How to Use a Bench Mat: Setup in Three Steps

A bench mat is simple, but there is a right way to use it and a few ways to get it slightly wrong. Here is the setup we teach, using the Odyssey Bench Mat as the example. The same steps apply to any lay-flat mat.

Step 1: Lay it where your upper back goes

Sit on the end of the bench, lie back as you normally would, and notice where your shoulder blades land. That is where the mat goes. Lay it flat on the pad centred on that spot. It should sit under your upper back and shoulder blades, not under your hips and not up by your head. If the mat is too low, your hips get the grip and your back still slides.

Smooth it flat with your hand. A mat that packs flat, like ours, lies flat straight out of the bag. If you have a mat that rolls, give it a minute to settle.

Step 2: Build your setup on top of it, once

Now set up exactly the way you always do. Feet planted, upper back squeezed into the mat, shoulders down and back, arch built. The difference is that you only need to do this once. Without a mat, most lifters re-set between reps because the back drifted. With a mat, the position you build before the first rep is the position you press from on the last one.

If your setup itself needs work, read our bench press setup guide first. The mat keeps a good setup in place. It does not create one.

Step 3: Drive with your legs and press

Unrack, take your breath, and drive your legs hard into the floor as you press. This is where you will feel the mat. On a bare bench, hard leg drive slides you toward the head of the bench. On the mat, your back stays put and the force goes into the bar. Many lifters find they can drive harder than they used to, because they are no longer holding back to avoid sliding.

Incline and dumbbell work

The mat works the same on an incline bench: lay it where your upper back meets the pad, set, drive. On flat or incline dumbbell press the mat does the same job, and it also stops the shuffle that happens when you kick the dumbbells up and land on the pad.

Common mistakes

• Mat too low. If you still slide, the mat is probably under your mid back. Move it up toward your shoulder blades.
• Mat on top of a towel. The mat grips the bench. A towel underneath it just slides on the vinyl. Put the mat straight on the pad.
• Loose chalk on the mat. Chalk dust is what makes any grip surface go slick. Keep block chalk off the mat and wipe it if some gets on.
• Re-setting every rep. You do not need to anymore. Set once, press the whole set.

Care

Wipe the mat with a damp cloth when it gets chalky or sweaty, let it dry, and put it back in the bag flat. That is it.

Before you buy one

If you have not got a mat yet, read how to choose a bench mat, or go straight to the Odyssey bench mats. Every one is backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee.