Pressing & Triceps Exercise Library
Build a pressing option around a defined task.
Fifteen competition, developmental and preparatory movements. PCS separates the exercise from the effort method: the same variation can serve different purposes, but the dose and technical standard must match the assignment. Keep full-range bench practice when bench performance is the goal.
PCS classes, methods, phases & selection rules → · Comprehensive Bench Press Guide →
Browse: competition · long pause · close grip · Spoto · floor · pins · boards · incline · dumbbells · overhead · push-ups · JM · extensions · pushdowns · lateral raises.
01 / Competition Paused Bench Press
PCS role: CE · skill practice, HE, DE or justified ME
Equipment: Bench, bar, rack and safeties; competent spotter for challenging work
Purpose: Preserve the actual performance task and direct anchor.
Execution: Set feet and upper back, take a controlled handoff, lower to the intended touch, settle the pause, press, and finish commands before racking.
Watch for: Changing the touch or pause as load rises, losing the setup during handoff, or comparing touch-and-go numbers with paused work.
Progress & verify: Keep grip, equipment and pause conditions comparable. Use a planned effort ceiling and verify the same legal repetition over time.
02 / Long-Pause Bench Press
PCS role: SDE · technical or positional work, HE or RE
Equipment: Bench and rack with suitable safeguards
Purpose: Practice sustained control at the touch and the restart.
Execution: Use your normal setup and hold the assigned pause with the bar settled and the body position maintained. Press without a sink-and-heave strategy.
Watch for: Counting faster as fatigue rises, releasing tension during the pause, or expecting normal bench loads.
Progress & verify: Record the duration and execution rule. Build consistent repetitions, then check ordinary competition-pause control.
03 / Close-Grip Bench Press
PCS role: SDE · HE or RE; DE when task remains repeatable
Equipment: Bench, barbell and suitable safeguards
Purpose: Alter pressing mechanics while retaining a recognizable bench task.
Execution: Use a moderately narrower grip than your competition grip, not automatically hands touching. Adjust touch and elbow path so the load remains supported.
Watch for: Extreme narrowing that destabilizes the wrists, copying the old touch point despite altered forearms, or allowing buttocks to lift.
Progress & verify: Record actual hand position. Progress the defined variant and assess the intended resource alongside competition bench performance.
04 / Spoto Press
PCS role: SDE · positional control, HE or RE
Equipment: Bench, barbell and safeguards
Purpose: Maintain tension without chest contact.
Execution: Lower to a documented hover point just above the chest, pause under control, then press. Keep the same height and avoid turning the pause into a bounce through the air.
Watch for: Hovering progressively higher, drifting away from the intended path, or claiming the same number represents a competition bench.
Progress & verify: Standardize hover height and duration. Increase load only while control remains; retest touch and initial press in full-range benching.
05 / Barbell Floor Press
PCS role: SDE · HE or RE; justified ME for practiced lifters
Equipment: Level floor, appropriate rack setup and competent assistance
Purpose: Train pressing with the floor limiting the bottom range.
Execution: Set your upper back and secure grip, lower until the upper arms meet the floor under control, pause as assigned, then press. Define leg position and keep it consistent.
Watch for: Slamming the elbows into the floor, heaving with the hips, or expecting the exercise to train the missing bottom range.
Progress & verify: Record grip, leg position and pause. Progress the floor task and check whether the intended pressing improvement appears in the full bench.
06 / Pin Press / Dead Bench
PCS role: SDE · positional HE or controlled RE
Equipment: Bench inside a suitable rack with rated, level pins
Purpose: Train a selected press start or a controlled stop.
Execution: For dead-start work, settle the bar on the pins and establish tension before pressing. For lowered-to-pin reps, contact both pins deliberately and follow the assigned pause.
Watch for: Crashing into the pins, inconsistent heights, or mixing dead starts with rebounds in the same log.
Progress & verify: Record height and repetition style. Keep full-range bench practice and assess the specific target position.
07 / Board Press
PCS role: SDE · positional HE or RE; experienced overload
Equipment: Bench, secured board setup and competent helpers
Purpose: Limit the descent to a defined contact level.
Execution: Maintain the bench setup, lower under control to the stable board, then press without collapsing or bouncing into it. Westside’s teaching stresses disciplined contact.
Watch for: An unsecured board, sink-and-heave reps, or excessive load that changes the entire pressing strategy.
Progress & verify: Record actual board thickness, grip and touch style. Judge progress against full-range bench performance rather than equating records.
08 / Incline Barbell Press
PCS role: SPE; close developmental use depends on task · HE or RE
Equipment: Adjustable bench, rack and safeguards
Purpose: Change the pressing angle and upper-body demands.
Execution: Fix the incline setting, establish a stable setup and grip, lower to a repeatable supported touch, then press under control.
