Ryan MacClellan can bench 405 pounds and he shared how to get your numbers higher as well.
One of the most common exercises that weightlifters want to improve upon is their bench press.
Whether you are a trained professional or just starting out, gym goers will focus on their bench numbers and look to blow them up quickly. Bodybuilder and champion powerlifter Ryan Maclellan shared how he was able to improve his bench press by 200 pounds in just one year.
“After I made that switch, it was a year’s worth of progress in three months. This is key if you’re serious about how to increase your bench press.”
[RELATED: The Basic Fundamentals of the Bench Press]
Maclellan, who is a champion bench presser, wanted to go from 225 pounds to 405 as quick as possible. He put together different techniques and workouts to accomplish this goal.
Ryan Maclellan Shares How to Improve Bench Press
Wide Grip
The biggest change Maclellan made was to his grip. He implemented a wide grip, which research shows can improve bench press by 5-10%. This decreases the range of motion of your lift.
“The rule of thumb is the wider you go, the more pec engagement you’ll experience. And the more narrow you go, the more tricep engagement you’ll experience. You kind of want to play to your strengths.”
Ached Back
The other tip is to arch your back when performing big lifts. Maclellan shares how he prepares for a lift, which includes focusing on your leg drive throughout.
“We want to start by sliding our feet back and make sure our shoulder blades are down and retracted. What we want to do from here is unpack by extending our elbows. Once the bar is over our chest, that’s when we bring the bar down and maintain our leg drive the entire time.”
Ryan Maclellan’s Workout Structure
Maclellan’s journey to 405 pounds might have been quick but it did not happen overnight. He begins with 30 minutes of warmups before hitting his max. Each set is treated as practice in order to get the most out of it.
The overall workout consists of three sections:
- Strength – These sets focus on heavy weight with low reps at full effort.
- Sticking Points – During the strength sessions, Maclellan finds his weaknesses and works to improve. He recommends other exercises such as dips and explosive bench to help improve.
- Hypertrophy – Maclellan will also add in iso movements used in bodybuilding to help strengthen the muscles. Needed to improve his bench.
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