How To Push Up Your Bench Press

By Lee Hayward

One of the most neglected types of training for the average gym goer is explosive strength. Almost everyone is taught to lift weights with a "slow and controlled movement". However, in all sports, athletes need to be explosive. When a baseball player swings a bat, when a soccer player kicks the ball, or when a boxer troughs a punch, they need explosive strength.

If your goal is to get really strong, explosive speed training is one of the most important elements. Powerlifters/Olympic weight lifters do a lots of light weight explosive speed training exercises, unlike most bodybuilders and gym buffs who do primarily slow and controlled training and pump out reps until failure.

With the bench press a lot of lifters have a sticky point a few inches above their chest. If you have ever spotted someone who gets stuck in a bench press, you often will find that when you just barely assist them past this sticky point, they can then finish the rep on their own.

With proper explosive speed training, you will be able to lift the weights more forcefully and blast past your sticky point and set some new personal strength records.

Pushups are a great exercise to develop explosive speed training for the bench press. When you do a pushup, you lift approximately sixty per cent of your bodyweight. And unlike weight training exercises, you can lift more explosively by doing pushups.

I am sure that you have seen people do "clap your hands" pushups where they push up so fast that they actually lift their upper body off the floor and clap their hands in between each rep.

This is an awesome explosive strength building exercise. It will take some getting used to. Start off with just regular pushups and do them as quickly and explosively as you can before trying a "clap your hands" pushup.

Westside Barbell Club (one of the most famous powerlifting clubs) uses 8 sets of 3 reps using fifty percent of their 1 rep max for dynamic bench press training. These are not just numbers that they just randomly picked, but those they found to be the most effective for building bigger bench presses. This type of training is for developing force and speed. Not absolute strength. They do not train to failure or use heavy weights on this day.

Try This Routine:

Do 8 sets of 3 reps with 1 minute rest in between each set. Each rep should be done as fast as possible. If you can, clap your hands in between each rep, this will ensure that you are using maximum speed and explosiveness. You can do this routine once a week at home on an off days from your regular gym workouts.

When doing the pushups keep your hands just a bit wider then shoulder width. Try to keep your elbows tucked in by your sides at about a 45 degree angle from your torso, don't let them flare out to the sides. This will place more stress on the triceps.

Make sure to warm up before doing this workout. Do some arm circles, and a couple slower tempo sets of push ups to warm up your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Them move right into the 8 sets of 3 reps of explosive pushups.

Give this pushup routine an honest effort for a few months. It will only take about 20 minutes once a week and you will be on your way to setting some new personal strength records.

All the best,
Lee Hayward

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