Today I will give you some powerlifting tips to add more weight to your presses (granted that you do them in a safe manner). These tips do take some getting used to, but overtime they will add some pounds to your presses. So without further ado, here they are:
1. CONCENTRIC SPEED
I got this tip from Louie Simmons from the Westside barbell club. He always preaches about the importance of moving the bar with speed on the concentric phase. The concentric is when you are pressing the bar. This rule does not apply to the negative which is the descent of the lift because that could be dangerous. I see way too many pressers bring the bar down slow, then pause and then they press with the same speed that they did on the negative part. If you are working with a heavy weight then the concentric speed won’t go up fast, but it will go up faster if you think about SPEED. Don’t be a slow concentric lifter if you want to press heavy. You have to act like you are in a hurry to get the weight up because if you press then gravity will do its job and the bar will fall on you.
2. CORRECT BREATHING IS PARAMOUNT
Everybody thinks that they know how to breathe the right way, when it’s the last thing they know how to do. What you want to do is take a deep breath when you’re doing the negative while staying tight. Then get a quick pause and breathe out when you are pressing the weight up which is the concentric part. The way you want to breath out is important because if you just breathe out like you would then you tend to lose your tightness. I like to breathe out while doing a “tssssss” noise with my teeth so that I am able to breathe out while still staying tight. Don’t believe me? Try breathing out relaxed and notice how your core gets soft. Now, try breathing out with a “tsssss” sound and notice that it is easier to keep a stable core. It works for me and a 390lb presser told me this tip so I believe it.
3. GRIP THE BAR TIGHTER AND USE CHALK
If your gym doesn’t allow you to use chalk, then that sucks. If you’re allowed to use chalk, then you will be able to squeeze the bar tighter and your grip will feel more solid. The tighter your grip, the more control you have over the bar. Make sure that your hands aren’t sweaty before pressing because if they slip then the weight could kill you if it is heavy enough. It makes me sick how some gyms don’t let you use chalk because they want the gym to look pretty. There’s nothing pretty about heavy weights slipping out of people’s hands. Also NEVER use a thumb less grip when benching. Even with a spotter it is dangerous.
4. USE YOUR GLUTES + CORE TO GENERATE MORE FORCE AND PROTECT YOUR LOWER BACK
Some people walk up to the bench or to the military press with a pancake ass (this means soft). You can’t press heavy weights without squeezing your glutes and core (you can, but it won’t be optimal). Your glutes can help you lift a lot more weight so don’t neglect this tip. The glutes are the biggest and strongest muscle in the human body. If you aren’t using them then you are leaving a lot of strength potential on the table. A strong powerlifter once told me that his glutes were always sore the day after heavy pressing days. It makes a lot of sense now that I think of it. I added 10lb to my incline bench just by applying this rule alone.
5. PLANT YOUR FEET INTO THE GROUND
When most people think about pressing, they think about the upper body. Planting your feet into the ground is important when trying to press heavy weights. This helps your lower body stay tight. The more muscles that are stable and activated, the more help you will have to lift heavier weights. I hate it when I see people benching with their feet in the air. Keep it simple and plant your feet, you can do your ab work later on.
CONCLUSION:
These tips have helped me a lot and believe it or not, I am still working on these tips. My breathing could use some work and so can my speed. Anyways, let me know what you think in the comment section below and let me know if you have any questions. Happy pressing!!