The Best Bench Press Variations for Powerlifters:
Here are some of the best and most common variations of your normal bench press for powerlifters. The bench press has more variations available than the squat and deadlift. Most programs will also have you benching more times than you squat and deadlift. This can make figuring out which variations to choose quite tricky. I will be going through what each variation is and who it is useful for. This should hopefully give you some information on which one is best suited for you to choose.
Why do a variation? If you want to get stronger at the bench press, why not just bench press? Follow the rule of specificity, right? The thing is, most powerlifters bench 3-5 times per week, so that they can get lots of practice with the exercise. If you did your normal competition variation every workout then it can become very tricky to balance the fatigue you accumulate, and your intensity in the workouts. Some variations force you to have less weight on the bar, this can help with balancing fatigue. Some help with specific sticking points that you have in the bench press. Some help you overload what you would normally be able to lift, which is super useful for breaking through plateaus. And sometimes doing something a little different just helps break up the monotony. With each variation I have listed there is a reason why someone could benefit from having it in their program.
Long Pause Bench Press
What it is:
As you might have guessed, you perform a normal bench press on the way down, but once you reach your chest you pause for longer than normal before you press. I usually recommend a 3 count in your head. It’s important to be strict with your count. Theres no point doing it if you rush through “123” in your head in less than a second while the bar is bouncing around on you. A slow, calm count to 3, and then press. Avoid having the barbell travel down during or after the count. This negates the dead stop. You will probably have to use a lot lighter weight on this variation when you first start. That is fine, be super strict and the strength will come.
Who is it useful for:
- Lifters who usually fail right off their chest. This variation causes you to be significantly weaker off your chest. If this is where you usually fail your bench press then it could be useful to introduce into your training. Then the normal pause on your chest in competition won’t seem as difficult.
- Lifters who struggle holding a motionless pause. If when you try to pause your bench press you find that the bar is wobbling all over the place, then this variation will help you with holding a more motionless pause. The “pause” in powerlifting competitions isn’t a set amount of time, it’s whenever the bar is motionless. So, if you can get the bar to be motionless on your chest straight away, then you will get an earlier press command and it will be easier. If the bar is still moving around, you won’t get the press command.
- Lifters who usually rush their “pauses” in training. I get it, if you’re training alone and don’t record your sets your “pause” that you do in training might seem like it lasts forever. The harsh reality though, is a lot of peoples “pauses” aren’t long enough. The pause has to be still for as long as it takes for the ref to say “press”. On top of that you might get a harsh ref that takes ages to give the press command. So having a variation that forces you to pause for 3 seconds will help you be used to having a proper pause
Tempo Bench Press
What it is:
A tempo bench press is a variation where you perform the eccentric (downwards portion) of the lift a lot slower than you would usually. Whenever I program this, I go for 4 seconds on the way down, and also 2 seconds on the chest just to make sure. Then you press back up at full speed. Same as the long pause bench press, don’t let the bar go down during or after the pause on the chest. If you do it completely negates the entire point of the variation.
Who is it useful for:
- Lifters who are very inconsistent with their reps. If you find that every rep and every set feels different then this could be one for you. By going slower on the way down it forces you think about every single moving part on the way down. Your arm angle from your body, your bar path, your touch down point on your chest. If they are different with each rep and each set, you are going to find it very hard to improve your technique and your strength. You want your technique to be consistent so that when you are at competition you don’t fail a lift because you “mis-grooved”
- Lifters who struggle coming to a dead stop on the chest. If when you’re normally benching, you find the bar has a slight bounce on your chest before coming to a stop for your pause then chances are you’re either going to fast on the way down or you have a lack of control on the way down. The tempo variation fixes both. Afterall, the earlier that bar is motionless, the earlier you get the press command, and the easier the lift is.
Close Grip Bench Press
What it is:
Another one where the clue is in the name, but how you exactly perform this exercise can be different from person to person. How far your grip comes in depends on a number of factors. Why you are doing it, how far away from competition you are, etc. But overall, it is where you have a narrower grip than you usually would on bench press.
