, and simple carbs. If you don't care about aesthetics, and just want to get heavier to lift more, eat everything you want while getting enough protein.

5. STERIODS-

Steroids and drugs will help you lift bigger weights, however they can have terrible effects on your mood and on your health.

6. GUTS-

Having guts is very important in bench pressing and in life. If you don't have guts you are gonna miss out on many great moments in life. You won't be strong. You will only be an admirer-wannabe who lives life in a comfort zone. It takes guts to work your weak link. For example, if you have a strong flat bench and a weak incline bench, you will need to train heavy reps under 5 on the incline. Even though it will hurt your ego, you will be stronger both mentally and physically. Anything in life that is worth something takes resistance. You need guts to fight it. It takes guts to work as hard as you can. THE BOTTOM LINE IS... You need guts to fail. When you work hard, you will sometimes fail. Youn need to experience failure to get stronger.

7. GENETICS-

Well we know that people were born in different shapes and sizes and have different metabolisms. These are the facts; people who have shorter arms with a bigger chest and bigger bones will always have an advantage over someone with longer limbs and a smaller bone structure. An Endo will usually have an advantage over an Ecto, if the Endo decides to be a big powerlifter and not just some guy trying to lose pounds and look more like an ecto. Don't let genetics be your excuse. Anyone can be strong and make progress. You need to keep confusing your genetics and forcing your genetics to keep adding weights to the bar.

8. FORM-

Lots of lifters have increased their benching tremendouslyo ver night from changing bodybuilding form to using leg drive, widening their grip, and changing the groove of the lift with form. By just changing your form, you can see fast gains in a day!

9. REST-

Rest is important in big lifting and to prevent over training. Don't super set your heavy workouts. Try to rest 5 minutes between sets. Make every set great quality instead of doing lots of sets and going through the motions. Every set should have some meaning and purpose, or it is worthless. The bottom line is, you need to do every set well.

10. MAKE WHAT'S WEAK STRONG-

This might hurt your ego, but you will need to hurt it to get stronger. If you only do what you're good at, you are likely to plateau because your weak points will prevent you from moving onto the next level.

11. MUSCLE CONFUSION-

You need to keep changing your routine to keep confusing your muscles. This will cause them to get stronger instead of adapting to a routine, which will cause a plateau.

12. BACK WORK-

Having a strong back is very important in benching heavy weights, and very important in life itself. Make sure you work your back.

13. EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT-

We are all much the same because we are all humans, but we all have our own experiences, our own perceptions and our own bodies that adapt differently to different training styles. So use exercises, supplements and routines accordingly to what works best for you. You can find this out from trial and error. What works for 4 months though, won't work forever, so you have to keep overloading your muscles, strengthening your tendons and working on your weak points. If you take two of the strongest men who ever lived, they didn't get there by doing the same exact routine. If your weak point is the lower half of the bench, start doing more serious back work and full range work, if it is strictly the top, get your triceps stronger and lockout stronger. Just know your body because you can only have your own, and you can't be anyone else.

14. WORKOUT PARTNERS-

If you want a really big bench, try to surround yourself with people who have gotten one themselves. There is nothing quite like one-on-one attention. If you're surrounded with people who motivate you to get better, then you will want to work harder and get better. This will make your strength journey a more enjoyable one. You will be pushed to working levels you never experienced before.

15. TRAIN SMART-

Training smart will make you last. It is important to work hard but if you're over training, then you won't make gains and you will just burn out. Remember, don't bench anymore than two days a week. Also, use good form to prevent injury and when injured rest. If you don't, you are just going to make things worse. Fighting through an injury isn't going to help you.

16. SQUATS-

Dont neglect squats and only bench. Squatting heavy will help increase your bench by releasing more growth hormone.

17. ATTITUDE-

When you enter the gym, make sure you have attitude. Get motivated to attack huge weights. When you have attitude, you will be much more energized and gom uch farther than someone who just lifts for the sake of lifting.

