Bench Press for Fighters and Grapplers: Technique That Spares the Shoulder

Jun 27, 2021

The bench press got a bad reputation with grapplers, and most of it is earned by bad technique and too much volume rather than by the lift itself. Done properly, it adds usable pressing strength that shows up on the mat and in the cage.

What it will not do is fix your shoulders. If your shoulders already hurt, the answer is not more benching — it is getting the technique honest, cutting the volume, and adding stability work.

Bench press setup and technique — coach Taylor Ramsdell.

How to do it

Seven points of contact on the bench: two feet, two glutes, two shoulder blades, and the head.
Slightly narrow grip — a wide grip is where most shoulder complaints start.
Pull the bar down to the chest rather than letting it drop.
Pause at the bottom and maintain tension. No bouncing.
Press up with speed.
Keep the elbows in tight.
Do not overextend the shoulders at the top of the movement.

Common mistakes

Flared elbows and a wide grip, which puts the shoulder in the worst possible position.
Pressing to failure every session. Grapplers do not need to. Leave reps in the tank.
Reaching the bar up at lockout and letting the shoulder blades come off the bench.
Benching heavy the week of a competition.

Sets and reps

Goal	Sets and reps	Notes
Strength	3–5 sets of 3–6	Stop two reps short of failure
Off-season volume	4 sets of 8	Moderate load, clean technique
Camp week	Skip it or 2 easy sets	Nothing heavy near a competition

Balance every pressing set with pulling. If you bench three sets, row or pull for at least three. Grapplers who only press end up with shoulders that hurt.

Where this fits

This is one movement out of a short list. The full set, organized by what each one fixes on the mat, is in the jiu-jitsu exercise library. For the structure around it — how many days, how to phase it around competition, how hard to push in a camp week — read BJJ strength and conditioning: the complete guide.

Questions

Does benching hurt your shoulders?

Bad benching does. A wide grip, flared elbows, and pressing to failure every week will do it. A narrow grip with tucked elbows and reasonable volume generally does not.

Is the bench even useful for jiu-jitsu?

It builds pressing strength that shows up when you are framing, posting, and pushing off. It is not the most specific lift you own, but it is a good general one.

Dumbbells instead?

Good option, especially if the barbell bothers your shoulders. You get more freedom of movement and a longer range.

Hands that hold on when the rest of you is done.

Start with the free Grappler’s Iron Hands 14-day challenge — hands, wrists, and forearms built to keep their grip deep into a hard roll. Or step into THE PHYSICAL GRAPPLER, built around mat-specific strength, grip, and conditioning.

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