Take Your Bench to a New Level With a Bench Sling

Bench press slings, what are they, how do we use one, and what are the benefits of doing so? These are the things we will look at during this next edition of my blog. 

Bench press slings also known as slingshots, are still largely an unknown entity among most of whom you will speak with in the gym.

They are used heavily amongst powerlifters and strength athletes but as of ‘yet’ hasn’t crossed over to that of the general gym goer. I say ‘yet’ as there a number of great benefactors to be had when using one. Those we will discuss over the next few paragraphs.

So firstly what is a bench sling? They are made out of an elasticated material, they are extremely durable and aim to improve performance, stability, plus your movement pattern whilst benching. You wear it by placing your arms tightly in two eyelets, it will cover the elbows, the main sling itself will sit across the chest. 

Upon commencing a ‘rep’, you will bring the barbell down to the chest normally under tension. The sling will then engage at the bottom of the eccentric phase, before giving you a slingshot like effect, assisting you in lifting the weight back to the top of the movement.

Bench Slings have been known to considerably improve strength across varying rep ranges. Not only whilst benching, they can also be utilised whilst using dumbbells, whilst performing dips, and press-ups to name but a few. They will however be predominantly used for benching and improving your bench press numbers. 

They assist in helping you move more weight, and in fact they have been known to give as much as a 25% increase to a 1RM (maximum repetition for one rep). The added weight you can use with the sling helps to aid with the ‘locking out’ part of the movement, it will also prepare you for using a much larger weight when lifting without a sling. 

They are also great when you are lacking a spotter or training partner, thus meaning you can still lift a reasonable weight with the added security from the sling. Other benefits include tightening up your bench’s fundamental movement pattern, making you more efficient whilst benching and for those coming back from injury, it can also help. 

Whether you’re goal is strength, hypertrophy or muscular endurance. A bench sling can play a big part in building a better, more rounded, stronger physique. Looking for a better 1RM or just to apply the progressive overload principle? a bench sling/slingshot is a great tool we can apply to achieve both.

David Clayton Charlesworth.