Tips to Stop Sliding on Bench

I working out at the school gym because I can’t shell out the cash at the moment to train at a gym that better suits my needs.

One problem I’m having is that on the bench, I’m having a lot of trouble working into a strong solid tight arch because the bench surface is so smooth. What can I do to try to overcome this? No, the gym doesn’t allow chalk.

Get a carpet runner from Home Depot (the thing that goes under a rug to keep it in place). Works like a charm.

Maybe try spaying the back of your shirt with water just to get it a little bit damp. Might help you stick… You could also just get more weight on the bar :stuck_out_tongue:

Wear a tshirt with a big label on the back.

Wear a weight belt when on the bench. Yeah, it’ll make you look like a gear whore, but you won’t slide.

carpet runner is the key. One of my mates trains in a university basement weight room [great place has all kinds of dope stuff but looks like total shit] where they have smooth worn well-loved linoleum. Since he’s a tall fuck and sumo DL’s he glued some of the carpet runner stuff to the bottom of his WLing shoes so his feet didn’t slide when he tried to “spread the floor” on Dl’s and Wide squats. He squeeks like a bitch if they get wet but other than that it’s a win.

-chris

If you have any jump stretch bands, just take two and place them lengthwise around the bench. That should do the trick.

chalk the bench

[quote]critietaeta wrote:
chalk the bench[/quote]

Thanks though.

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:
No, the gym doesn’t allow chalk.[/quote]

[quote]UAphenix wrote:
If you have any jump stretch bands, just take two and place them lengthwise around the bench. That should do the trick.[/quote]

Since I already have some mini bands from elitefts, I think I’ll start out with this approach. I just don’t want to pay for anything if I don’t have to. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll move on to the carpet runners.

Stickum…do it when noone is looking.

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]UAphenix wrote:
If you have any jump stretch bands, just take two and place them lengthwise around the bench. That should do the trick.[/quote]

Since I already have some mini bands from elitefts, I think I’ll start out with this approach. I just don’t want to pay for anything if I don’t have to. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll move on to the carpet runners.
[/quote]

Does your gym have those roll up gym mats in an aerobics room? If so those are made of a similar material to the carpet holder mats only they are solid. I found one in my old gym that was ripped and the staff let me cut a 18"x2’ section out of it to use for this purpose. I kept it in my gym bag. Maybe try go this route.
I’ve done the water on the shoulders trick but if it’s an older bench where it’s soaked up years of greasy mofo junk it may not work very well. Chalk works well but most gyms shit bricks at the sight of chalk. That Stickum spray trick is probably the best. It will make the greasiest bench tacky and a can will last forever. Plus you can spray it on the bottom of your shoes so that you’ll get wicked leg drive without slipping out. Can spray your palms when deadlifting. The shit is amazing. Just don’t get any on your thighs and do deads. You WILL lose skin…trust me.

My gym will ‘shit bricks’ if I pull equipment from the aerobics rooms into the weightlifting room and would do the same if i carried a bag into the gym… They also have the octa-plates so I’m not deadlifting for a month or so I don’t mess up my hips or lower back trying to pull those but that’s a different story. They won’t even let me do overhead presses with a barbell. The benches are very well maintained and seem fairly new. It’s just the cover over the padding is retardedly smooth. Maybe wetting the back of a t-shirt with a lot of print on the back will do the trick.

By the way, is stickum spray allowed during meets?

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:
My gym will ‘shit bricks’ if I pull equipment from the aerobics rooms into the weightlifting room and would do the same if i carried a bag into the gym… They also have the octa-plates so I’m not deadlifting for a month or so I don’t mess up my hips or lower back trying to pull those but that’s a different story. They won’t even let me do overhead presses with a barbell. The benches are very well maintained and seem fairly new. It’s just the cover over the padding is retardedly smooth. Maybe wetting the back of a t-shirt with a lot of print on the back will do the trick.

By the way, is stickum spray allowed during meets?[/quote]

I think you know what you need to do and that ain’t finding a way to not slip off the bench…it’s finding a new gym. Seriously, sounds like a real WASTE OF TIME THAT PLACE. If that’s your only option then your going to have to get creative. I say pony up $3-4 and buy one of those rug holder mats.Go by Lowes or Home depot, they are in the carpet section.

It’s just for a month or so until I get my student loans for Fall at which point I’ll be going back to the gym I was at. Not even a power rack. The atmosphere is terrible too. Just a total lack of gym etiquette. I’ve never even seen one person do a squat that would pass in any federation. I’m done ranting. Yeah, I completely agree, but I’m just going to have to make do at the moment.

Arch with your upper back instead of trying to just push yourself up into an arch with your feet.

you need shelving liner. I had THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. trust me go to target or costco and buy shelving liner. it works perfectly. i just lay it across the top of the bench where my shoulders will be and problem is solved. i always have a couple of sheets of it in my gymbag.

I have nothing to add to the thread, except to tell stronghold thanks for the tip. I keep forgetting and end up flat.

BB