Want a bigger bench? You're going to LOVE this technique (I wish I would have thought of this years ago).
It's a FANTASTIC way to build serious strength in the bench press and build muscle mass in through the chest, shoulders and arms.
It's a variation of the Reverse Band Bench Press (which is a great exercise in its own right) done focusing only on the eccentric (negative) phase of the exercise.
If you're not familiar with negative training, it's very simple. You're stronger on the negative than the positive...you can control more weight on the way down than what you can push back up.
For true negative training, you use just slightly more than your 1 Rep Max so that the weight bears down on you...but not too fast...and you have to ACTIVELY FIGHT it all the way down, as though trying to lift the weight instead of just lowering it down.
This fighting is what causes the muscle damage and it is primary benefit of the exercise. DO NOT just lower under control...FIGHT it.
Reverse Band Bench Press
This exercise uses what's known as Accomodating Resistance. In this case, we have a pair of bands hitched to the top cross-beam of the rack with the other ends looped around the bar.
If you need bands, click here for my recommended source (use coupon code rbtfitstep for 10% off your package purchase)
As you lower the bar down, the bands stretch, taking up some of the resistance from you. This better matches the strength curve of the bench press (weaker at the bottom, stronger at the top), allowing you to use more overall resistance where you have better leverage for it.
This is a great exercise for building lockout power in the bench press (not as much for the bottom, because of the elastic effect - use pin presses for developing power out of the bottom).
We're going to take this technique and apply it to negative-focused training.
We're going to load even MORE weight on the bar so that even with the bands helping, you still wouldn't be able to press it back up. It's going to be a "strength-curve-targeted" negative exercise.
The "Dropping Point"...
With normal reps, you have a sticking point...with negative training, you have a "dropping" point.
It's about the same place as your sticking point...the point where leverage changes and becomes your weakest position. This is where the weight drops during a negative and is the limiting position for how much weight you can use.
Using the Reverse Band setup allows you to overload the ENTIRE range of motion, according to the strength curve.
This is MASSIVELY powerful in terms of building strength because you'll be able to effectively fight the load the ENTIRE way down, rather than just at that dropping point.
Here's what it looks like. I've got 365 lbs on the bar, which is about 100 pounds more than my current 1RM for a normal bench press.
ONLY use this method in the power rack, NEVER on a regular flat bench station. First off, you need the rack to hitch the bands onto and second, duh.
Make VERY sure the safety rails are set properly, so that the bar finishes just above your chest. That being said, in my rack, I have an ideal setup...I can set the rails to just slightly BELOW my chest so that when the bar is at the bottom, it's still on my chest. I just have to flatten my chest to set the bar on the rails.
Unrack it then hold briefly at the top and "solidify" yourself.
Now begin to lower the bar...at this point, the weight should be enough that it bears down and you should start FIGHTING to press it back up.
Keep fighting all the way down.
Set the bar on the rails then roll it forward. If you have a spotter, you could potentially just have them help you return the bar to the racking pins. I don't, so this is how I do it and it works just fine.
Once the bar is forward enough, reach up and back and pull yourself out from under the bar.
Now move the bar back towards the uprights. Go to one end and lift that end back up onto the racking pin. You may find you have to shift the bar over in the rack to get enough arc to get it back onto the pin.
Go to the other end and do the same.
Then you're ready for the next rep.
Granted, this does take a fair bit of time between reps, but that actually plays to your advantage, giving you some rest in between reps so you perform at a higher level, kind of like cluster training.
It also allows you to actually perform REAL negative training without needing a partner, which is awesome.
That's the full technique. Repeat for sets of 3-6 reps. If you can get more than 6 reps, you're not using enough weight.
If the bar comes down too fast, lighten up the weight. I'll likely drop to 345 lbs next time as you'll see in the video that I only got 2 and 1/2 good reps...it crashed a bit on the last part of the third rep.
Bottom line, I find this is the PERFECT way to do negative training on the bench press. It matches the strength curve exactly allows you to TRULY overload your muscles through the entire range of motion.
It will build great strength and mass.
In your next strength workout, try Front-to-Back Loading for Bench Press.
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