13/06/2026
Breathing & Bracing for a Bigger Bench
One of the things I listen for when coaching clients is when they are breathing
We want as much tension, that means we want maximal intra abdominal pressure
We don’t want to release that air, because when you’re fighting for your life under the bar, you want all your pushing power
The two main mistakes I see are this
1. Letting the air out on the way down / at bottom
2. Letting the air out on the unrack
Personally, I teach hold your breath until the reps done
If you need to take another breath that cool, but do it at the top, and then re-engage the lats
This added 10kg to my 1RM - it’s surprisingly hard for people to get right, but when you do, you’ll feel it!