A strong bench press starts before the bar moves. The lifters who press the most are not the ones with the biggest arch; they are the ones whose setup does not change from rep one to rep five. Here is a checklist you can run in any gym.

1. Position on the bench

Lie down so your eyes are roughly under the bar. Too far toward your feet and you will hit the uprights on the way up; too far the other way and the unrack pulls you out of position.

2. Anchor the upper back

Pull your shoulder blades down and back, then push them into the pad. This is the anchor for everything else. The upper back is what leg drive pushes against, and if it moves, the whole setup moves with it.

3. Set the feet last

Only once the back is locked in do you plant your feet. Flat or on the toes is your call and your federation's rules, but the feet should be somewhere you can drive from without your hips lifting.

4. Grip and unrack

Take your grip, squeeze the bar, and have a spotter or use a controlled unrack so you do not lose the upper back position pulling the bar out. Let the bar settle over your shoulders before you start the first rep.

5. Leg drive

Leg drive is a push through the floor that travels up through your hips and into your upper back. It should make you tighter, not move you. If leg drive slides you up the bench, the anchor is not holding; see why lifters slide on the bench.

6. Stay tight between reps

Do not relax at the top. Breathe, brace, and keep the shoulder blades pinned. Every rep should start from the same place the last one ended.

Same setup, every gym

Bench pads are not standardised. Some are grippy, most are slick vinyl, and a slick pad quietly undoes steps two through six. The Odyssey Bench Mat is a purpose-built grip surface you lay on the pad under your upper back so the setup you build stays where you put it, in every gym you train in. Advanced Grip Polymer construction, works on flat barbell bench, incline dumbbell press and flat dumbbell press, packs flat in a gym bag, and tested by 700 lb+ benchers.

For your hands, a small amount of Odyssey Liquid Chalk gives a dry, even grip on the bar without a chalk cloud. Every mat ships with one free. Odyssey Products, Ottawa, Canada.