18. TRAIN WITH HEAVY WEIGHTS AND LOW REPS-

You will never meet a huge weight if all you do is bench 135 or 225 for sets of 10 and never challenge yourself with bigger weights and lower reps. If you want your bench max to increase train with lower reps and bigger weights and as you keep getting your tendons stronger and adding power to your body you will keep meeting bigger and bigger weights all the time.

19. SPECIAL EXERCISES FOR A BIGGER BENCH-

These are some lifts you can do if you get sick of the basic bodybuilding workouts. They will help you increase your bench, but choose these exercises based on your weak links. You should do something different every workout to keep zapping, shocking and overloading your muscles, forcing them to get stronger. When using exercise selection, choose the ones you need most. For example, if your weak from the start do more incline benches, heavy dumbbells, 3-second pause benches, close grip and more full range of motionand back work. If your weak at top, work on lockouts. If it is your delts, work delts. Just work what needs needs work to keep increasing your max... Remember intensity and quality matters most........ Here are some exercises that some people aren't aware of:

Board benching: Pick a board. They come in different sizes. To get the most out of this exercise, dig the weight into the board, and then press it back up. Go for 3 rep maxes, doubles and singles. Low reps are the way to go if you want maximum strength and aren ot training for an endurance contest.

Triceps: For any kind of tricep extension try 2 sets of 20-40 reps and just torture them into getting stronger. This is an exercise where you can work with high reps. Focus on quality for these. You can do your heavy skulls, but this is something different which will really help your benching.

Close grip bench board benches: Same as close grip but use a board. Great exercise.

Power rack lockouts: This is where you lay under a power rack (the one you squat and shrug inside.) Set the pin to the 8 holes. Or the lockout pin that your rack has. When you do Rack Lockouts, you will be able to use a lot of real scary weight, possibly 250lbs over your raw bench. Some people can lockout insane weights but can't benchanything and vice versa.This gives you confidence to handle big weights and strengthens your tendons and lockout. Other options: you can set the rack from the 7 pins or 6 pin or 5 and strengthen your tendons and weak links from lower pins.

Floor presses: Lay on the floor and arch your lower back while keeping your butt on the floor and bring the weight down until your elbows hit the floor and then drive it back up.

Chains: When you use chains, let's say with 225 lbs. You bring the weight down and press it up. You're benching 225 lbs from the first half of the lift but the chains weigh 45lbs each (90 lbs total) so your locking out 315 at the top. (Also depends on the chains you are using) Chains are very popular to use with strength coaches and athletes on all different kinds of lifts.

Speed Benching: Moving a light weight fast. Popular to do for speed strength on days you're not lifting heavy. This has done wonders for some people but what does wonders for some does nothing for others.

Negative/Forced Reps: This is a way of overloading the muscles where you take a weight over your max and you bring it down slowly! So youre basically trying to prevent the weight from crushing you. Then you will have spotters force the weight up.

Assisted Reps: These can help make you work harder if used properly. When you do these your workout then has a lot to do with your spotter and whether he is helping you or your ego...Beware if they are misused, you won't get stronger because you aren't controlling the weight and you will have a false sense of your strength.

Bands: Bands add resistance to the weight you are using similar to chains. They help you train your lockouts and explosiveness. Try bands for a completely different bench press experience.

20. TRAINING TO GET PRETTY WON'T MAKE YOU THE KING OF THE BENCH PRESS-

If you take two guys with similar genetics... First we have guy A- This guy keeps his diet totally clean, does lots of cardio, and trains hard with reps. Then there is guy B- This guy doesn't do cardio, and he eats everything! When he trains he is always doing the basics not lots of bodybuilder lifts and training with low reps always pushing himself to the limits. I will tell you right now that guy B is gonna be much stronger than guy A even if he doesn't flex as well and look as pretty. Training to get stronger vs training to get prettier is a completely different game. You will need to become a beast and have the attitude of a beast, rather than that of a pretty boy.

