Bench Day; Essentials Only Warm-up (Part 4)
Welcome to Part 4 of our Essentials Only Warm-up series; Bench day 😈💪🏼
Keep scrolling for my suggestions for how to prep for your favorite push day lifts.
Full-body movement
If you’ve been around for Part 1, 2 & 3, you know my motto: keep it simple.
Find a way to move your body intentionally but not intensely. The easiest way to do this is to hop on a piece of cardio equipment at the gym or stroll around the block. I will add that movement which incorporates some sort of arm movement/swing is ideal.
5-10 minutes, low intensity & that’s it.
Mobility work / Movement prep
When it comes to bench day mobility work & movement prep I suggest focusing on the thoracic spine, shoulder joint, & potentially hip mobility, too!
Thoracic spine:
My go-to exercises are the T-spine cat-cow & open book.
T-spine cat-cow
What that looks like:
Get into a tabletop position with your knees under your hips & wrists under your shoulders
From here, push your hips back to sit into your heels (this will also mean your wrists are now in front of your shoulders, not directly under)
Push your hands into the floor and gently round your mid-upper back (this is the “cat” part)
Hold this position for a few seconds
Slowly drop your chest to arch your mid-upper back (this is the “cow” part)
Hold this position for a few seconds and then repeat this cat-cow a few more times
Open book
What that looks like:
Lay on your side on the floor with your knees & hips bent to 90°, knees stacked on to pot one another & directly in line with your hips
Extend your arms out to the side with your hands in line with your shoulders & arms stacked on top of one another
Take your top hand and open up your chest to the ceiling by bring the back of your hand to the floor on the other side of you
Hold this “open book” position for a few moments and then reverse that movement to get back to the starting position
Repeat this a few times on each side
Opening the thoracic spine will be helpful in arching the back in the bench press and helping you get into a comfortable & stable position to execute your reps.
Honorable mention: Half-kneeling wall chest opener
Shoulder prep:
A simple shoulder-focused movement I like to use is the inchworm.
To execute an inchworm:
Start standing and reach down to your feet
From this toe-touch position, place your hands on the floor slightly in front of you (bend your knees as you need to in order to get into this position)
Slowly “step” one hand in in front of the other as you would step your feet
Continue “walking” your hands out until you get into a tall plank position with your hands under your shoulders
From here you can either add a push-up (on toes or knees) or begin slowly “walking” your hands back to your feet to go back to your starting position
Continue “walking” your hands out & back for reps to warm-up your shoulders
Be sure to take this movement slow & not rush your “walking” out & back with your hands. We want this to “wake-up” your shoulders & get you feeling more comfortable with your shoulder joints taking pressure & force.
Honorable mentions: Scapular push-up, scapular ITYWs, band pull-aparts
Hip mobility:
If you notice tension in your hips while benching, it’s a good idea to include something like a hip airplane in your warm-up.
This can be done assisted or unassisted;
For assisted you can place your hands on a racked bar, sturdy chair or using another form of balance aid you have access to. For unassisted, your hands will be free throughout this exercise.
Start with feet about shoulder width apart, push your hips back to get into a hinged position
Slowly lift one foot off of the floor & extend that leg back behind you, aiming to keep it in line with your hip joint & not off to the side
Hold this position with one leg up, if you feel comfortable enough you can try reaching out in front of your with your arms or reaching your arms out to your sides
If you still feel comfortable & in control, slowly rotate your hips to open up to the side & try to “stack” your hips on top of each other
Hold this top position as you’re able to
Slowly rotate your hips back to a position squared to the floor
Slowly lower your lifted leg back to the floor & come back to standing
Repeat on both sides
Working any type of hip airplane (assisted, unassisted, rotating open, staying square, etc.) will bring your hips through a range of positions & prime them as you arch your back in your bench.
Honorable mentions: Standing hip CARS, half-kneeling hip extension
Warm-up sets
Adding in a few warm-up sets for your bench day can help you build smoothly into your working loads, physically and mentally. Depending on the load gap between your warm-up & working sets you might only need 1 or 2 sets… or you might want 3 or 4!
When it comes to warm-up sets think slow & steady. Increase weight incrementally & try not to make a huge jump (typically it’s suggested to add 5-10# between sets). Even though warm-up sets will be lighter loads & ones you’re very comfortable with, make sure you’re still taking your full rest times so you don’t carry over any fatigue into your working sets!
Remember: Warm-up sets should leave you feeling more & more confident, not more and more tired.
put it together;
Bench essentials-only warm-up
5-10 mins full-body movement of your choice (& includes arm movement)
2-3 rounds (rest as needed or ~30s between exercises & rounds):
T-spine cat-cow & open book;
2 sets, 3 reps with pausesInchworm (with or without push-up); 3-5 walkouts
hip airplane; 2 sets, 3 rep each side, 3-5s hold each rep
1-3 warm-up sets @ RPE 5, 6, 7
And there you have it!
A full warm-up for your bench day that checks the necessities & gets you ready to go.
Drop your questions in the comments!
Hey, I’m Kirsi!
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