Who is it useful for:
- Lifters who find their shoulders can’t handle a lot of wide grip bench pressing. You might feel strongest with your wide grip, but for some people the trade off is that you can’t handle a lot of volume. For these people, moving your grip in by just 3-4 inches should be enough to keep it specific to your usual bench press but to also to reduce how beat up your shoulders feel. If you do have this problem I would recommend addressing the route of the problem as well, but this can help while you are fixing the problem.
- Lifters who miss lifts at lock-out. If you miss lifts at lock-out, then the usual cause is weak triceps. By moving your grip in, you make it even harder for your triceps. This will help you gain strength in your lock out. If this is the reason you do this variation then I would say bringing your grip in even more, say 4-6 inches, would be most beneficial. I would avoid bringing your grip in any narrower than the edge of the knurling. At that point the entire bar path and way you perform the rep changes and you might as well just do some triceps accessories like skull-crushers or JM press.
Spoto Bench Press
What it is:
A Spoto Press is where you set up as usual on the bench and lower the bar down. However, instead of pausing on your chest, you pause just above your chest. Make sure the pause is right before you touch your chest and that the bar is motionless, and then press. Although the bar comes close to your chest, it doesn’t actually touch your chest at all each rep.
Who is it useful for:
- Lifters who struggle getting the bar motionless on the chest. If you can’t get the bar to be motionless on your chest, you won’t get the press command. By using a variation where you pause right above your chest it increases the amount of control you have while going downwards and then pausing. This should mean that with your normal bench press you are able to create a dead stop on your chest immediately.
- Lifters who fail right off the chest. By stopping the bar right above your chest, you make the initial press more difficult in terms of how much weight you can move. This should create a lot of pure strength in that position. When you go back to your normal bench press you should find that portion of the lift easier than before.
Slingshot Bench Press
What it is:
A “slingshot” is a piece of equipment created by Mark Bell. It is an elastic material that wraps around your arms where your triceps start just after your elbow joint and goes across your front tightly. This piece of equipment allows you to bench more than you would normally be able to, acting like a bench shirt. It means that in a working set the reps should feel lightest right off your chest and heaviest towards lockout where the fabric isn’t stretched as much. There are multiple different strengths of slingshot to choose from and Mark Bells’ website does a good job of explaining which one is best for who. If you are reading this, I am guessing you are a raw lifter (I have no experience or expertise in equipped lifting so if you are equipped, I can’t help you). And as a raw lifter I cannot imagine you will need anything more than the reactive slingshot (level 2 tension, adds around 10% to your strength) or maybe their original slingshot (level 3 tension adds around 15%) if your bench is already quite high. One thing to bear in mind is that if you’re benching less than 90kg with a slingshot on, then you’re going to struggle getting the bar down to your chest as the slingshot will be too strong compared to the weight. So, some degree of strength and weight is required to do this variation.
Who is it useful for:
- Lifters who struggle with confidence when trying a new weight. If you are someone who gets into their head when you see a new amount of weight on the bar, then the slingshot can be a useful way of “trying” a weight before you actually have to do it raw. When you unrack you still have to hold all the weight up yourself and lock it out almost by yourself, it will just make off your chest easier. This means that when you have to try a new weight raw, you’ve already had experience with it. This can make things easier mentally and give you more confidence.
- Lifters who have a poor bar path and arm angle. The way the slingshot is designed can help some peoples bar path and arm angle, especially on the way down. It can help make sure your elbows are stacked underneath the bar the whole time. However, just be wary you don’t allow the slingshot to over tuck your elbows. Especially if your normal bench press is quite wide. This is why I don’t recommend the extremely high-tension ones for raw lifters.
- Lifters with a weak lockout/triceps. The slingshot makes the hardest part of the lift your lockout. But in a different way to the close grip. Whereas the close grip reduces the overall weight that you can use, the slingshot will increase the amount of weight you can use. They both still work the lockout portion most, but the slingshot will allow you to overload the triceps more. It also has the added benefit of allowing a bit more volume to your workouts, without being as tiring for your chest or shoulders. Just be wary you don’t overdo it; it is still more fatiguing than your normal bench press due to the increased loads.
