The bench press is the ultimate benchmark of upper body strength. Though it seems simple, bench pressing involves many nuances that can make or break strength gains. In April 2025, elite strength coach Sebastian Oreb demystified his secrets behind building a big bench press, having learned from bench press record holder Kirill Sarychev.
During the tutorial, Oreb blends technique with physiology and personal insight to help others achieve big bench numbers.
Sebastian Oreb’s 10 Bench Press Tips
- Warm up with high reps.
- Scapular retraction and depression are crucial.
- Set feet under body on balls of feet for arch and drive.
- Place the bar over the mouth/chin, not the eyes.
- Flare elbows to stack under the bar for unracking and press.
- Hold your breath during bench press to stabilize.
- Rest longer between heavier sets.
- Add incline presses for angle variation.
- Build triceps with skull crushers.
- Avoid compound lifts to failure; isolations are okay.
[Related: Mitchell Hooper’s 3 Must-Know Strength Tips]
Warm-up Logic & Lat Function
Oreb prefaced bench press sessions by supersetting dumbbell chest presses and lat pulldowns, using light weights, high reps, and progressive weight. This prepares the shoulders to move through a full range of motion safely and comfortably.
Lat pulldowns reinforce shoulder positioning. Scapular retraction and depression are key elements of a strong bench press. The lats depress the scapula, allowing the shoulders to move freely and handle heavy loads. (1)(2)
I keep my shoulder blades back and down toward my back pockets.
—Sebastian Oreb
Strategic Setup, Bar Path, & Breathing
Proper bench press setup helps progression and injury prevention. Oreb advised placing the barbell in line with the mouth or chin rather than the eyes to prevent excessive reach.
The further back you travel, the more your shoulder blades have to come out of position.
—Sebastian Oreb
Foot placement is equally important. To arch the back and sets the shoulders:
Up on the balls of the feet to get leverage and push the heels downward.
—Sebastian Oreb
A common cue is shifting the elbows forward and sliding the bar off the pegs. While this might fly for light loads, it won’t for heavy sets. Instead, stack the elbows under the bar (flare the elbows) to engage the triceps and maintain this position during pressing.
Pulling the shoulders back and down creates natural external rotation, which naturally tucking the elbows.
—Sebastian Oreb
Proper setup creates an optimally curved bar path. Belly bracing helps maintain positioning and shortens the bar path.
I hold my breath for the whole set.
—Sebastian Oreb
Volume & Load Progression
Oreb structures his weekly sessions as twice per week — one day, light with high reps; one day, heavy with lower reps. On lighter days, he works up to two sets of 155 kilograms (341 pounds) for 10 reps in 20-kilogram increments. Heavy days are performed in lower rep ranges.
Oreb rests for 3-5 minutes between light sets and up to 10 minutes for heavy, low-rep days. Research shows that longer inter-set rest periods maximize recovery and performance. (3)(4)
- According to research, more frequent training sessions are better for strength gains and less important for hypertrophy.
[Related: Latest Meta-Analysis on Training Frequency for Hypertrophy]
Accessory Work and Triceps Development
To avoid redundancy, Oreb includes incline dumbbell chest presses or shoulder presses. Angle variety biases different muscles. For example, incline presses bias the upper chest better than flat presses. (5)
If all you do is compound pressing…you’re not getting the most out of the long head of the triceps.
—Sebastian Oreb
The triceps long head, which crosses the elbow and shoulder, is the largest and strongest triceps muscle. It plays an important role in pressing performance.
Maximizing long head size and strength requires completely stretching it via overhead movements. (6) Oreb addressed this with skull crushers, or lying triceps extensions, with a slight arm angle to maximize tension.
References
- Contemori S, Panichi R, Biscarini A. Effects of scapular retraction/protraction position and scapular elevation on shoulder girdle muscle activity during glenohumeral abduction. Hum Mov Sci. 2019 Apr;64:55-66. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2019.01.005. Epub 2019 Jan 16. PMID: 30660072.
- Solem-Bertoft E, Thuomas KA, Westerberg CE. The influence of scapular retraction and protraction on the width of the subacromial space. An MRI study. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1993 Nov;(296):99-103. PMID: 8222458.
- Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Skrepnik M, Davies TB, Mikulic P. Effects of Rest Interval Duration in Resistance Training on Measures of Muscular Strength: A Systematic Review. Sports Med. 2018 Jan;48(1):137-151. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0788-x. PMID: 28933024.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, Hester GM, Sellers J, Nooner JL, Schnaiter JA, Bond-Williams KE, Carter AS, Ross CL, Just BL, Henselmans M, Krieger JW. Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Jul;30(7):1805-12. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001272. PMID: 26605807.
- Rodríguez-Ridao D, Antequera-Vique JA, Martín-Fuentes I, Muyor JM. Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Oct 8;17(19):7339. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17197339. PMID: 33049982; PMCID: PMC7579505.
- Maeo S, Wu Y, Huang M, Sakurai H, Kusagawa Y, Sugiyama T, Kanehisa H, Isaka T. Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023 Jul;23(7):1240-1250. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35819335.
Featured image: @australianstrengthcoach on Instagram
