There’s more to benching big weight than just having strong pecs. You also need powerful leg drive and enough triceps strength to be able to lock out the bar at the top of the lift. And perhaps most important, you’ve also got to strengthen your stabilizing muscles—the peripheral ones in your shoulders and core that keep you balanced and in your “groove.”
TRX Suspension Training
If you don’t, you’re not letting yourself get as strong as you can be. The solution? TRX suspension training. When you try performing suspended push-ups for the first time, you’re in for a rude awakening if you’ve never focused on stabilization. You may be able to crank out multiple reps, but your entire upper body is almost guaranteed to shake—a telltale sign that your stabilizers need work. Get that shake out of your system with a solid program of TRX work, and you’ll be more stable under the bar and a lot stronger as a result.
Start with the handles positioned at knee height and lower them when you’re capable of performing at least 20 reps without shaking excessively. Your ultimate goal is to accomplish this with your feet elevated.
Try the following workout on the next page—without benching—for three weeks and watch your bench numbers skyrocket.
TRX SUSPENDED PUSH-UPS
Assume a push-up position with your hands holding the TRX handles in a neutral grip. Keeping your elbows tight to your body, descend as low as possible, then press yourself back up.
TRX TRICEPS EXTENSIONS
Set the TRX straps to a height just below your chest. With your feet together and your core tight, lean forward until your hands are to the sides of your head and behind it.
PUSH-UPS
With your hands approximately shoulder-width apart, mimic the TRX elbow tuck and perform as many push-ups as you can, stopping one short of failure.