Pin Press
What it is:
The pin press is performed where the safeties are set higher than your chest, so that the bar rests off your chest, on the safeties, at the bottom of the movement. There are a number of ways you can choose the height of the safeties or how you utilise this movement based on what you want to get out of it. Common ways are with overloading singles where the weight starts at the bottom, on the safeties, and you press till lockout, lower the weight back down and rest. Another common way is to start it like a normal bench press, with an unrack, lower that bar to the safeties, pause, and then press and do multiple reps.
Who is it useful for:
- Lifters who struggle with lockout would benefit from overloading singles. You don’t have to waste energy lowering the bar or doing the bottom portion of the rep, you can start fresh and overload the triceps with more weight than usually be able to handle at that point in the lift.
- Lifters who have plateaued for a while would benefit from overloading singles as a way to get past a number barrier. This more so works when the plateau cause is strength, rather than confidence.
- Lifters who have a clear sticking point. If your bench has a very clear sticking point where the bar slows down and once (or if) you get past that sticking point your lockout is fine. Then utilising multiple reps where the safeties are set to where your sticking point is can help you become stronger at that point in the rep.
Larson Bench Press
What it is:
In this bench press variation, you perform your set with your feet off the floor and your legs straight. This completely takes away your leg drive and means it is pure strength to get the weight back up. I personally unrack the bar first, then lift my feet off the floor for the duration of the set. So that I don’t waste energy or become off-balance while unracking. When the last rep is complete, I will put my legs down before re-racking. I would still recommend most people to keep a normal pause on the chest before pressing.
Who is it useful for:
- Lifters who are weak right off the chest. Without the leg drive to help initiate the initial drive off the chest it means it will be your muscles working to lift the bar. The stronger your muscles are, the stronger you will be. When you go back to your normal bench press and have your leg drive it should help you blow right past that sticking point
- Lifters who need to increase their muscle mass. This is similar to the previous reason and do go hand in hand in some ways but does have its differences. If you need to increase your muscle mass in your chest, but don’t necessarily fail right off your chest then Larson press can be useful for your back off sets at slightly higher rep ranges. It forces your muscles to be the ones working to move the weight, and so it can be good for trying to build more muscle mass.
Floor Press
What it is:
This is where instead of performing the bench press, on a bench. You perform it while laying on the floor. This can be a bit of a pain to set up but once you set it up right you should be able to unrack from a low position in a squat rack or half rack and lower the bar until your triceps touch the ground and you cannot go any lower. Ensure you keep your elbows stacked under your wrists and the bar.
Who is it useful for:
- Lifters who struggle at the middle to lockout portion of the bench press. There are other variations that work on this part but they all do it in different ways. This cuts out the bottom part of the rep, meaning the hardest part is mid-lockout portion. However, where the slingshot gives you momentum from the bottom that can help you lock out, this variation means you’re pressing from a dead stop so it can be useful for pure tricep strength and lockout.
- Lifters who just need to get stronger. Some of these variations are to help your technique, some are to improve your brute strength. This is one of the later. You wont have your usual leg drive to rely on so it is purely the strength of your muscles. Sometimes you just need to get stronger, and this is a variation that will do that
I have given a lot of different variations in this list. By no means do you have to do every single variation on this list. Pick a couple from this list that suit you the best and use them on your secondary and tertiary bench days. 1 last thing to bare in mind is how specific your variation is depending on how far away from competition you are. Something like a long pause bench is great and super specific leading up to a competition. A vastly narrower close grip bench press won’t be as specific, even if it’s a great variation for you. So its just something to think about and balance when choosing the right variation.
Alternatively, if you can’t choose but still want results, you can get yourself a coach. I’ve heard apparently that a really good one is “AnthonyKellyPT”. He’s apparently got his own powerlifting studio for in-person sessions and offers online personalised programming. You should be able to find out more about him at www.anthonykellypt.com.
This blog is written by Anthony Kelly PT, thank you for reading.
