Mastering the 225 Bench Press Test

Brijesh Patel, MA, CSCS
 

Tests are designed to be difficult and are used to measure your aptitude for a certain skill.  Tests aren’t meant to be tricky; If you study for your tests and truly understand the material you’ll be prepared to do well on the test.  Physical tests and academic tests aren’t that much different for each other.  If you want to do well on a math test, you study the material and work on extra problems to gain a level of familiarity.  If you want to master the 225 Bench Press test used at the NFL combine, you must study (work) and do extra work (exercises) to do perform at your peak.

The 225 Bench Press test is both a test of strength, and endurance.  For some athletes where 2-8 reps is the max reps, it is a test of strength.  For those who can perform greater than 10, it is a test of endurance.  So both strength qualities must be trained for in preparation for the test.  In the program the first day will be geared towards increasing bench press strength, while the second day will be geared towards increasing bench press endurance. 

The other key area for optimal performance is technique.  You have to set yourself up for success to achieve success, and setting up to bench correctly is a common error.  To bench press more weight, you need to be stable and use your lever system optimally.  I like to teach a power lifting style of bench press with a reduced emphasis on the arch.

Lie flat on the bench with a grip that is slightly wider than shoulder width apart.  Plant your feet firmly on the ground and pull them back so they are slightly under you (so you can use them to push down).  Arch your back slightly and pull your shoulder blades down and back so that your chest expands.  This is the key aspect in the technique.  You need to maintain this position throughout the exercise, because it increases stability as well as allowing you to use your lats, triceps, chest and shoulders more effectively.
 

                                          too much arch                            just the right amount

The Program

The following is a program to use 5 weeks prior to your test day.  I don’t typically like the 225 Bench test and don’t like to perform the same exercises twice a week, but since this is a specialization program, we’re going to bench press with a bar twice a week.

The ideal program should be 4 days of weight training in conjunction with speed training and some moderate conditioning.  You should perform two lower body training days along with the two upper body training days listed below.  The ideal split would be the following:

Monday – Lower Body Power/Speed Day
Tuesday – Upper Body Strength Day
Wednesday – Light Conditioning/Technique/Recovery Day

Thursday – Lower Body Strength Day

Friday – Upper Body Repetition Day
Saturday – Light Conditioning/Technique/Recovery Day

Upper Body Strength Day

*indicates 1 set of 5, 2 sets of 3, 3 sets of 3 rep cluster – 1 rep at a time with 20 sec rest between repetitions.
**indicates 1 set of 5, 2 sets of 3, 3 sets of 3 rep cluster, 3 sets of 1

Upper Body Repetition Day

Due to the heavy volume of pressing, extra scapular stabilization work should be done on lower body days…ie. Scap retraction, protraction, depression exercises. 

Make sure to use a foam roller your pecs, lats and thoracic spine to keep the tissue quality high and to prevent the chance of injury.  Also remember to include extra scapular stabilization and vertical pulling exercises on lower body days.  Please see a medical professional if you have any existing shoulder injuries.

Remember to train hard, eat well and recover.

Good luck!

©2004-20089 S B Coaches College, LLC.  All Rights Reserved