6. Enhance your bench press

Enhance your bench press (10+ variations)

Here are some exercises you can add to your arsenal in order to have fun and hit the chest and triceps from different angles. I hope you’ll find something out of this small selection, which I’ve personally used and still use after many years. It’s not set in stone, you can always change something, retract one and add another one of your own preference. Enjoy!

1. Floor press

My personal favorite variation. Historically the first one too. Thanks to the great George Hackenschmidt who decided to press the bar above his chest instead of pressing it overhead. Hackenschmidt could press 165kg from the floor around 120 years ago. Wrap your head around this, as I’m doing the same. Before this turns into an article about Hack (working on that as well) I’m going to get back to the benefits of the floor press.

Your bench press lockout demands serious tricep involvement. And there’s nothing better than this ingenious variation. Make sure every step is slow and deliberate. I tend to pause for 1-2 secs before I push the bar back up. It needs to be controlled. I can’t stand seeing people bounce off the floor. DON’T. The better control you apply on a heavy set, the more chances you give yourself to handle a near max weight with the same control.

So I’ll do all my sets with a small pause and slow descent, from an empty bar to my current max at 365lbs. Have your legs straight, I used to have them bent and it makes a huge difference since although you’re laying down, pressing your feet against the floor provides great stability. With your legs out of the equation you’re working your stabilizers in your shoulders as well.

Do it after your main bench work for a basic 3 x 8 with lighter weights ranging from 60-70% of your current max (your floor press max, not your flat bench max). I rotate exercises so I’ll usually start with it and do my heavy work there.

2. Incline bench

Great developer for upper chest but don’t forget, lats and triceps are also involved. I like to rotate it at least a few times per month. I want my chest to be strong from every angle. That’s why I try to have my 1rm incline at around 15% less weight than my flat bench.

The incline is traditionally harder than your flat bench since the bar has to travel significantly more compared to your regular bench. Making that weight travel longer until its time to press it back up.

I do my incline presses with a relatively close grip, a thumb’s length from the smooth. You can go full close grip if you’re able to keep your fists in line with your elbows throughout the sets. If you’re very wide, hold it further out.

And a little tip: when I get ready for strongman contests I will stick mostly to incline. It’s the perfect middle ground, you compliment your overheads nicely with it and you can keep your  bench at a decent level as well. Incline and steep incline are close family to the overheads. 

Last year I didn’t train flat bench for 3 months or so. Mainly overheads and some incline for sets and reps. Early October I benched again and did 140kg plus 4 mini bands which was around 180kg at lockout.

Of course I never stopped training my triceps.

3. Dumbbell presses incline and flat bench

The dumbbells will allow you to sink the weight deeper. The bar will only go as low as your chest. The dumbbell can go lower and that’ll make it harder. Great for shoulder stability. Just make sure that you go lower by letting the weight drag your arm down and not by rotating your shoulders. You want the forearm and elbow to be under that weight.

My setup is the same as my bench. Obviously shoulder blades are retracted and the traps are down. I tuck my elbows in and imitate my regular bench  as much as I can. If you’re having a hard time squeezing the shoulder blades together, try to bring your chest up as you’re laying down.

Ideally, have somebody hand you the dumbbells if you can. I used to do that with my team and my dumbbell presses were so much stronger. I was in position and ready to press. A few months ago I asked somebody to hand me the dumbbell as I was laying with my right hand already loaded. I was keeping balance while he was doing that. He literally let the dumbbell drop in my hand so far out of position I almost hurt myself. And that was with a 53.5kg dumbbell.

And he’s a trainer. Go figure.

4. Decline bench

The decline angle will work upper and lower chest and triceps like crazy. It also provides a shorter range of motion since your body is closer to the bar due to the elevated bench.

We all wish we had that big of an arch. At least us who compete in powerlifting. What I also enjoy about it is that it makes you want to really keep those elbows tucked in. That’s what we want though. We want the triceps to stretch, load and fire.

Takes the stress from the shoulders as well, allowing you to train if you have nagging pain and/or light injury that requires rehabilitation. Don’t break yourself though. Always be reasonable.

5. With chains

Chains will work the stabilizers in your shoulders. They will help with how well you control the bar when you’re using straight only weight. Especially for somebody not accustomed to them, the reaction after they train with chains and then go to straight weight is priceless.

They will allow you to add weight on the bar that you normally wouldn’t be able to do. As more links touch the floor in the bottom position, the weight decreases to almost pure barbell weight.

They’re amazing for conditioning your upper body in regards of getting used to handling heavier loads.

You can use them in the flat, incline, floor press and so forth.

6. With bands (future or lightened method)

Talking about conditioning the body to handle heavier loads, reverse bands will lighten the weight as you descend. And go back to the actual weight loaded as you lock out. Make sure they’re pretty loose before you start descending (in the top position).

