How to INCREASE Your Bench Press: 3 Common Mistakes | Silent Mike & Alan Thrall

Powerlifters Silent Mike and Alan Thrall know what's wrong with your bench. Now they've teamed up to help you gain more strength and muscle with less pain.
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Seasoned lifters know it's not "how much you bench" that matters, but just "how." If you want to watch your numbers—and your upper body—grow for years, rather than flaming out in pain and disappointment, you need to be ruthless about your technique.

1. You're Flaring Your Elbows At The Wrong Time
Some amount of elbow flare is inevitable in a powerlifting-style bench press. The issue is when it happens. If you start the press with your elbows flared, your lift is doomed from the start. It's also a very inefficient way to move weight. If your elbows flare at the end of the lift, that's a sign that your shoulders are losing their stable position in the joint, which is just as bad.

What to do instead: Both Mike and Alan are insistent that correct elbow position starts with your upper back.

"We want to keep our sternum high, shoulders tucked behind us," Mike says. "This is not only going to stabilize your shoulder, but it's going to allow for proper pressing using the proper muscles: our chest, shoulders, and triceps, while keeping the bar in the perfect path."

2. Your Leg Drive Is Driving In The Wrong Direction
Mike says leg drives can be a bit "overrated," and you only need to watch a few online PR videos to see why. Plenty of lifters act like the legs are lifting the bar, when it's more like they're just pushing you into a position where your real pressing muscles can take over.

If your butt is coming off the bench on max-effort reps—or any reps at all—then you're guilty here.

"This is incorrect, inefficient, and if you're a powerlifter, it's a red light," Alan says.

3. You're Pressing In A Straight Line
Powerlifting is all about efficiency, right? So why not pick the shortest and straightest route from chest to lockout? Because, unlike the squat and deadlift, that isn't actually the way to get the most out of your "main movers" of the lift: the chest, shoulders, and upper back.

What to do instead: To make the most of your strength and avoid anatomical vulnerabilities, you'll need to press with a slight arc. After the bar touches on your chest, press back over your face and toward the rack. If you've got your back locked down tight and leg drive dialed in, this should happen naturally.

00:00 - Intro
00:35 - Elbows flaring
01:52 - Leg drive
03:32 - Bar path

| Silent Mike |
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| Alan Thrall l
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| Connor O'Neal |
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