This exercise is going to put continuous tension on your chest while placing TREMENDOUS tension on the six-pack abs.
The Back-Off-Bench Press is a unique movement for the chest that LOOKS like a standard dumbbell bench press...until you look a little closer. You'll be doing the bench press with your upper back hanging off the end of the bench.
And while it is true that you'll be forced to use less weight than in a normal bench press (I categorize it primarily as an ab exercise rather than a chest exercise), I found this setup does force the pecs into continuous tension, making it highly effective for the chest even with lighter weight.
This exercise is really the ideal beach body exercise...chest, abs and arms all in one shot.
Don't let that "beach body" thing fool you, though...this exercise is VERY tough and actually very valuable.
How to Do Back-Off Bench Press
To perform this one, you'll need a few things for the set up...dumbbells (start light until you get an idea of how to get into position for the exercise), a bench and something to brace your legs under.
I used a power rack with a loaded barbell set on the rails and pulled up against the uprights of the rack to brace my legs on and that worked perfectly (a Smith machine could actually be useful for this, too).
You can use just about anything else you can think of that you can brace your legs under...even a partner pushing down on your knees, if that's what you've got.
My setup has a flat bench inside the power rack with the barbell set in the rails at about hip height. You'll need to adjust the bench position under the bar, depending on how it feels when you're doing the exercise. I've got the bar basically over the midpoint of the bench.
The first time you do this, start with LIGHT weight until you get a feel for the exercise and where you need to set the bench in order to get your upper back off the end.
If you're using the rack setup, set a couple of plates on the bar to keep it from coming up.
This is one of the few times I'll ever recommend you set your feet on a bench for bench pressing...in a normal press, you need the stability of your feet on the floor. In this version, your knees will be locked under the bar, giving you stability there.
Grab your dumbbells. I'm using a pair of 85 lb db's in the demo here.
Sit on the bench and set the dumbbells on end on your upper thighs.
Once you're seated, shuffle yourself forward so that your hips are closer under the bar. For me, the dumbbells are basically right up against the bar. Again, you'll need to experiment to get the position right for you.
The first time you do it, raise one leg up and brace it under the bar. Then get the other leg up. Once you get more comfortable with the process, you can do both at the same time (this is how I do it in the video demo).
If you've got a partner to hand the weights to you, this will be even easier...just get into position on the bench first, then have them hand the dumbbells to you.
Lie back on the bench and feel for where your upper back is. The end of the bench should hit you right around the middle of the shoulder blades. The more of your back that's off the bench, the harder your abs are going to work to support the movement.
Now bring the dumbbells back and into position for the bench press.
THIS is where your abs are going to fire HARD and stay contracted HARD for the duration of the exercise.
It's also the reason why the pecs are going to be contracted continuously...your back has nothing to brace on, therefore even at lockout, the pecs are forced to contract to stabilize and hold the weight.
Taking the back support away places HUGE demands on the entire upper body.
Now press up, just as you normally would for a dumbbell bench press.
Do this exercise at a moderate pace, under control the whole way. Your abs will contract no matter what you do here but keeping the movement under control will give you better chest work.
The first time you do this, the weight will be something you'll need to adjust. Go up to about half of what you'd normally use for a heavy set of dumbbell bench press and do 6 to 8 reps with it.
When you're done, you can either just set the weights on the floor one at a time (don't drop them!), or move them back up onto your thighs then use your knee-bracing to do a sit-up.
That's the exercise!
Like I said, try it with a lighter weight the first time you do it but definitely give it a try if you've got the equipment to do it.
This one is incredibly challenging, especially once you start to move up in weight.
It's a nice alternative when maybe your joints are a bit beat up for doing heavier benching and you still want a strong pec workout or if you want to get the incredible abdominal work you'll get from it without the repeated spinal flexion of a crunch or sit-up movement.
I've got a killer "metcon" workout that features this exercise here, called the "Core Annihilator."
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Want 90 more unique and challenging exercises to SHRED your core? Check out The Best Core Exercises You've Never Heard Of!
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