What your hands do on bench press dictates much of the positional constraints down the chain. So with that being the case, bench grip is a very important part of managing your center of mass and controlling the positional requirements of the elbows and shoulders. In particular, something I find a lot of lifters struggling with is overgripping the bar during the initial setup. In my latest YouTube video, I cover a quick setup tip on the bench press that will almost immediately help you to maintain position better while unracking and allow your upper back to hold less tension during the initial setup phase. And that quick tip is to be more passive with your grip strength. Allow the hand to be a “platform” for the bar to rest on, and wait until after the bar is out over your chest to fully engage your grip to the degree you’d like. This is also just a small portion of what Sean Noriega will be discussing in great lengths in his “How to Arch On Bench Press” video that will be released February 1st on Powerlifting Now. Bench grip is a major component of maximizing leverages with high arch bench pressers, and Sean gives the most informative and all-encompassing breakdown available in his video. But while you wait for Sean’s video, make sure to check out mine by clicking the link above to view!

Managing your center of mass is a foundational element of what is good technique, as myself and Brad Couillard have discussed in videos and presentations. And even lifters with seemingly “good technique” and elite strength struggle at times with managing their center of mass. One way in which that presents itself in the deadlift is through over-wedging, meaning that a lifter continues to wedge past their center of mass, resulting in some form of forward bias. Some lifters are fairly unaffected by slight deviations in center of mass due to over wedging, while others have a markedly reduced force output when over wedging occurs. In my latest YouTube video, I take a look at the 6 common mistakes people make that result in over wedging on the deadlift. For each mistake, I cover why it can be an issue for some (and for others no issue) and how to fix the mistake if it is leading to decreased strength output for you. I also take a look at some general tips that help to overcome most over wedging issues. And to kick off the video, I give a full introduction of our new educational platform Powerlifting Now, as registration is live! We are extremely excited to bring to you an educational platform to provide the latest in all things powerlifting! Our pre-launch sale is now available through January 31st, with Powerlifting Now officially launching February 1st. For more information on what is included within a Powerlifting now subscription make sure to check out my latest video on YouTube “How To Stop Over-Wedging On Deadlift” for a full breakdown! The link to view the video and to subscribe to Powerlifting Now is above!