If you’ve been training for a while, you’ve probably seen someone lifting much more weight than you and thought they’re simply stronger.
However, after many years of training and watching hundreds of people evolve, I can tell you that the difference is almost never just about strength.
Most bench press plateaus have a much simpler origin: poor technique.
Foot placement, scapular position, bar path, breathing… These are small details that can make a difference of dozens of kilos in your lift. But I have good news for you: all these aspects can be learned and improved 😉
In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to master bench press technique from scratch, avoid the most common mistakes, and build a solid foundation to keep progressing for years.
If I had to choose a single exercise to measure upper body strength, it would still be the bench press.
Not because it’s the only important one, but because it’s one of the most complete and efficient movements for developing strength and hypertrophy in the torso.
During its execution, the main muscles involved are:
But something else happens that many overlook: a good bench press requires coordination from practically the entire body. The legs generate stability, the back creates a firm base, the core transmits the force, the shoulders stabilize the bar, and the arms perform the push.
That’s why it should be clear to you from the start that it’s not exclusively a chest exercise. It’s a global movement that rewards both technique and strength.
Additionally, improving your bench press usually has a positive carryover to other chest exercises, such as the overhead press, push-ups, or even specific sports movements where upper body power is decisive.
Is your goal to gain muscle, increase strength, or simply become a more complete athlete? Then learning how to bench press correctly should be a priority.
One of the most common mistakes is thinking that to increase your bench press, you just need to train it more often or add weight to the bar every week. And no, it doesn’t work like that.
When technique is poor, the body constantly looks for compensations. Let me give you some clear examples:
All of this causes the muscle to produce less force than it actually could. That’s why, before obsessing over lifting more kilos, it’s worth spending a few weeks perfecting your technique. And I assure you from experience, you’ll progress much faster.
I remind you that if your goal is to increase your bench press without improvising every workout, in the Bilbo Method Plan you’ll find complete programming, progressions designed to keep improving week by week, automatic workout logging, and direct follow-up with me to resolve any technical doubts.
The bench press starts long before you move the bar. In fact, much of the lift is already decided before you even do the first rep.
It all depends on this: a good initial setup. This allows you to transmit all the force to the bar without energy leaks.
A bad position makes every rep harder than it should be, so let’s go step by step explaining each part of the body.
The first mistake I see all the time is people training with poorly placed feet or even moving them during the set. Your feet must remain completely flat on the floor.
It’s not just about placing your soles down, but about generating constant pressure against the floor throughout the entire rep. Think of your legs as part of the lift even though the bar moves with your arms. The more stable that base is, the more solid the entire movement will be.
Another common mistake is lying completely flat on the bench. That’s not the goal. The important thing is to create a slight natural arch that allows you to keep your chest elevated and your shoulders protected.
This arch facilitates better force transmission and reduces the distance the bar has to travel without compromising the safety of the movement. Keep in mind that everyone will have a different arch depending on their mobility. Therefore, there is no universal posture.
If I could only correct one technical aspect for most people, it would be this.
Before unracking the bar, you must pull your shoulder blades together and slightly down. As if you wanted to tuck your shoulders into your back pockets. And that position must be maintained throughout the entire set.
What do you achieve with this?
When the shoulder blades move during the rep, the entire structure loses stability. And when that happens, discomfort or injuries usually appear over time. To see it more clearly, here’s a video where I explain it in detail:
The question I’m asked most regarding bench press technique: “and where should I place my hands?”.
The answer is simple: it depends on your body proportions. There is no perfect width for everyone.
The reference I always give is that, when lowering the bar, your forearms should be practically perpendicular to the floor. If the grip is excessively wide, it increases stress on the shoulder, decreases the range of motion, and can limit strength for some athletes.
However, if it’s too narrow, it increases triceps work, the range of motion becomes longer, and some people even lose stability.
Therefore, the ideal is to find a middle ground adapted to your anatomy.
If you want to dive deeper into the different variations, I also recommend reading our guide on the close-grip bench press, where I explain when it’s worth using this variant and what benefits it offers.
Another very frequent mistake if you want to avoid wrist pain is bending them completely back. Every additional degree means a loss of strength.
The wrist should remain practically aligned with the forearm. The bar should rest on the lower part of the palm, right above the radius and ulna.
This way, all the force travels directly to the bar without generating unnecessary tension. And if discomfort appears during training, it’s best to review your technique before continuing to increase the weight.
