Use this 5-point bench press setup checklist to get into the perfect position to bench heavy weights:
1. Rack Height
Rack the bar so it rests around two inches below wrist height when you’re lying on the bench with your arms extended in front of you. If you have to reach for the bar, it’s too high; if you have to perform a half-rep to lift it off the hooks, it’s too low.
2. Body Position
Lie on the bench with your eyes directly under the bar. If you lie too close to the top of the bench, you risk hitting the hooks mid-set, which can muddle your form and throw off your balance. Lie too far down the bench, and you’ll have to pull the bar further out of the rack to get it into position, which saps your strength and can hurt your performance.
Grip width varies depending on your build, but most people do best with their hands about 18-to-28 inches apart. A good starting point for guys is to rest your pinky or ring finger on the rings in the barbell’s knurling, then widen or narrow your grip based on how it feels. Women often feel more comfortable gripping 2-to-4 inches inside the rings.
Nestle the bar toward the base of your palms, not near your fingers—this ensures your forearms bones help support the weight.
Wrap your fingers and thumbs around the bar, and grip it as hard as you can. Allow your wrists to bend back slightly, but avoid letting them fold too far, as this can “leak” force and limit your pressing power.
4. Shoulders, Back, and Leg Setup
Plant your feet on the floor, shoulder-width apart and directly under your knees, and engage your quads and glutes. Arch your back by pushing your chest toward the bar while keeping your shoulders and butt on the bench. Then, pull your shoulder blades together and down, like you’re “putting them in your back pockets”:
Unrack the bar by straightening your elbows, then pull the bar over your chest. A useful cue is to imagine bending the bar into an inverted U shape as you move it into position. This engages your lats to stabilize the weight:
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Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you live in the UK, Canada, Puerto Rico, or Guam, your order ships free when it’s over $99.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
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