Setup
Place the barbell in the rack at a height that will clear the hooks by a couple of inches when the elbows are fully extended.
Your position on the bench should be one in which the bar is just above eye level when you’re laying down and looking straight up at the ceiling.
Grip
The grip width for the bench press will vary based on your size. The goal is to take a grip that produces vertical forearms when the bar is touching your chest at the bottom of the rep. A good starting point is to grip the bar, fully extend your thumbs, and then position the tips of your thumbs about one or two inches out from the edge of the knurling and the start of the smooth middle section.
The hand position for the bench press will be the same as for the press (just wider). Place your open palms flat on the bar like you’re doing a push-up. Then, rotate your fingertips inward (slightly) until you feel the bar fall into the groove at the base of your palm. Wrap your thumbs around the bar and press your fingertips firmly into the knurling.
Check the grip width by bringing the empty barbell down to your chest to see if the forearms are vertical. Bigger lifters may need to move the hands out an inch or two. Smaller lifters may need to move them in.
Foot placement
Walk your feet back towards your hips until you feel your heels lift up off the ground about one inch. Then, shove your heels down onto the floor. This motion will put tension on your quadriceps and help keep you stable and tight on the bench.
Bar placement
Unrack the bar by pushing straight up and locking the elbows. Then, move the bar out of the rack to a point directly above your shoulder joint. You should feel the bar settle into a position of balance. Every rep will start and end at this point.
Look up at the ceiling, and pick a point to focus on. In your peripheral vision, notice the bar relative to your focal point. Do not ever look at the bar. Keep your eyes fixed on your focal point on the ceiling.
Execution
Take a deep breath, arch your upper back (puff your chest up), and pinch your shoulder blades together. Make sure your elbows are locked and your wrists are as straight as possible.
Hold your breath for the entire rep.
To initiate the bench press, unlock your elbows and lower the bar until it lightly touches the base of your sternum (about one to two inches below your nipples).
Once the bar touches your chest, push it back up to the start position directly over your shoulder joint, and keep your eyes on the ceiling the entire time.
Exhale and repeat.
Tips
As with all the other lifts, maintaining tension throughout your entire body is the key to an effective bench press. Squeeze everything you can squeeze (i.e., hands, forearms, abs, quads, calves, etc.)
Keep your focus on moving the elbows down and up. The rest of the body should be motionless.
Make sure the elbows stay “tucked” at about a 45-degree angle relative to the ribs. If the elbows “flare” out closer to 90 degrees, you risk impinging your rotator cuff tendons.
The most common errors with the bench press are: 1) letting your wrists bend, 2) not maintaining an arched back, 3) letting the elbows flare out too far to the slides, and 3) pushing the bar toward your feet instead of back towards your shoulder joint.
Make sure you have a spotter to take the bar if you fail. In the absence of a spotter, set the safety pins at an appropriate height where they will not interfere with the lift but will keep the barbell off of your throat should you fail. Always test the safeties with an empty barbell before adding any weight.
Do not ever use a thumbless grip (placing your thumbs on the same side of the bar as the rest of your fingers). Always wrap your thumbs around the bar.
Never use collars for the bench press. In the worst-case scenario, you want the ability to roll to each side and slide the plates off the bar.
Always take the bar out of the rack and back to the rack with locked elbows. If the elbows are slightly unlocked, you risk losing control and dropping the barbell on your face.