How to Unrack a Heavy Bench Press By Yourself

When the bench press gets heavy, it becomes difficult to unrack the barbell if you’re lifting alone. Hopefully, you’ve got your safeties set correctly to protect you from disaster (e.g., a bar landing on your face), but the safeties won’t provide what a good spotter does - a nice, smooth unracking process.

“Heavy” is, of course, relative - your bench press might be 105 lb, 405 lb, or something in between, but the problem remains the same. The barbell starts behind your shoulders, resting in the hooks, and you need to get the bar forward several inches until it is positioned directly above the shoulder joint.

At light weights, covering this horizontal distance is no trouble at all, but at heavy weights, it can pose quite a challenge.

The key is to not simply use your shoulders to move the barbell through that horizontal distance but instead to use the leverage provided by your entire body. With this in mind, take your grip and then follow the steps below.

Be sure to check out the included videos to see this process in action - it helps tremendously.

Step 1 - Elbows out and back slightly (Figure 1)

figure 1

Step 2 - Hips up (Figure 2)

figure 2

Step 3 - Straighten the elbows and unrack the bar (Figure 3)

figure 3

Step 4 - Hips back down to the bench as you bring the barbell into position directly above your shoulder joint (Figure 4)

figure 4

Again, be sure to check out one of the included videos to see this process in action, and as always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

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• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

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Most Weak Lifters Don't Even Realize This is Part of the Bench Press

Learn why your bench press feels weak — and how your legs might be the culprit. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers two factors to address as well as two ways your equipment may be ruining the effective use of your legs.

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

The Most Common Bench Press Mistake You Don’t Even Realize You’re Making

Let’s fix a bench press error that is all too common.

This particular error is relatively easy to fix, but unfortunately, it’s also easy to accidentally commit, and it’s extraordinarily easy to be unaware that you’re committing it in the first place.

Let’s identify the mistake and fix it fast.

The Mistake
The error is that of having a poor focal point or simply having no focal point at all when benching, which makes it difficult to hit a consistent and efficient bar path for each of your reps.

When benching - and really during any barbell lift - you want to stare at an immovable point. A focal point should help you establish balance and consistency, and something that moves does not help you accomplish this.

The Solution
With this in mind, don’t want to watch the bar since the bar is a moving object. Instead, pick a spot directly above you on the ceiling and stare at it at the start of rep, during the descent, during the ascent, and at lockout. 

Before starting the descent, you can see the barbell in your peripheral vision - the bar starts there, and it’s your job to make sure that the bar finishes in that same spot in your periphery every single time.

Keep it simple. Keep it consistent.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

You’re Probably Bench Pressing Wrong, and It’s Ruining Your Lifting

Most lifters are benching wrong in at least three of these ways. Watch all 7 mistakes — and stop wrecking your lifts before your next session. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers explains.

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

99% of Lifters Don't Know These Training Tricks

Most lifters are leaving progress on the table without realizing it. Starting Strength Coach Phil Meggers covers 12 overlooked training tactics, techniques, and tricks that can change the way you approach the bar. Watch this before your next session — your future PRs will thank you.

Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

What His Poor, Sad Bench Press Was Missing

Are you missing out on using your lower body in the bench press?

Sure, the bench press press is an upper body lift in the sense that the prime movers of the lift - the pecs, the triceps, and the delts - are located in the upper body. However, if you’re not using your legs effectively, you’re leaving pounds, well, off the barbell.

Using your legs efficiently provides three benefits when benching, so let’s dive in (and if you’d like to see this in action, watch the video below).

Benefit #1: Stability
The bench itself isn’t very wide and thus doesn’t provide much in the way of stability. You, however, are smart enough to take a roughly squat-width stance, and you also drive your body up the bench ( i.e., toward the direction of your head) by driving your legs into the floor.

As a side note, you drive your legs diagonally downward into the floor. You don’t drive them straight downward as this will cause your hips to come up off the bench, which means the rep doesn’t count. You also don’t drive them straight forward as they’ll simply slide across the floor when you do that. Think diagonally downward.

Benefit #2: Support
The use of your legs supports your arch and ensures that you can maintain this position efficiently and consistently when performing each rep.

Benefit #3: Rigidity
We humans are naturally soft and squishy, and you don’t want to bench from a soft and squishy platform - it makes for lousy force transfer between the things moving the weight - your arms - and the support surface - the bench.

Think of it this way - in the squat, your lifting shoe is the interface between the load and the platform, while in the bench press, your entire body from your shoulders downward acts as this interface - in other words, everything from your torso downward acts as the lifting shoe, so you want everything to be rigid.

Driving with your legs creates a compressive effect, and this helps ensure that your body is as rigid (and thus stable) as possible when benching.

Make sure you use your legs the next time you bench - your future PR will thank you for it.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

---

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?