7 bench press variations to try

Published: 2019-01-13
(Last updated 2024-12-31)

We’ve already looked at some great squat variations that I use with athletes and powerlifters. Let’s have a look at some of the bench press movements too.

Pause bench press

In case you've never been educated on proper bench press technique, every rep in the bench should have a brief pause on the chest. Never bounce the bar! (or instead call it a bounce press). The difference with a pause bench press is that the pause is significantly longer. My default is 3 seconds.

I often prescribe pause bench presses instead of regular bench press for powerlifters. I don’t know about your country and federation, but the pauses in competition here are pretty long, certainly not 3 seconds but long enough that people will sometimes be shocked and exclaim excuses like they ”never got a press command”. Well, if you’ve held it there for 3 seconds in the past a single second pause won’t be very hard to do.

But the pause bench press is not only for powerlifters. It makes sure you have control over the bar and will teach you how to press from the bottom. For beginners it's a very important lift because they usually bounce the bar off the chest while flailing around like a dead fish. The pause bench press absolutely prevents that if taught correctly.

One common mistake to look out for is relaxing of the back in the bottom position. The back must stay tight at all times. Another mistake, which might seem a bit odd, is lowering the bar too slowly. I’ve seen many times that lifters will lower the bar slower than they would in a normal bench press. While doing slow eccentric training certainly has its value it’s not what we’re going for here.

I like to keep repetitions low, 1-3 most of the time, and the weights high, >85% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM). If the lifter can’t perform pause bench presses with heavy weights then their technique is off or their personal bests in bench press were done ”cheating”.

Close grip bench press

First let’s define what constitutes a close grip. In my world it’s roughly shoulder width and for most people that will end up being very close to the smooth of an Eleiko bar. You will often see people going too wide, perhaps because of iLatS - imaginary lats syndrome. Twice I’ve had female lifters that were half my size (well, maybe a bit exaggerated) use a wider grip than me before I corrected them! Don’t go too narrow either. Also make sure to pause the bar on the chest like you would any other bench press.

For me, back in ye olden days when I actually bench pressed, close grip bench was my predictor. Actually, the last serious bench press cycle I did I didn't even train the regular bench press but pushed my close grip bench press hard and from that I could predict with exact accuracy what my regular bench press was. If it has the same carryover for you then you should spend up to 50% of your bench press training improving it. If it doesn't have quite so strong correlation, try planning your bench press training with around 25-30% being done close grip.

The benefits of the close grip bench press are tremendous. Some will say it’s just more triceps but there’s a lot more to it than that. Perhaps the most important aspect has less to do with what muscle you train and more with the fact that it provides a longer range of motion, meaning you will have to strain for a longer period of time.

BENCH AND PECS: If you’re interested in muscle activation the close grip bench press with elbows pointing outwards will provide significant training for the pectoral muscles, contrary to what you might've heard about how a wider grip targets the chest more. With that said, pointing the elbows out is a bodybuilding technique and something other folks should avoid.

Many will find that their sticking point (the point where the barbell stops to accelerate and also comes to a dead stop when the weights are too heavy) is higher up in the close grip bench press compared to the regular bench. Due to mechanical advantages it’s easier to push the bar from the chest with a closer grip but harder to lock it out.

I prescribe close grip bench presses for just about all powerlifters and athletes. Any repetition range can be used depending on the goal. The weights will be close to the regular bench press, at least after it has been trained properly.

Incline bench press

This movement is done on a bench set at roughly 45 degree angle. The bar will touch higher on the chest than in the regular bench press.

I was undecided on the value of the incline bench press until I tested nearly all of my then lifters and compared it to their best bench press. The results were quite astonishing. I found that I could predict their results (without telling them beforehand – very important) almost to the exact kg. After my Olympic weightlifting competition season I also decided to train the incline bench press for a cycle, doing no regular bench pressing at all. I hadn’t done any type of bench pressing for probably 1-2 years so I had no idea where I was at. When I tested my bench press it was exactly where I predicted it to be in relation to my incline bench press. The correlation was obvious.

The major mistake to look out for in incline variations is the lifter trying to turn it into a regular bench press either by creating a very strange looking arch or lifting the butt of the bench. Both mistakes must be avoided as it negates the effect we're going for. Think about it, what's happening is you're essentially lowering the incline! Sure, tuck the shoulder blades and plant your feet firmly but don’t go for an excessive arch. The only arch should be the result of tucking and squeezing the shoulder blades.

VARIATION OF VARIATIONS: Another good variation is the incline bench press with a close grip but I don't use it as much as one might think. Incline bench pressing in general might constitute as much as a third of all benching and the brunt of that will be with a regular grip so it doesn't leave much room for the close grip version. There are exceptions however, for instance a shot putter I trained (who went on to break his club's records by the way) did significantly more incline close grip bench pressing. I think you should give the lift a go and see how you like it! I also prescribe high incline bench press but not as a main lift, instead considering it an accessory lift.

