How to Improve Bench Press Strength, the Easy Way

We’ve all been there—hunched over a keyboard, Googling away, getting a little more frustrated each time:

“Exercises to improve bench press; progressive overload for bench press; how make bench go up?”

This kind of crash-out usually comes after one too many (frankly, one is too many) bad chest workouts.

Preoccupation with bench press strength is a rite of passage for all gymgoers, whether you want to compete in a powerlifting meet, build a bit of beach muscle for the summer, or finally, finally get into the two-plate club. 

Improving your bench press ain’t always easy, but it is often simple. There’s no need to overcomplicate it; here’s how to improve bench press strength the easy way. 

How To Improve Bench Press Form

The bench press is one of three exercises tested in the sport of powerlifting alongside the back squat and deadlift. It’s regarded as the foundational pressing exercise; if you can bench well, you can do other chest exercises well, too. 

For technique mastery and maximal bench press strength alike, you need to make sure you have your form dialed in. Here are the 3 most important aspects of a good bench press:

• Bracing: The bench is a chest exercise, but you should be tense and rigid from head to toe while benching.

• Arch: Your spine should not lay flush on the bench while you press—whether you're benching with dumbbells or a bar. Arching your lumbar spine improves leverage and protects your shoulders (it’s also not cheating—more on that later).
• Path: The bar should travel down and slightly forward as you lower it to your torso, then travel up and back to its original position. You don’t bench in a straight line.

Step-by-Step Bench Press Guide

If you haven’t benched in a while and are looking to get back in the game, here’s a rundown of how to bench like a pro.

• Lie on the bench and plant your feet firmly on the floor, or pull them back toward the bench so you’re on the balls of your feet.
• With your eyes directly under the bar, grab ahold, gripping anywhere between pinky and index finger on the rung. 
• Use the bar to pull your trunk off the bench, arch your spine hard, pinch your shoulder blades together, then lower your upper back down to the pad. 
• Inhale, brace your entire body, then “pull” the bar horizontally out of the rack and hold it directly over your shoulders.
• Break at the elbows and lower the bar down until it touches your chest somewhere between your sternum and nipple line.
• Aggressively push the bar up and slightly back, locking your elbows out as the bar returns to its starting position above your shoulders. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

At a glance, the bench is simple; lower and press, like a push-up. Still, there are many moving parts in play, and plenty that can go wrong. Avoid these bench press mistakes: 

• Make sure the bar touches or pauses on your chest. In powerlifting, a bench attempt doesn’t count unless the bar makes it to your torso. 
• Do not bounce the bar off your chest. Extra momentum is considered cheating, and you can bruise your sternum.
• Don’t attempt a bench press max without a spotter. If you fail, you’ll need someone to pull the weight off your body. 
• Make sure you keep your elbows directly under the bar at all times, if viewed from the top down. Don’t let your elbows drift back toward your head or tuck them too much either. 

How To Increase Bench Press Max

Sloppy technique may be the culprit of a lagging bench. But if your form is good and you’re still struggling on how to increase bench press performance, your programming is the likely culprit. 

Before we dive in, a bit of reassurance. If you’ve ever felt insecure, wondering, “How much can the average man bench press?” You should know that the bar (pardon the pun) isn’t too high. Some data have shown that most people, even with gym experience, bench well under 225 pounds.

In strength sport circles, a bodyweight bench press is generally considered the threshold one must cross to no longer be considered a novice. Benching 1.5 times your weight is regarded as highly competent, and anything beyond a double-bodyweight bench is well into advanced territory. 

Progressive Overload for Bench

Progressive overload is the guiding philosophy behind all strength training. It’s pretty simple; to continually adapt and improve, you must take on harder challenges over time. Bench press progressive overload looks like any other barbell exercise. 

You have several options. When looking to increase bench press strength, you should generally start at the top of this list and work your way down as you exhaust their potential:

• Intensity: Add weight each time you perform the bench press.

• Frequency: Bench press more often, between two and four times per week.

• Volume: Increase the number of bench press sets you perform.

• Tempo: Deliberately slow down your movement, especially on the lowering portion.

These methods are simple on the surface, but their efficacy depends on how they’re implemented. 

• Try to add 5 pounds to your bench press weight once per week until you’re no longer able.
• If you can’t add weight, try to bang out another rep or two each week.
• If you can’t add weight or reps, perform an extra 1 to 3 sets per week.
• If you can’t add volume, hit the bench more often; instead of 5 sets once per week, perform 3 sets twice per week. 

