Kabuki Strength Articles and Free Education Tagged "Bench Press"

The Self-Unrack: Setup Tips For A Stronger Bench

January 06, 2023

A lot of people tend to give me a funky look when they see me doing self unracks, especially, with max weights. Let me start off by saying, if you have a great spotter to lift off for you, then totally do that. But bad handoffs happen fairly often and if you’ve gotten a bad hand off, then you know how hard it is to recover. After having noticed this problem, I had the best experience at 2016 USAPL nationals. I had a spotter named Eric Curry, and his lift off technique was literally the best I had ever seen or experienced. It was so remarkable that I jokingly told myself that I’d never let anyone lift off for me unless it was him. Soon after, I started practicing self-handoffs out of pure curiosity. In addition, I usually lift alone so I thought it would be beneficial to learn. With all that said, here are a few reasons why I think everyone, especially competitive powerlifters, should learn how to effectively and efficiently unrack the bar on their own (whether you decide to get handoffs or not).

The Greatest Feats Of Strength In 2016 | A Video Compilation

January 05, 2023

The year 2016 has been a monumental year for strength sports, with some previously “unbreakable” barriers being broken and incredible athletes pushing the boundary of what we thought to be humanly possible. Here is a compilation of what the editors at Kabuki Strength think are the greatest feats of strength from this year (so far). We hope you enjoy! (note that these are in no particular order)

The Kennelly Press – A Definitive Guide By The Bench Monster Himself

January 05, 2023

Ryan Kennelly is an American powerlifter who specializes in the bench press. He currently holds the World Powerlifting Organization (WPO) and has held the all-time world record in the assisted (geared) bench press with a lift of 1075.0 lbs (487.6 kg) from November 2008 until April 2013. This world record is classified as an equipped world record, meaning the lift is performed with the aid of a bench shirt. Kennelly has also bench pressed an unequipped 650.0 lbs (294.8 kg) in competition.

How Specialty Barbells Can Help You Improve Performance And Reduce Injury Risk

April 11, 2022

You ever ask yourself, what is the point of specialty bars? Especially if you powerlift, and in competition, you use a straight bar, so why shouldn’t you keep training as specific as possible and only train with a straight bar? In this article we’re going to talk about why utilizing specialty bars can be the right move when trying to improve performance and reduce injury risk.

Breathing and Bracing in the Bench Press

April 05, 2022

Just because you're creating a global arch with the bench press, doesn't mean that the rules change for the breathing and bracing mechanics. It's going to feel a little bit different because you're not in that completely stacked position. However, when you're set up in your optimal global arch, the trunk still doesn't move, we shouldn't be seeing differences in spinal position in the mid-movement, and for the reason of trunk stability, the rules around breathing and bracing still apply.

Leg Drive in the Bench Press

April 04, 2022

Bench Press