As for sets and reps in incline bench press, they can be the same as the regular bench press, though I tend to do a bit more volume if doing back off sets compared to the regular bench. The reason is since you'll use lighter weights, you'll be able to deal with more volume from a systemic fatigue aspect. Or in real people words: it doesn't kill you as much as heavy bench presses.

Pin bench press

These are done with the bar resting on the safety pins and pressed from there. The range of motion is shorter than a bench press because the bar never go all the way down to the chest. The height of the pins should be such that your upper arms are parallel to the floor or lower when you've set up - tight and all - under the bar. This is your weakest position and therefore the one we want. If you're an equipped lifter things might be different but I don't train equipped lifters.

There are a number of details to keep in mind when pin pressing. Pay attention to them or you'll likely waste your time.

You start with the bar on the pins and get under it. You don't lift it off the stand.
When you first set up under the bar you really need to pay attention to being in the same angle you would be in a regular bench press.
When you lower the bar down after the first rep you make sure it lies completely dead on the pins. It's important.

I like doing pin presses heavy, >90% of 1RM, and for low reps with 1-3 probably being the most common.

Board press

Board presses are done by placing one or more boards on the chest, thus making the range of motion shorter. You would usually have someone holding the board there for you but if that's not an option you can fasten the board under a belt.

The advantages and disadvantages of board presses should be easy to understand. Due to the shorter range of motion you can usually handle more weight compared to a regular bench. Also due to the shorter range of motion the training effect on some motor units will be less. Many will be able to handle a lot more weight than in their reguar bench press but there are a few, in my experience typically shorter people with very wide grip for their height, that will not be able to use significantly more weight. For these people I don’t see the board press as very valuable but your mileage may vary.

ONLY FOR GEAR? Like the box squat mentioned in 7 squat variations to try , the board press is misunderstood to be something that only geared powerlifters should use. It's complete nonsense. If you read about the training of some of the strongest people as far back as the 1950’s and 1960’s you will find that heavy lockouts and board presses were commonly used to build strength. No powerlifting shirts or suits existed back then.

Board presses are fine for powerlifters and some athletes but I don't think they make much sense for regular folks. There are too many other useful lifts to spend time on. I often prescribe it in a similar fashion I do the box squat, meaning doing first 1-3 sets of board press then regular bench press afterwards. The weights used in board press are very close to maximum bench press weights and preferably higher.

Floor press

Here's a lift I see people messing up all the time! In the floor press you simply lay on the floor and bench press. You will quickly find that the range of motion is decreased significantly due to your upper arms coming to a stop at the floor. Incidentally this is a very common sticking point for people. How can you possibly mess that up?

The major things to look for are not pausing long enough and using too much leg drive. The first is easily solved by telling your lifter that if they don’t pause the next repetition they will have to do sets of 10-20 reps after. The pause is critical, I can’t stress this enough. ”Bouncing” off the floor press could not only mean bad news for your arms, it also completely ruins the rep. Using leg drive is equally useless because the floor press is meant as a test for upper body strength. I’ve simply told my lifters to always do it with straight legs because they will cheat otherwise.

I don’t prescribe the floor press often but I’ve included it in plans for years. The way I do it is once every few months and for a single repetition maximum. It’s simply a test for upper body strength. If the floor press is very close to the max bench press it’s often an indication of poor technique in the bench press. If it’s very low in comparison then it’s an indication of poor upper body strength. There are exceptions. Some body types will have a very short range of motion. Some will actually touch their chest with the barbell!

Bands and chains

When bench pressing with chains you hang them from the bar such that one or two links touch the floor at the top of the bench press and obviously more touch the floor as you lower the bar. With bands you attach them to the bar and somewhere on the floor or underneath the bench. You should have a little stretch on the band even at the bottom of the bench press.

I was a big fan of bench pressing with bands myself and felt it did very good things for my lifts. I've not always seen the same carryover for other people though. Also it's sometimes a hassle to set up bands. Note that when I’m talking about bench pressing with bands I’m always talking about adding resistance to the top of the movement, not reverse bands which I at the present time never prescribe.

My take on bands might be different from what your gut feelings might say.

I like bands for beginners. The reason is the same as I noted for the pause bench press, it teaches people tightness.
I don’t see bands as a way to overload the top of the lift. Of course it does but I’ve always felt it help with starting strength too. The reason is when the weights get significant you learn quickly to blast off the chest, or you won’t get through the top.

While the above is great for skill practice there are other ways to achieve similar effects without the setup that bands require which is why they aren’t included all the time.

Chains have a similar but not identical effect since they don’t “shoot” the barbell down towards your chest like bands, thus not creating the overspeed eccentric in fancy folks terms. Overall I feel that bands are more useful for bench pressing than chains. Sometimes I use a combination of both and that’s fun but it’s not a mainstay.

As for sets and repetitions, I keep them submaximal and stay fairly close to Louie Simmons’ recommendations of around 80% of maximal weights (at the top, so including the bands and chains), possibly higher if the lifts look good and move well.

That’s it for now

These were some of the most commonly used bench press variations among my lifters. Try them out and see if they work for you. In the next installment we’ll look at the deadlift.

Good luck.

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