21. MIND-

This is the biggest factor of them all. This is where the WANT, The intensity, the routine, the attitude, the sacrifice, the eating, your choices, how far you go and your whole life starts. Just remember, it is your mindset thatd etermines who you are and what you will become.

22. BEING THE STRONGEST-

So this is what it takes to get a bigger bench press.... TIME, CONSISTENCY, SACRIFICE, LOTS OF GOOD FOOD,GUTS, GOOD FORM, PLENTY OF REST, MAKING WHATS WEAK STRONG, MUSCLE CONFUSION, FINDING WHAT WORKS FOR YOU, BACK WORK, HEAVY SQUATS, MUSCLE OVERLOAD, GOOD PARTNERS and TRAINERS, ATTITUDE,HARD WORK,LOW REPS AND HUGE WEIGHTS, INTENSITY, and a MIND OF NO LIMITS. ---These rules will apply to both drug and non drug users, gear users and non, and everyone because to be the next big thing and to be the best you can be, you are going to need these attitudes to get a bigger bench press no matter who you are. Just remember how far you go is in your hands!
Critical Bench

Grip Strength Will Help Your Bench

The strongest man is usually not the biggest, or the most sculpted, but has the strongest tendons. In benching much of the tendon strength has to do with having strong forearms and very powerful fingers. In benching the harder you squeeze the bar then the more lockout power you will have. How do I know? Well, take a weight that is about 20lbs below your bench max and try to bench it without squeezing hard. What has just happened? You probably failed or moved it very slowly. Now squeeze the bar as hard as you can and you probably just blasted the weight.

In fact I believe in grip strength so much that I think that just by squeezing the bar harder on all your exercises will end any doubt you might have. If you squeeze the dumbbells, the barbells every time then that alone will help you bench more as you start training heavier in your quest for strength. I know that for me personally I have locked out quadruple weights and injured hands through squeezing techniques. Let's go over a list of creative exercises to improve your tendon strength to give you that extra edge on your benching power, whether you are bored at someone's house, working construction or watching television. And remember the forearms are a muscle group that are hard to overtrain. So apply some of these techniques into your routine.

The Open Palm Deadlift-

Grab the handle and hold on. This will increase grip strength!

Farmers Walk-

Take 2 dumbbells in each hand and run around the gym or outside with them. This will get your grip stronger.

The Pinch Grip Strength Device-

You can perform upright rows, 1 arm rows and farmer walks with these just by squeezing them. These work a lot like clamps or little balls that you squeeze, but of course you can adjust the tension of how hard you squeeze at your own risk.

Medicine Ball Grip Training-

Another fun (and inexpensive) way to train grip strength is to use partially inflated medicine balls of different weights. Shown here are homemade balls of 8 and 15#. To make your own, buy playground rubber balls and a pair of needlenose pliers (to remove and re-insert plug) and fill with water from the tap. The more fully inflated the ball, the wider (and stronger) the grip needed to hold on. Another option for homemade pinch training devices? heavy books or dictionaries. Start with an abridged version and work up to Webster's Complete.

Squeeze a Towel-

Get a towel wet and start squeezing it.

Do Finger Curls With Plates-

Take a 25lbs plate, wrap your fingers in the holes and do curls with the plates. Another exercise with plate: Take a plate, throw it around your body and grab it with the other hand. Keep going until you fatigue.

One Arm Curls With A Barbell-

Do 1 arm curls with a barbell. A sears barbell preferred if you have one and aren't ready for an Olympic 45lbs dumbbell yet.

Towel Curls-

Take a towel, put it between a plate and curl away. Do hammer curls with them.

Plate Rotation-

Swing the plate forward in front of you so that the plate is at about face level. As the plate is at about eye level and at arm's length in front of you, give the plate a little push forward with the tips of your fingers. This slight push on the edge of the plate as you let go of the plate will cause it to rotate or spin. As the plate rotates, you grasp the other side as it comes around-this is a half turn of the plate.

