Top 5 Accessory Movements for a Massive Bench (That Actually Work)

Summary by Krater

A fitness coach outlines five bench press accessory movements—long pause bench, pin press, close-grip bench, feet-up bench, and overloading with boards, bands, or chains—and provides programming recommendations for each to overcome specific plateaus.

From the video

Answers: What are the best bench press accessory exercises to increase strength?

• Bench press accessories
• Long pause bench press
• Pin press
• Close grip bench press
• Feet up bench press
• Overloading bench press

Exercises

• long pause bench press · barbell · no more than 4 reps, no less than 7 RPE
• pin press bench · barbell · low reps, high RPE
• close grip bench press · barbell · 8-12 reps
• feet up bench press · barbell · 4-6 reps
• overloading bench press · barbell · 4+ reps

What it concludes

• Long pause bench press improves strength in the bottom position and breaking inertia.
• Pin press helps when your sticking point is initiating the press out of the pause.
• Close-grip bench press builds triceps and front delts, and is a great tool for lower rep ranges and higher intensities.
• Feet-up bench press removes legs and feet from the equation, forcing the upper body to do all the stabilizing work and providing a pseudo-deficit bench.
• Boards, bands, and chains are great overloading tools to get stronger overall, protect joints, and build stability.