Use bands that will take away 20-25% of your barbell weight. So be reasonable. You want to eventually work up to that weight. Not get crushed benching 405 with super thick bands when you’re actually benching 250 raw. Be careful and depending on how smart you train you will hit that number eventually.

Again, you can use them for sets and reps as well. Obviously when you get in the trouble to do all that you’re not gonna do sets of 20 reps. Stick within that 5-10 range when you’re not maxing out with them. And use lighter bands since you’re not using maximal weights.

Personally, I’ve mostly used them on max effort days and heavy sessions with 3-4 rep sets.

7. Against bands (bands pulling down)

This is a tricky one. You have to maintain proper form before you start descending. The barbell wants to go down faster than it normally would. Bands increase velocity.

You have to be very careful. Start with a set of mini bands. Same rules apply with the resistance and straight weight percentages.

I’m usually in the 160kg/350lbs range so I will use 1-2 sets of mini bands depending on what I’m doing for the day.

Use them for max effort, use them for reps. They will force you to press up harder to the point that you’ll feel your triceps fill with blood and at weights you wouldn’t expect. (meaning lighter weights. Again, don’t get too cocky with them).

They’re also great for speed work.

8. Pin press (concentric press)

One of the most difficult variations. Essentially starting from the concentric phase (bottom position) you’ll have to be braced and on point with your form. If you have the bar too high before you press, it’ll come towards your face. If too low, towards your belly. Make sure you’re executing your best form before you start pressing up.

Set the pins at a height where the bar is 2-4″ from your chest. Or more simply…. Your weak spot. Some people fail 6 inches from their chest. I start failing at around 10cm/4″. Essentially the point where my triceps start engaging the lock out. It’s very relevant due to limb length differences and how thick you are.

Difficult indeed, but also one of the most important variations. 

9. With a pause 2-3 inches from the chest

Another movement that works on your sticking points. And an easy one to execute since you can use a regular bench, no power cage, bands, chains, floor or heavy dumbbells.

Bring the bar again to 2-4″ from your chest. Slow down as you descend. As you hit that spot, pause for 1-2 seconds. Do it for repetitions at a non maximal percentage and get super pumped.

By stopping the bar completely before you lock out, you remove the effects of reversal strength. This happens when you bounce the bar off your chest. This is used for speed work where you catch all that momentum and “send” it the other way. Producing maximum power with non maximal weights.

Not here though. You want to be slow and deliberate. You want those triceps to load as much as possible before you fire back up.

Again, use it for max effort and reps. Amazing for hypertrophy. 

10. Board or foam roller press

The board will yet again force the bar to stop higher than your chest. And force the load to primarily stay on the triceps as the rest of your body stays tight.

There are different heights as well. Single, double, triple and so forth. Obviously the thicker board will allow you to use more weight as it shortens the distance between your chest and the lockout. Less range of motion for the triceps as well.

Personally I can’t use the boards since I train alone, so I had to invent a way to do it.

I’ve made more than a few videos about the foam roller press.

I take the pad people use on the bar for squats, put it in the middle of the bar. Then wrap my knee wraps around it to make it tight and prevent it from moving left and right. Then I’ll take my foam roller and use it as a sleeve on top of that. It takes 2 minutes to set up. It works like a charm.

Be careful to place the whole cushion in the center of the bar cause you don’t want to be out of balance.

Honorary mentions and tweaks

*Different grips

Experiment with grip widths. I rotate 3 of them, mid, close and pinky on the finger. You can go as wide as you feel it gives you the biggest number of course. 

*JM Press

Great exercise that demands proper technique during time under tension. Delivers a killer pump and attacks the triceps immensely.

* Fat bar for floor press or bench press

I love those since I train grip and my hands are trashed half the week. The fat bar will allow you to use suicide grip, therefore reducing the distance between the bar and your chest by a a few inches. And you rest your fingers as well.

If you have any finger issues or anything of that nature, it’s very helpful. It also makes suicide grip safer.

* Fat grips bench

Been doing that pretty often as well. (when I’m too bored to break out the fat bar)

What this does is, it gives me that extra inch of material between my hand and the bar. Hence forcing it to actually go lower in order to touch the chest. Longer distance, harder lockout. And it stretches the chest immensely. Try it out with light weights until it becomes easy.

*Close grip

What should have been mentioned no1. I know… It’s just not a “variation” per sé. Last but not least then…

The king of all. The easiest way to increase your bench. And in most people’s case the first.

Reduces shoulder involvement, keeps the load on the triceps hence enhances your lockout.

It should be in your rotation, if not a priority.

Interestingly enough, I first benched 145kg with close grip, before I benched it with a regular grip.

* Decline bench

This one is where you’ll have the least range of motion. This is the angle we try to imitate as much as possible with our flat bench. This angle will allow you to load the most weight as well, in regards of straight weight bench press variations. And it all stays on the triceps, when executed properly. I guess I ended up presenting more than 10 variations after all…

Terry Eleftheriou for Conjugate Iron 2021

https://linktr.ee/terryconjugateiron