From here, let the plate swing between your legs and then up to face level again, and once again give the plate a slight push forward as you let go, so that it rotates another half turn; grasp it on the other side as it comes around and let the plate swing down again between your legs. As you get used to this, try to turn the plate a complete 360-degree revolution and catch it, then let it swing between your legs and rotate it again. Remember, the harder you push the plate, the faster it rotates.

Occasionally I catch a 50-pound plate after it has rotated two complete revolutions. Swinging and catching the rotating plate is a great challenge and a great way to develop a powerful explosive grip. As you improve, move to heavier plates to rotate. You can also catch the plate with one hand instead of both hands, or as I mentioned, you can try and spin or rotate the plate more than one revolution. If you have trouble catching the plate, just let it fall to the ground in front and away from your body. Good luck and good plate rotating.

Do Curls With Boards-

Take a thin board and just curl it, this forces you to work your grip.

Hand Grippers-

Handgrippers are designed for building superior hand strength. To do this you must train your hand similar to any other body part and use low reps. You will not develop a super strong grip by doing a lot of repetitions. Like any other bodypart, don't forget to warm-up and stretch your hands.

Keep the reps in the range of 5 to 25. If you are able to do 15 to 25 reps with a particular strength of gripper, it is a good time to move up to the next level of gripper. Even if you aren't able to close the next level you can do partials, forced reps and assisted negatives until you are fully able to close it. The average person has trouble being able to close the HG200 on the first try and many report after a couple of months of training they are easily closing it for reps.

Weight Crawls-

Place both block weights on the ground at about shoulder-width apart. You will also want to use either an outdoor setting or an indoor setting with carpet. Be sure to avoid slick surfaces where you can scratch the floor or slip and turn over the block weights. Once you have the proper setting with the block weights about shoulder width apart, put yourself in a push-up position with your hands on the weights. Position the weights so that they are steady or balanced on the ground. If they are rectangular, be sure to place them so that the longer part of the weight is going north and south. This will help you balance better.

With your body prone in a push-up position, lift the block in your right hand with a pinch- grip and move it forward about a foot or so, while holding and balancing with your left hand on the other block weight. Then move the block in your left hand forward up to the other block using a pinch-grip. Continue to move forward in this manner, pinching and moving the blocks forward. These weight crawls will dramatically test your grip along with your entire body. You can also move backwards and sideways using this movement.

Try to keep your body prone in a push-up position as you move forward with the weights. If you can't keep your back somewhat straight at first, round your back into more of a bear-crawl position until you can eventually keep your back straight. Also, take care to balance properly on the blocks before you move in any direction.

The weight crawl is simply world-class when it comes to building hand and upper body strength. You are using the pulling muscles as you lift and move the block weights, and the pushing muscles as you balance and support your weight on one block with one hand as you move the other block. As you continue to get stronger you can travel greater distances, pinching and moving the blocks forward.

Finger Walking With Boards-

Put a big board in your hand and slowly take each finger and inch by inch climb up to the top of the board. This will do wonders for grip strength.

Brick Challenge-

Grab a bunch of bricks, pile them up, and try to support them so they don't fall.

Sledge Hammer Toss-

Take a sledge hammer, and throw it up as high as you can. This does a great deal for your grip and forearm strength.

Stool Lift With Plate-

Lift a stool, but put a plate on the stool and try to balance it.

Thick Bars-

Get a thick bar and try to grip it. This makes gripping a weight more challenging and will do a lot for your tendon and ligament strength when stepping under the bench press bar.

Using thicker grips on dumbbells can help tremendously. If you need thicker dumbbell grips you can buy them here.

Hold The Weight At Lockout When Benching-

In my opinion this is the most important step at all. When you hold the weight at lockout you are automatically strengthening your ligaments and tendons. This strengthens your attachments for bigger weights.

