How Important is the Bench Press anyway? I can't say that it will improve your skill in playing your sport. However, improving your upper body strength will make you a stronger athlete. As a coach, the weight room is just a way to improve physical qualities about each athlete. In other words, I have seen many phenomenal lifters that were not very good at their sport. Nevertheless, I am shocked when we provide camps and clinics only to realize that upper class men in HS still do not know how to bench press.

How is that possible? Let's think about how crowded HS weight rooms are and many sport coaches are not fitness trainers. They most of the time do not have fitness certifications but are forced to teach athletes on how to become faster and stronger. It does not make much sense does it. I will detail below how to properly bench press. Please comment if you have some more tips.

1) Head Position- Your eyes should be aligned with the bar and head should be aligned with your spine. It should not be bent.

2) Feet Position  -Your feet should a way for you to create a stable base for you to push from. It should be behind the knees in order to drive the heels into the ground. The tension through the heels will create a spring to help you lift more weight.

3) Arched Back- You do not have to turn into a powerlifter and arch like your back is a bow and arrow. It can be a slight arch, but it will help to reduce the distance between your body and the bar. This will mean you will not have to descend the bar as far which is less work. This will equal being able to handle more weight and you will get bigger.

4) Squeeze Shoulder Blades- Thing of squeezing the shoulder blades as if a tennis ball was stuck in between them and pulling them down. This is a a great shoulder protector as it creates activation of the smaller muscles in the upper back to make your body more stable. Also, it pushes the chest up, which you guessed it shortens the distance between you and the bar.

5) Bar Reception- Many players do not know how to spot properly. It is the coaches job to teach athlete how to spot properly. I don't think I have ever had a coach in HS show me how to spot, but we are upset when someone drops a weight. This technique teaches the bencher to slide the bar forward as the spotter brings the weight to him. He does not bench the bar up and then over his chest. That waste energy that could be used on the weight. It also will also cause the bencher to lose the tightness they created in the upper back as well as their whole body.

6) Breathing- We should take a deep breath through the stomach, hold the air when we receive the weight, and expand it through the diaphragm area to keep your tightness. This tightness will create tension to keep your muscles firing on all cylinders. This means more weight and prevents any energy leaks.


This is all I have to write for today. I have to go shopping with the wife and the right side of my upper back has that small strained feeling. I squatted heavy yesterday for 405x2. Remember, slow progress is still progress. Also, I was happy for my oldest son who did a 315 squat at 125. He is on his way to make a splash a the HS level. Have a great weekend and I will follow up with the rest of the bench tips.

Love, Blessings, & Chamber

Coach Lamour