A 3-step guide to finding the perfect height for a bench press in order to most efficiently lift the heaviest weights in powerlifting.
Setting rack height for bench is crucial not just for lifting the most amount of weight, but also for keeping your shoulders in a safe position that will allow you to hold a strong retracted + depressed shoulder position.
Here’s the steps I recommend following to find your ideal rack height for a powerlifting bench press:
- Measure Arm Length – this will give you a rough starting point on where to set the j hooks relative to your bench height
- Set the J Hook Height – aim to have 1-2” of clearance from the hooks when you unrack, without compromising your shoulder position.
- Test the height – starting with your warmup weights, incrementally increase weight up to your working sets. You might need to set the hooks one setting lower as you approach working sets due to the extra weight “squishing” you down into the bench pad.
Adjustments + Considerations:
- Micro Adjustments: if you’re fortunate enough to train at a gym with racks that have “westside” spacing or even combo racks, you can fine tune your rack height in ~ 1 inch increments which makes precision even easier and will assist in finding the “perfect” height for your bench instead of needing to settle for something that is a bit too low/high
- Err Towards being too low – if you’re stuck between settings, it’s always better to be too low rather than too high.
- Spotter Assistance: If you’re stuck using a commercial bench with only 2 or 3 rack heights, you can ask a spotter to help with your liftoff and electing to set the bar on the position that is “too low” as opposed to “too high” since this a bar that is too high will always pull your shoulders out of position.
- Record + Adjust – Keep a training log of different racks you use and heights for easier and more rapid set up, once you have your baseline settings that you prefer.
- Bench Variations – different variants will often require different heights. A max grip bench will almost always require a lower rack height compared to a close grip bench press.
By paying attention to the details on how to set the correct j-hook height in your combo rack, bench rack or squat rack, you can improve performance and reduce injury risk in the bench press.
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