Board Press

The board press is a partial-range bench press variation. Boards placed on your chest shorten the descent so you work mainly the top half of the press. It trains the triceps and chest, with support from the front deltoids, and is a common tool for improving lockout strength.

Lie flat on the bench so your eyes are under the bar. Grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders, feet planted on the floor, and your upper back set firmly into the pad. Have a partner hold one or more boards against your chest, or secure the boards with a strap, so the bar will touch them around mid-chest height.

Unrack the bar and hold it over your shoulders. Lower the bar under control until it meets the boards. Pause briefly while keeping your body tight, then press the bar straight up to full lockout. Keep each rep smooth and the bar path steady.

Take a big breath and brace your core before you lower the bar. Exhale after the bar passes the hardest point, or at lockout. To make the movement easier, use a thinner board or perform a pin press from a rack to set a fixed range. To make it harder, add another board or extend the pause on the boards.

Fault: Bouncing the bar off the boards. Fix: Lower under control, touch the boards lightly, and pause briefly so each rep starts from a dead stop instead of using momentum.

Fault: Flaring the elbows out too wide at the bottom. Fix: Keep your elbows tucked at roughly a 45- to 75-degree angle from your torso as you lower the bar, which keeps more stress on the triceps and chest.

Fault: Lifting the hips off the bench to drive the weight up. Fix: Keep your glutes pressed into the bench and your feet flat on the floor; use leg drive without raising your hips.