Benefits

• Develops upper body strength, chest, shoulders and triceps

• Improves pushing motion, common in contact sports

Description

• Lie on back on bench

• Grip bar slightly wider than shoulder width

• Lower bar until it touches nipple level

• Drive bar up and toward chin until arms are straight

Helpful Hints

• Make sure you exhale while pushing

• For athletes with rotator cuff issues, use a pad to avoid moving the bar down to your chest

• To avoid arching your back, put your feet up on the bench

Common Errors

• Letting your elbows move too far away from your body

• Bouncing the bar off your chest

• Don’t arch your back—it’s terrible for you! Potential risks

• Bouncing the bar off your chest can potentially break the sternum

• Bringing the bar all the way to your chest—especially with heavy weights— can stress your rotator cuff

Key Coaching Points

• When the bar is down toward your chest, it should be at nipple height

• These non-linear, semicircle movements create a power curve

• On the ascension there should be a slight curve to the path of the bar to where it's just between your clavicles and voice box

• Grip bar slightly wider than shoulder width