Spoto Press
by: Josh Bryant
BJ Whitehead executing the Spoto Press in 2015
“Breathe in, breathe out” might work for your neighborhood Planet Fitness “coach” on pizza night, but if you want a bench press stronger than Doctor Bushwacker’s hillbilly horsepower moonshine, you need to get tighter than a Waffle House parking lot on a Saturday night. Any loss of tightness means less tension pushing that barbell from point A to point B with all your might.
One exercise that nails this tightness is the Spoto Press.
Over a decade ago, videos starting surfacing of a former Las Vegas arm wrestling champion hoisting ridiculous weights in the bench press. Soon, he would go on to set the all-time world record bench press raw with a huge 722 pounds. This mystery man was none other than the amazing Eric Spoto.
Spoto was tight, explosive and handled these monstrous poundages with what appeared to be ease. The only criticism “keyboard warriors” routinely made of Eric’s bench presses were he never quite touched his chest. He would stop the barbell an inch or two off his chest then hoist the weight back up. Some pundits expressed there is no way he would do well with a full range of motion in a meet.
Obviously, the naysayers were shut up and history was made with the biggest raw bench press of all-time. The learning curve was virtually non-existent.
LESSON LEARNED
Watching Spoto lift and seeing how amazingly tight he would get, I knew this movement had value. I was fortunate enough to experiment with this movement on lifters I coached, from Julius Maddox and Jeremy Hoornstra to Tom Haviland, who prefers this method for strength over a traditional bench press. The results were outstanding!
The lift forced tightness and built hellacious bottom-end pressing power, and that power is the name of the game when it comes to the raw bench press.
WHAT IS A SPOTO PRESS?
The movement is like the paused bench press on steroids!
However, there is one important distinction. Instead of pausing the barbell on the chest, the barbell is paused for approximately one second one to two inches off the chest.
Because the weight is levitating over your chest in open air, you have to stay tight, commanding complete control of the barbell and maximizing muscular tension.
Because of the increased time under tension, you will not be able to lift as much weight as you could pausing the barbell on your chest.
Key Spoto Press Points:
Purpose: This bad boy enhances the bottom portion of the bench press, building chest and pushing strength like a backwoods bulldozer.
Execution: Pause that barbell for about one second one to two inches off the chest, letting the weight hover like a rattlesnake ready to strike.
Benefits: Increases time under tension, builds hellacious bottom-end pressing power, and focuses on muscle overload.
Effectiveness: Use it as an accessory movement to help lifters blast through that pesky midway sticking point in their bench press.
Programming: Cycle it in training for 3-6 weeks at a time. For strength, hit 1-5 reps; for hypertrophy, go for 5-10 reps, doing 2-3 sets.
Variations: Perform the Spoto Press with different inclines to target specific sticking points or weaknesses. Adjust it like tuning an old radio for the perfect station.
Challenging Nature: Start with 10-20% less than your traditional bench press in the same rep range. This exercise will humble you real quick.
Versatility: This exercise can be effectively used with bands and chains, adding an extra layer of resistance and challenge.
Supplemental: It’s another tool to get better at the bench press, the king of all exercises. Remember, the Spoto Press is a supplement to the bench press, not a substitute.
Final Thoughts:
The Spoto Press will boost your pressing power and help you achieve your goals, whether it’s getting on the powerlifting stage, bodybuilding stage, Chippendales stage, or any stage in between. Add it to your training arsenal and watch your bench press—and overall strength—soar to new heights.
Bench press more with Josh’s 8 Week Overload Program HERE.
