The bench press has for a very long time been the staple of a strong man. It’s the lift that involves a lot of upper body strength, but also, mental. You are lifting a heavy barbell over your face and or chest. It takes guts to lift heavy and do it in a controlled manner. It’s also one of the lifts that so many of us get wrong. Once again, because of our mental strength or lack thereof. It’s why we thought we would go over, how to properly do a bench press without getting injured. Hopefully, you can incorporate these qualities and tips into your exercise plan and get a better rep and set.

Never lift alone

Do you want to stop getting injured? Stop lifting alone. When you do a bench press, you need a spotter. Like we mentioned, you are lifting a heavy bar over your face, neck and chest. One false move and you could either strangle yourself or break a few ribs. So we say, always have someone watch you when you do a set. If you can’t go to the gym with a friend who can act as you spotter, then don’t worry. The gym is full of people who are trying to achieve similar goals and would want the same kind of help. So always feel free to go up to someone when they are not doing a set or preparing to do one, and politely ask them to spot you. You never know you could end up making a friend.

Proper lifting technique

You’ve seen guys bench press before and when some of them do it, it looks off. They curve their back up, thrust their hips up, and lift almost with their traps and shoulders. It’s hard not to smirk when you’re watching this. It’s hard not to laugh. This is a great way to get injured, particularly get a herniated disc. If you don’t want this then listen up.

• Make sure you are lying on the bench properly. Not too high, not too low. The barbell when on the rack should be at about nose height.
• Keep your back flat and stabilize your shoulders by pinching your scapulas together. Try to imagine squeezing a penny between your shoulder blades.
• You don’t need to touch the bar to your chest, just enough to bend your arms at the elbows 90 degrees. 
• Breathe out when you press, pushing both feet into the ground.

Recovering from an injury

Everyone can get injured when bench pressing and the most common is a pec tear or bicep tear. Make sure you have been properly operated on if this is the case and contact some medical malpractice attorneys if you feel that you were not. They can study the case, see what the surgeon or hospital did wrong and put them to the rack; legally speaking of course.

Bench pressing is an iconic exercise that most men want to improve. If not for the strength and health benefits, for the rite of passage.