Watch for: Changing the bench angle, overextending the torso to make it nearly flat, or using flat-bench loading automatically.
Progress & verify: Log angle, grip and range. Track the intended pressing resource and competition bench response.
09 / Dumbbell Bench Press
PCS role: SPE · RE
Equipment: Bench and dumbbells; safe setup and exit plan
Purpose: Build pressing volume with independent implements.
Execution: Bring the dumbbells into position deliberately, establish upper-back support, lower through a controllable range, and press evenly. Use a grip you can tolerate.
Watch for: Going deeper after control is lost, losing one side during setup, or treating near-limit dumbbell attempts as mandatory bench preparation.
Progress & verify: Record bench angle, grip and range. Add consistent reps before the next dumbbell jump when useful; monitor bench-session readiness.
10 / Strict Overhead Press
PCS role: SPE · HE or RE
Equipment: Barbell or dumbbells, rack and overhead clearance
Purpose: Develop vertical pressing and trunk control.
Execution: Brace, press from the chosen start without leg drive, and finish in a stable overhead position. With a barbell, clear its path deliberately and keep the movement repeatable.
Watch for: Adding a knee dip to finish, leaning farther backward each rep, or changing from strict press to push press without relabeling the task.
Progress & verify: Track implement and range. Preserve the assigned reserve and assess whether shoulder/triceps work fits the wider pressing workload.
11 / Push-Up
PCS role: SPE or GPE by purpose · RE
Equipment: Floor or stable elevated hand support
Purpose: Provide scalable pressing volume and body control.
Execution: Set a consistent hand position and body line, lower through the assigned range, then press without the hips sagging or leading. Elevate the hands when needed to preserve control.
Watch for: Shrinking range, reaching with the head, or making every set a failure test.
Progress & verify: Record hand elevation and execution. Add reps, reduce elevation or add resistance one variable at a time; check pressing fatigue and control.
12 / JM Press
PCS role: SPE · controlled RE; learn before heavy loading
Equipment: Bench, barbell or appropriate implement and safeguards
Purpose: Use a distinct press/extension hybrid for triceps preparation.
Execution: JM Blakely’s teaching keeps the elbows high during a controlled descent toward the chin area, with the forearms approaching the upper arms, then extends to finish. Learn the linked demonstration with very light load rather than improvising a narrow bench to the throat.
Watch for: Elbows dropping into ordinary benching, forcing extra depth, rushing load increases, or continuing when elbow tolerance deteriorates.
Progress & verify: Keep the learned technique stable and increase conservatively. Record elbow response and bench transfer; the exercise is an option, not an obligatory PCS builder.
13 / Lying Triceps Extension
PCS role: SPE · RE
Equipment: Bench, dumbbells or suitable bar
Purpose: Train elbow-extension capacity directly.
Execution: Support the upper body, lower the implement through a controlled elbow bend in a chosen path, then extend. Keep the upper-arm strategy consistent.
Watch for: Dropping weight toward the face, changing into a press to finish unplanned reps, or forcing an intolerable elbow angle.
Progress & verify: Record implement and range. Improve controlled reps before load when needed and monitor how local fatigue affects benching.
14 / Cable / Band Pushdown
PCS role: SPE · RE
Equipment: Cable stack or inspected band and secure anchor
Purpose: Add adjustable triceps volume with a simple setup.
Execution: Set the attachment and stable torso position, extend the elbows, and control the return. With bands, check the anchor and avoid a line of recoil toward the face.
Watch for: Using a full-body shove, letting the elbows move unpredictably, or comparing different attachments and band lengths as one exercise.
Progress & verify: Log attachment or band setup. Progress repetitions, resistance or density only as prescribed, and keep the target action intact.
15 / Dumbbell / Cable Lateral Raise
PCS role: SPE or GPE by purpose · RE
Equipment: Dumbbells or cable setup
Purpose: Add shoulder muscular preparation without another heavy press.
Execution: Use a stable torso and manageable resistance, raise in a comfortable arm path, then lower deliberately. Keep the selected range and elbow bend consistent.
Watch for: Swinging the torso, shrugging to finish every rep, or increasing load while the useful movement disappears.
Progress & verify: Record setup and range. Build controlled volume within the plan and monitor shoulder tolerance and the overall pressing workload.
Use the Exercise to Serve the Lift
Write purpose, dose, allowable fatigue, evidence trigger, and next decision before adding work. Class and method tags are options, not a complete prescription. Introduce unfamiliar movements with manageable loads. Keep the competition task in view, and seek qualified help when symptoms or complex setups require it.
Independent Iron Brotherhood educational synthesis, aligned with PCS Draft 1.36. Source links provide additional coaching context; external coaches do not endorse this library. Reviewed October 2026.