One big thing: Studies tell us that, when equated for total weekly volume, increasing your bench press frequency beyond two sessions per week doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. That said, high-frequency benching may afford other benefits such as more technical practice and better confidence, which could show up when you eventually max out. 

Accessory Exercises for Bench

You can’t build a house with just a hammer. While the bench press itself is the goal, world-class benchers rely on several bench press accessory exercises to bolster their strength from all angles and address weak points.

Close-grip bench press: Good for improving lockout strength by emphasizing the triceps.

Overhead press: Improves shoulder stability and lockout strength.

Deficit push-up: Can help with the first half of the lift by elongating your range of motion, encouraging you to use your pecs elastically.

Board press: Reduces range of motion, letting you overload the exercise, and helps build confidence with max-effort weights.

Bench Press Programs for Strength

While the bench press is just one tool in your exercise toolbox, it’s perfectly reasonable to want to dedicate time to improving it specifically. That’s where bench press programs for strength come in. These routines emphasize bench performance and can generally be run alongside other workouts in most cases—there are exceptions, though, for heavy-duty programs.

Starting simple: If you’ve never run any periodization (meaning dedicated sets and reps with a specific goal in mind) for the bench press, you can benefit from an extremely simple progression. Once a week, do 5 sets of 5 reps starting with roughly 75% of your max, and try to add 5 pounds each week. 

Been there, done that? Let’s go a bit deeper with some of the best workouts to increase bench strength.

Starting Strength

Mike Rippetoe’s “Starting Strength” is the de-facto beginner powerlifting routine. The program has you hammering the “Big 3” weekly, but dedicates appropriate time to mastering the basics of the bench.

Try this program if you’re just starting out in the gym and haven’t trained for strength before.

5/3/1

Legendary powerlifting athlete and coach Jim Wendler came up with the “5/3/1” program because he wanted something straightforward and effective for anyone with a bit of experience under their belt. 

5/3/1 is as simple as it sounds; it’s a form of pyramid training in which you add weight and reduce the number of reps you perform as you move from set to set. Exposure to different loads during the same workout can help you bust through plateaus and build confidence with heavy weights. 

Try this program if you’ve made some beginner bench press gains already but are finding it difficult to add more weight each time.

Smolov Jr. 

Be warned—this is a “break glass in case of emergency” program. A three-week sprint through Hell, Smolov Jr. is an abbreviated version of a months-long Soviet training scheme designed for maximal strength at any cost.

Smolov Jr. is not for beginners. You should have several years of training experience under your belt. This program requires you to bench four times per week for almost a month, and every session is heavy. It will boost your 1-rep max, but you’ll have to mostly give up other forms of exercise and focus exclusively on the bench.

Use this program with caution to bust through a bench press plateau, or if other intermediate to advanced programs are not working for you. 

FAQs

Are there specific programs or plans recommended for increasing bench press?

Yes! There are loads of programs to help increase your bench press. We recommend Mike Rippetoe’s “Starting Strength” for beginners, 5/3/1 programming from intermediate and advanced athletes, and the Smolov Jr. for experienced lifters who are willing to go all-in to increase their bench.

What is the best way to track progress and improve my bench press quickly?

The best way to increase bench press strength is by implementing progressive overload; lifting more weight each session, doing additional reps and sets, or increasing your frequency of practice. To make sure you're working with progressive overload, keep track of the weight on the bar, your reps, and sets in your phone or on a note pad. That way you'll know what you've done, so you can aim to lift more when you're ready.

How much should a 200-pound man bench?

Bodyweight alone doesn’t determine strength, but for many adults who train consistently, bench pressing around their bodyweight is a common long-term goal after one to two years of proper strength training.

How often should I do bench press?

To maximize strength and muscle, you should perform the bench press at least twice per week. Three or more bench press workouts may slightly improve results by providing additional opportunities to refine technique, but it isn’t required.

References

1. Johnsen E, van den Tillaar R. Effects of training frequency on muscular strength for trained men under volume matched conditions. PeerJ. 2021 Feb 18;9:e10781. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10781. PMID: 33643706; PMCID: PMC7897409.

Jake Dickson holds a B.S. degree in Exercise Science and is a NASM-CPT. As a health & wellness writer, Jake focuses on making fitness practical and accessible for any audience. Off the clock, you can find Jake at the gym or unwinding by the beach.

This article was reviewed by Rosie Borchert, NASM-CPT, for accuracy.