While some of the shoe company combines have gotten away from the Bench Press for reps and gone to the power ball throw, many of the evaluation events still use it as testing protocol. Here are some tips on the Bench Press for Reps from SCVarsity Sports Performance Director of Strength and Conditioning Coach David Helms.

By: Coach David Helms M.Ed., SCCC

A few tips for your bench press rep test (185/225).

Make sure you have all 5 points of contact- 1) Head 2) Back/Shoulder Blades 3) Buttocks 4 & 5) Feet.

Make sure you are good and warmed up first.

The spotter assists taking the bar off the rack.

· Stabilize the bar

· Squeeze the bar to activate the skeletal muscle system

· Take a deep breath in

· Lower the bar in a controlled movement, as soon as, the bar touches your chest, drive your feet into the floor, spread your lats and drive the bar back up through pecs, delts, triceps, exhaling as the bar goes up and lock out.

· Stay in control and get in a rhythm, just keep driving the bar back up and locking the elbows, breathing and driving your feet into the floor each rep.

· Go until failure, your spotter will be paying attention to help rack the bar.

If you have a few weeks before your test, each time you do your bench press workout, do the rep test at the end as your last set. This will help build strength and endurance for this test, as well as, helps your body get used to doing it in a tired state. Your reps should increase as should your stamina each time. You should also incorporate leg exercises, back exercises, shoulder exercises and triceps exercises to aid in using the entire body to bench. All sports are ground based, so you should always drive through your feet.

When you are actually doing the test, you should have 3 spotters, one to hand you the bar and two on either side of the bar for safety reasons.

1) LIE FACE UP ON A BENCH

2) POSITION FEET FLAT ON FLOOR

3) HEAD, SHOULDERS, BUTTOCKS SHOULD BE FLAT ON BENCH

4) EYES SHOULD BE BELOW THE BAR

5) GRASP BAR WITH A GRIP SLIGHTLY PAST SHOULDER WIDTH

6) MOVE BAR OFF RACK

7) LOWER THE BAR SLOWLY ABOUT 1 INCH BELOW NIPPLES

8) MAINTAIN BODY POSITION ON BENCH WITH FEET ON FLOOR

9) DO NOT ARCH BACK OR RAISE BUTTOCKS OFF BENCH

10) KEEP WRISTS STRAIGHT, AND ELBOWS IN AS THE BAR LOWERS

11) PUSH THE BAR IN A CONTROLLED MANNER TO FULL ELBOW EXTENSION

12) TIGHTEN ABDOMINAL MUSCLES

13) DO NOT ARCH BACK

14) INHALE DOWN EXHALE UP

FOR INFORMATION ON SCVARSITY SPORTS PERFORANCE AND OUR COMBINE PREP TRAINING, EMAIL SCVARSITY@SC.RR.COM