Stop crashing into the bottom of every rep.
Walk into any commercial gym and you'll see it immediately.
They lower the bar nice and slow, then right as they get to their chest, they bounce the bar off their chest.
These people are usually pretty strong, but the problem is they have no control at the bottom of the lift.
And if you ever plan on competing in powerlifting, or simply want a better bench press and a less bruised chest, then you have to stop with this technique.
Here's the fix.
Take a piece of paper and lightly fold it. Don't crease it. Have a training partner place it on your chest where the bar normally touches.
Now bring the bar down and lightly touch the paper before pressing.
The goal isn't to smash the paper. The goal is to touch it without crinkling it.
This works because you're getting two forms of feedback at once. You can feel the paper, and you'll hear it if you screw it up. If the paper crumples, you did it wrong.
Over time, this teaches you to stay tight, control the descent, and own the bottom position instead of crashing into it. Once you've mastered that, remove the paper and gradually increase the speed of your descent while maintaining the same level of control.
That's how you build a stronger, more transferable bench press.
