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This is exactly how to escape a botched bench press

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Doing bench presses on your own can be risky.
Doing bench presses on your own can be risky.

Want to avoid a botched bench press? If you insist on going solo at the bench, remove the collars from the bar. The risk of having to re-rack the bar if the weights slip is eclipsed by the potential benefit of saving your rib cage when your muscles give out.

Read more: 5 epic bench press fails

If you do find yourself failing, use your remaining strength to carefully lower the bar to your chest – but don’t let it rest there, or else you may injure your ribs.

Keep as much upward pressure going as you can so you aren’t crushed.

Inch your dominant hand toward the end of the barbell so that the weight gradually slides off the opposite end.

Read more: You need to do this exercise if you bench press a lot

As the one side of the bar dumps the weight, the unevenly weighted bar will quickly make the weights on the other side dump off as well.

Keep a firm grasp on the bar so it doesn’t rocket skyward.

Push the empty bar to the rack and breathe a sigh of relief.

Read more: You can use a bench to build bolder shoulders. Here’s how to do it

Next time you approach the bench, ask for a spotter! You don’t want to end up like this guy:

This article was originally published on www.mh.co.za

Image credit: iStock

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