Rack lockouts-

Obviously you should be able to lockout more than you can bench press for a full repetition so if you lockout more you will have better grip strength. If you support 600lbs in the racks a lot obviously you will be able to support much larger weights than if you were a strong bodybuilder who never overloaded his tendons with partial rep movements.

Train With Low Reps-

When you train with singles, lower reps and heavier weights you are strengthening your attachments.

Super Gripper-

The Ivanko Super Gripper is one of the most efficient forearm strengthening tools known to man. At just over two pounds, the Super Gripper is lightweight, portable and perfect for anyone who is serious about grip strength.

The sturdy die-cast metal frame is extremely durable and the pair of high tensile springs can be easily adjusted to provide over forty resistance levels.
Critical Bench

Top Bodybuilders and Raw Bench Pressing

Many people have been asking me about how a Pro Bodybuilder would do in a RAW bench contest against the strongest power lifters in the world.. Names that come up include Greg Kovaks, Marcus Ruhl and Ronnie Coleman. I can see exactly why this question comes up. We have seen Ronnie Coleman dumbbell benching 200lbs for 10 easy reps and have heard about Ronnie benching 225 for 75 reps, which equals a 731 1 rep max in theory. As we know, theory doesn't always equal truth since we know that doing 225 for a load of reps involves mostly slow twitch fibers and doing 731 for 1 would include fast twitch fibers, and finally we know that slow twitch and fast twitch fibers work in opposite directions.

Then we hear Greg Kovaks at 410lbs incline bench pressing 700+ pounds. Then finally, we have Isaac Nessar, the man with the biggest muscular chest, measuring 74 1/2 inches claiming that he has benched 825. The bottom line is that with all these amazing claims the same question always enters our minds "How would these monster bodybuilders do against the strongest RAW benchers of the world and why aren't these mastodons in bodybuilding not hitting the world records in RAW bench competitions or even competing among even the powerlifters who are almost, but not quite at the top"?

Well, to answer the question, on external levels, many top lifters have constantly seen bodybuilders that can hit 505 for almost and more than 10 reps on the bench press, and then they get smashed by 600 for 1! See, Strength is different than rep power; bodybuilders don't have the Central Nervous System (CNS) training that power lifters have. My 750 bencher friend, Mike Witmer, saw a guy at world gym, that could sling 405 around for 10 easy warm up reps, but he couldn't bench 550! Bodybuilders have a certain make up of muscle that allows them to genetically get huge, and rep big weight, but central nervous system can pop a bigger one rep max! On the other hand, maybe the top RAW benchers in power lifting couldn't rep 405 as many times as the strongest bodybuilders, but again they have a higher 1 rep max.

To quote "George Halbert"...

"About 4-5 years ago I was training close-grip low pin presses overhead against the rack with Arnold Classic winner Mike Francois. The bar was loaded to 315 which I proceeded to do one. Mike struggled to do one then proceeded to blast out about 8 more reps and I swear-every rep he did seemed to get easier and his muscles blew up like a balloon right in front of my eyes. I then loaded the bar to 350 and did one rep and mike tried and failed to do one. Why? My muscles were trained to lift maximal effort lifts and his muscles were trained to grow maximal size. Body builders train for the pump, power lifters train for maximum lifts. Most of my training is singles or speed work neither of which builds much muscle size but both build a great deal of strength".

To quote " Mike Witmer"

"I was in world's gym on Saturday and I had just finished 3 board presses, and was on to some close grip benches. There were some pro bodybuilders in there and he was a guest poser at the gym. He was going to guest pose for a bodybuilding show in FT. Myers. He had just received his pro card, wasn't a big name yet. But he was FREAKIN HUGE! He kept watching me and looking at me. He was training chest and tris. He walked up to me and said, "hey big man, can I do some close grips with ya?" I said sure! We went 225 for 8. Then I hit 315 for 5, he did it for 8. We then did 365, I did 5, he did 8. We then went 405, I hit 3, and he did 5. We then went 455. I did 3 easy reps and he barley did 1 and couldn't get rep number 2 off of his chest! It's the way they train! Bodybuilders don't have the same strength that powerlifters have".

