How to Lift More When Benching

The bench press is a popular exercise station at any gym, used for weight training and bodybuilding purposes and working out the chest and arm muscles. Many exercisers want to know how they can lift a barbell with more weight. Surprisingly, whether you can lift more when benching does not depend solely on your inherent strength, but also on how you lift the bar and how developed and balanced your muscles are.

Instructions

    • 1

      Focus on technique. How you hold the bench press bar and how you lift your arms can impact the amount of weight you can lift. Poor technique can make lifting even a small amount of weight feel impossible because muscles must work harder. To start, wrap the palm of the hand around the bar and let the bar rest close to the wrists. Press the legs into the floor (which in turn causes the upper back to press into the bench) and quickly push the arms straight into the air with the elbows tucked. Focus on a spot on the ceiling to ensure the movement is in a straight line. With practice, good technique will become second nature.

    • 2

      Isolate back and arm muscles. The ability to lift more when bench pressing depends on the strength of the upper back, the triceps and the biceps. Each area needs to be individually developed with targeted exercises. A barbell row is an especially good lifting exercise for the upper back because it is the reverse movement of a bench press. Dips, curls and push-ups are excellent ways to strengthen the tricep and bicep areas. As these muscles become stronger individually, together they will allow you to lift more weight when bench pressing.

    • 3

      Increase weight by eating more protein. Large muscles are what enable a person to bench press more weight. Adding weight to lift more is one option, but eating more to achieve that goal should be approached carefully. Instead of eating anything to pack on pounds, increase the amount of your daily protein intake to 10-35 percent of the day's calories. Eating protein contributes to lower body fat and more muscle mass and if eaten after a workout, aids in muscle recovery. Protein sources include chicken, eggs, fish and beans.