How to Bench 315 Easy

OK, I should clarify the title. Understanding the process of how to bench 315 is easy. Successfully implementing it is another matter. Too many people are content to make excuses rather than improve. This post is for those who want to get bigger and stronger and ultimately bench 315. If you are lifting as a supplement to MMA or boxing or some other sport, or trying to attain a certain very lean look, i.e., deliberately using light weights for a particular purpose, this post isn’t intended for you, though some of the technique tips may be useful.

When I first stumbled upon this sub, one of the things I liked most was the advice to lift. I started lifting in the late 70s. At that time, it was common for football players to lift, and lifting was making its way into the conditioning programs of athletes in other sports. I wanted to get stronger and faster for sports, so I started lifting. I have fairly good genetics and made fast progress. I did my first powerlifting meet at age 16 and continued competing until my early 40s. I still train intensely.

When I competed, I mostly went to hardcore gyms. I was fortunate. Early on, I got technique and training advice from people much older and more accomplished than me. They saw that I had potential and helped me improve. Over the years, I’ve talked training with many top lifters and coaches. At that level, people learn from each other. If you go into a hardcore gym and act like a know it all, you won’t last long.

I started going to commercial gyms more as my competitive days wound down. The contrast was striking. At every one I’ve been to, I see guys with potential but whose progress is stagnant. It’s no surprise because invariably their technique and training routines suck. You know the guys I’m talking about-every Monday (bench night at commercial gyms), they’ll pyramid up to a max bench. They’ll eke it out by bouncing it off their chest and lifting their butts off the bench, and their friends will high five them for it. They'll then finish their workout by doing curls in the squat rack. A year later they’ll be handling the same weight, maybe with even worse technique.

Far be it from me to tell others how to train (without being asked), but if the subject comes up, and I tell them what’s wrong with their technique or training routine, they get all offended. Their egos are bruised. And that’s the number one reason why progress stalls: ego. People can’t accept that someone else works harder or smarter, so they make excuses and cry “steroids.” Don’t be one of those guys. You don’t need steroids to bench 315. Put your ego aside and focus on your mindset, your training routine, and your technique. Fix those things and you’ll be on your way.

Before you go to the gym, you need to visualize every set and every rep you plan to do that day and see yourself doing it, like you are watching yourself in a movie. When you’re at the gym, you should be thinking about nothing else other than the set you are doing at that moment. The gym isn’t for socializing or picking up girls. You are there to do work and improve. Go to a hardcore gym if one is near you. There is no motivation like seeing someone far stronger than you handling weights you can only dream of. When you see someone else doing it, in person, your mind will tell you that you could do that too, that it is indeed possible. Ideally, you’ll find a training partner or group of lifters to train with who will motivate you. If your training partner slaps you in the face and puts an ammonia cap under your nostrils prior to you attempting a max weight, chances are you’ve found a good one.

Finding the right routine can be difficult. Anything works for beginners. But you’re not a beginner anymore. You need to find a program that will help you make gains. What kind of program? That’s hard to say. It depends a lot on the individual. Many disparate routines work for different people. So educate yourself. Read about how top lifters and bodybuilders train. Ignore internet gurus or youtube coaches who have a flashy presentation but have never done anything of note themselves and have never coached anyone of note. Read up on Westside training--Louie Simmons has a wealth of useful articles on training for powerlifting and technique tips. Read about high volume Sheiko training (named after former Russian powerlifting team coach Boris Sheiko). Learn about the kind of progressive overload training that used to be standard for powerlifters.

For most of you, some form of progressive overload routine will work best for the stage of training you’re at now. Basically, you start out with lighter weights and higher reps then, over the weeks, gradually increase the weight and lower the reps. 5-3-1 (which is a variation of Rick Gaugler’s old “mini-cycles” routine) is a good place to start. Check out some of Paul Carter’s articles. He has sound training ideas for intermediate lifters. Many of you haven’t built an adequate foundation for strength by doing enough volume and reps. Get on a routine that works, not some compromise routine designed decades ago for football players that even they don’t use now. And stick with it for the length of the program. Higher volume routines in particular can make you feel like you are going backward. You aren’t. Stick to the routine once you find a good one. If your routine allows some leeway on assistance work, I’ve found that weighted dips, barbell and dumbbell overhead presses, Paul Dicks presses (look it up), close grip inclines, close grip board presses, and barbell and dumbbell tricep extensions are worthwhile. And row, row, row. Find which ones work for you and use them.

Technique depends a lot on individual characteristics, but here are some bench press tips that will work for most people. A grip slightly wider than shoulder width is most common, but experiment. I hit my best numbers with the maximum 32 inch grip (81 cm I think), which is where your index fingers are on the rings. Most people don’t go that wide. Squeeze the bar as tightly as you can. So tight that you can feel extreme pressure in your hands and wrists. I can almost guarantee you aren’t squeezing the bar as tightly as you should. Wrap your wrists if you have to. Your palms should be near vertical throughout the lift–don’t bend your hands back like most people do. When your spotter hands the bar off to you, take a big breath and shrug your shoulders. This will activate your lats. You want to lower the bar with your lats. Tuck your elbows and lower the bar as fast as you can while keeping it under control. If you bounce it off your chest, you’re lowering it too fast. But don’t lower it in slow motion either. Fast and controlled is the key. Touch the bar around your sternum or a little lower. Then explode up. Leg drive is important. Drive your heels into the floor. Get your legs into it as much as you can. As you near the sticking point, flare your elbows out and visualize bending the bar into an upside down “U” while maintaining an extremely tight grip. This will activate your triceps. For most people, the best bar path during the ascent will be at an angle slightly back rather than straight up and down.

Diet is beyond the scope of this post, but few if any of you should be on a cutting diet, unless you aspire to be skinny fat. When your metabolism is equivalent to that of Amy Schumer or Lena Dunham, the solution is to fire it up, not go on a cutting diet. High rep squats, sprints, and high intensity cardio will do wonders in this area. Do those and eat plenty of quality protein, good carbs, and vegetables, keep sweets and booze to a minimum, and you just may find that you don’t need to cut after all.

If your progress is stagnant, continuing what you are doing is a waste of time. Lose your ego and find an approach that works for you. Maybe you won’t bench press 315 right away or next year, but you’ll improve a lot more than you thought possible, and soon you’ll be asking me how to squat 405. Good luck.