You see, power lifters have to train differently than bodybuilders and all their training is geared towards a 1 rep max. Therefore, according to Lou Simmons, the Soviets, Russians, etc, etc, the main focus of the power lifter is to train the central nervous system, as bodybuilders put their priority on muscle hypertrophy, therefore the bodybuilder won't have the MAXIMUM EFFORT strength for a single that the top power lifter would have. Power lifters also use different techniques in the bench press and they have a purpose to get stronger throughout the range of motion. Power lifters who train the bench are using bands, boards, speed days, maximum effort days, etc. etc and these techniques allow the power lifter to get stronger for a 1 max rep. The power lifter also has more tendon strength (reps 1-3) than the bodybuilder since the bodybuilder is soo focused on hypertrophy and aesthetic appearance. As the bodybuilder might develop amazing slow twitch fibers, hypertrophy and the sarcoplasmic muscle fiber, they really need to train like the top RAW benching power lifters to be one of them, have their explosive power, tendon strength or even compete among them, which would take years for the top bodybuilders to do.

Yes Ronnie Coleman, etc, etc, trains through Diesel, but still he nor Jackson, etc, train to be the strongest of the strong...If they were to, you would discover that their appearance would go down dramatically! It's give to gain, bro, we have to make sacrifices to achieve different goals.... So if you want to see bodybuilders SUCCEED, as far as functional strength is concerned... The question shouldn't be "Who is the strongest for 1 rep", but who is the strongest for 10 reps... And then we would see a lot more bodybuilders doing strength shows. Else, they would be entering the IPF world bench championship, the WORLDS STRONGEST MAN, etc and they would be getting killed in this day.

So maybe this will answer some of your questions about the "TOP BODYBUILDER FANTASY, against the TOP POWERLIFTERS". However, if we changed the competition to reps instead of singles, then what would happen?

Even if the top bodybuilders competed against the top powerlifters in benching as far as strength is concerned in a 6 rep competition, I would still bet on the powerlifters, however, the gap would tighten. Even if Ronnie Coleman can bench 200 for 10 with dumbbells on flat bench, Big Clay, who is 150lbs off the world record with gear, can easily incline bench 210lbs dumbbells and would beat Ronnie. The lighter we increase the weight, the more reps invovled, the better the chances of Ronnie would win would be, but then the more reps and the lighter the weight, the more it becomes about endurance and the less it comes about RAW power. So we might as well have the Anrold Push up champion be the champion!

As amazing as Greg Kovak claims to be in strength, we have to remember that according to Ed Coan and other lifters he does his lifts on smith machines. Therefore, he wouldn't have the stability maximum effort strength to match the strongest powerlifters on free weights, like Kennelly, where technique, balance and stability is vital. Isaac Nessar claims a bench max over 825, RAW, which is way over Henderson's IPF 711 record, the bottom line is that Henderson has a chest that is well larger than Nessar's and he could out bench Isaac by about 175lbs. He just doesn't get credit for having the World's most muscular chest because he carries over 15% body fats which are required to get into Guinness. In fact, heck, if you want to get real technical the men that weigh over 1400lbs, or the heaviest woman at 1600+ pounds has a chest girth of over 100 inches, but that's another story...

Finally, in conclusion, the powerlifters rule the world of power and the bodybuilder's rule the world of size and aesthetics. That's the way it is and the way it will always be. If you want to know the ultimate man as far as bodybuilding and powerlifting is concerned or in other words the ultimate power builder look at Dave Waterman, Ken Lain, etc! After all, the best will be the best in the individual sport according to the time and we have to remember that as time goes on, nutrition, training and everything evolves. Therefore, if we want to now compare eras, the best will just keep getting better! Until then, keep enjoying the moment of champions, let the failures, victors, teach the future and enjoy the passion.
critical bench