Most everyone who goes to the gym enjoys bench pressing.

And while it’s an awesome exercise for developing upper body strength, at the same time, it can really beat some people up.

Sometimes it’s is the shoulders.

Sometimes it’s the elbows.

And sometimes, it’s the lower back.

But in the words of Roberto Duran, “No mas!”

In this short video, I give you several techniques that you can use right now, today, to alleviate lower back pain when you bench press.

Here we go!

Now that you’ve watched the video, here are a few quick notes and reminders:

• Elevate the feet. This is the simplest part of the equation – when you get the feet off the ground, you naturally reduce the arch in the lower back. In many cases, this step alone will reduce lower back pain and allow you to press pain-free.
• Find the hammies. Finding the hammies is another way to reduce that arch in the lower back. If your feet are on the bench, think about finding the heeling and gently “pulling” the heels back towards your body.
• Keep the back flat throughout. Often when the weight gets heavy, that’s when we try to arch and extend our body to move more weight. And while that’s fine if you’re trying to push max weights, if you’re trying to build strength while staying pain-free, then keep the back flat to the bench throughout.

And if the bench press just isn’t working, consider trying a floor press instead.

I sincerely hope this helps you get back in the gym and move those weights pain-free!

All the best,
MR