Sometimes you see people holding the bar without completely wrapping their thumb around it. This is known as a false grip or suicide grip.
Although some experienced lifters use it in very specific situations, for the vast majority of athletes, it’s not worth taking that risk.
I always recommend wrapping your thumb completely around the bar. Remember: safety should always come before any small mechanical advantage. And to make it much clearer, here’s a video where I explain it plainly:
If I had to point out one technical error I see practically every day in the gym, it would be this.
Most people move the bar completely vertically. Straight down and straight up. It seems logical, but it’s not the most efficient path.
When you observe the best lifters in the world or analyze the movement biomechanically, you discover that the bar doesn’t follow a straight line. It describes a slight curve, known as a “J” path.
The bar should start over the shoulder line, descend in a controlled manner to the lower part of the chest, and ascend slightly backward until it’s over the shoulders again.
Why? Because that path keeps the bar aligned with the joints that generate the force and makes better use of the body’s mechanics.
When you lower it too high, toward the collarbones, you greatly increase stress on the shoulders. And when you lower it too low, near the abdomen, you lose strength and make the path unnecessarily long.
The ideal point is usually between the nipple line and the start of the sternum, although it will depend slightly on the length of your arms and your anatomy.
👉🏻 Mastering technique is important, but real progress requires planning. In the Bilbo Method Plan, you have three complete routines adapted to different goals, automatic workout logging, 1RM calculation, technical videos, and direct contact with me to resolve any doubts during your progress.
After many years of training and correcting athletes, there are mistakes that are constantly repeated.
Not only does it reduce muscle work, but it also increases the risk of injury. The bar should touch the chest with control and go back up thanks to your strength, not the bounce.
When the weight starts to get demanding, many people try to compensate by lifting their hips. Besides being an invalid movement in competition, it usually indicates you’re losing tension during the lift.
Keeping your elbows completely flared puts the shoulder in a very compromised position. Keeping them approximately between 45 and 70 degrees relative to the torso is usually much more efficient and safe.
The shoulder blades must remain stable throughout the entire set. If they shift forward, the shoulder is no longer protected and strength decreases.
This is probably the least discussed mistake. Some people train a different routine every two weeks. It’s impossible to measure progress that way. Improvement comes when you repeat a system long enough to prove it actually works.
As I’ve been explaining, good technique is essential. But technique alone doesn’t guarantee you’ll keep improving year after year.
Progress needs planning, and that’s where the Bilbo Method comes in. Its goal isn’t just to lift more weight. It seeks to do so sustainably, controlling fatigue and allowing each workout to build on the previous one.
Instead of improvising or always training to the limit, the method organizes loads so you can accumulate weeks and months of continuous progress. That means logging every workout, controlling reps, knowing your evolution, and adjusting loads when it’s truly time.
It’s precisely that consistency that allows you to keep increasing performance without hitting plateaus. Remember: there are no shortcuts.
👉🏻 In the Bilbo Method Plan, you’ll find complete planning within the APP, three routines adapted to different goals, progress tracking, technical videos, and direct communication with me to help you keep improving in every workout.
Knowing your 1RM (one-rep max) is one of the best ways to know if you’re truly progressing in the bench press. However, it’s not necessary to attempt a max lift every week.
The most recommended way is to calculate your bench press 1RM from the weight and reps you perform in your workouts, thus avoiding excess fatigue and reducing the risk of injury.
To do this, you can use our Bench Press 1RM Calculator, which estimates your max in just a few seconds. This way you can better adjust your loads, measure your evolution, and train with a clear goal in every session.
Today there are many variants: inclined, declined, Smith machine, or dumbbells. However, the flat barbell bench press remains the benchmark for developing maximum strength and measuring upper body performance. If your goal is to increase your 1RM, it should hold a priority spot in your planning.
Although many people focus all their attention on the bar, the bench also influences the stability of the movement. A good bench press bench should be solid, not wobble, and allow you to properly support your back and feet. The more stable the base, the more force you can transmit during each rep.
My advice is simple: stop obsessing over adding plates to the bar prematurely and start by building a solid technique.
When every rep is efficient, progress will come much faster and with a much lower risk of injury.
And if you also want to follow a proven system, with clear planning and real tracking of your evolution, the Bilbo Method Plan will allow you to train with a goal, measure every advance, and stop improvising to start truly progressing.
Expert in strength training and physical tests for civil service candidates. With over 30 years of experience and multiple national and European records, he shares his methods to improve strength, endurance, and performance safely.
