Bench Press - With Bands

How to perform

1. 01Using a flat bench secure a band under the leg of the bench that is nearest to your head.
2. 02Once the band is secure, grab it by both handles and lie down on the bench.
3. 03Extend your arms so that you are holding the band handles in front of you at shoulder width.
4. 04Once at shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. This will be your starting position.
5. 05Bring down the handles slowly until your elbow forms a 90 degree angle. Keep full control at all times.
6. 06As you breathe out, bring the handles up using your pectoral muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, squeeze your chest, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
7. 07Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions of your training program.

Form cues

• —Brace your core before the first rep and keep it braced.
• —Drive through the full range — do not cut the lockout short.
• —Control the lowering phase — that is where most of the growth stimulus lives.

Common mistakes

• —Using momentum instead of the target muscle.
• —Cutting the range of motion short to add load.
• —Adding weight before the movement pattern is clean.