Bench Cue: Reach With The Chest

To maximize your bench pressing potential, focus on “reaching” with the chest. A good reach begins during your set-up - arch your upper back and puff your chest out toward the ceiling. A good reach is maintained during the lift - as the bar is coming down, continue to reach to meet the bar at the highest point possible.

Becoming proficient with this cue can accomplish the following…

1. Helps To maintain shoulder position

When benching, we want the shoulders to stay down (the opposite of them shrugging up). Reaching with the chest helps keep the shoulders pinned down, making it less likely they will shrug up out of position.

2. keeps your upper back engaged

At the base of any structure is where the most strength and stability are needed. Your upper back is the base of the weight you are benching. Being deliberate in reaching with your chest forces your upper back to generate more tension. The better you can involve your upper back, the more weight you will be able to bench.

3. stronger bottom position

The bottom point of the bench press (where the bar must pause) can be a challenging part to overcome. To press the bar back up after pausing requires a tremendous amount of strength. A strong reach of the chest makes for a stronger bottom position by offering a bit of assistance in carrying (albeit, a small amount of) the weight during the pause. At the very least, attempting to reach your chest makes it less likely the bar will continue to cave into you during the pause.

4. bar travels a shorter distance

Which sounds more difficult, having to move your maximum weight 10 inches, or only having to move it 8 inches? The less distance the bar has to travel, the better chance you have of making a heavy lift. Reaching the chest allows for a higher touch point of the bar to your body. Failing to reach leaves your chest at a lower height, meaning the bar must travel to a lower point before it can be paused and pressed back up.

creating a better reach

Experimenting with adjustments to your set-up on the bench, grip width, leg drive, and breathing may allow you to reach better. Message me or talk to me at the gym if this is something you would like to apply to your bench technique.