caption: Quick tip about bar path on bench- the bar is not going straight down and up during the bench press. Unlike the squat and the deadlift where you're trying to keep the bar in as close to a vertical bar path as possible, that is not optimal for bench. As you can see in this video- I bring the bar down to touch the bottom of my sports bra and then I'm pushing back as I drive it up, which creates a pretty big angle. It is one of the most common mistakes I see new lifters (and some not so new lifters) doing on bench. You will keep a much stronger position through out your lift by maintaining that bar path.