How To Bench Without A Spotter
Are you typically benching alone without the help of a spotter? This situation is not ideal but I'm going to show you how to make the best of it!
Safety first! Raise the safety arms on your bench or rack if you have one. Not worth risking it. If your in a commercial gym, make sure someone is around if you're going very heavy
Use the cueing sequence Bridge, Spread, Drag, Settle. I wish that spelt something cool but it's only BSDS. In order to compensate for not having a hand off, you'll want to bridge up from the floor to put yourself on a decline to more easily take that bar from the rack without losing your shoulder position.
Spreading the bar will engage the upper back and lats from the start. If you're not tight from the start, then you're not 100% tight. Spreading the bar also makes it easy to control carefully out of the rack.
Drag the bar into position. The take out is not done with the shoulders! Male it a lat movement. The back should aggressively pull the bar into position.
Settle the weight before you bench it! Dont rush this. Make sure the weight is at a dead standstill and your hips are back on the bench. It is 100% worth the small additional time under tension at the top. Never bench a moving bar!
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