Bench pressing never gets old. It’s the exercise that gym bros pride their existence on. It’s the lift that can make your powerlifting total either impressive or just plain average. Even though it’s one grandfather of an exercise, strength athletes still struggle to find ways to increase their bench press.

Many elite powerlifters can deadlift cows and squat over 3 times their bodyweight, but bench pressing is most commonly the biggest weakness of the big 3. Anyone who’s dropped down a weight...