Leg drive is the source of confusion for many lifters. A lot of lifters know what it is, but struggle with how to do it.
I know, I had trouble with it for a long time.
Like a lot of lifters, I made the mistake of driving my heels straight through the floor, causing my legs to tighten, but my butt to pop right off the bench.
It took me a while, but I realized I had to find the right foot placement and drive my feet forward, like I was trying to poke holes through my shoes with my toes.
I had to stop pushing my heels straight through the ground and instead, push the floor to the wall in front of me, like I was trying to do a leg extension with my feet planted in the ground.
This drives your traps hard into the bench. If they weren’t firmly planted into the bench, your head would push back into your spotter or the wall behind you.
Leg drive creates tension through your entire body, making you completely immovable.
Leg drive allows you to setup tighter, maintain your tight setup so you’re not wobbling around or flattening out during the movement, and it gives you that extra spring off your chest to move more weight.
- Keep your feet flat on the ground. Drive your heels into the front of your shoes like you’re trying poke holes in them with your toes.
- Keep your glutes on the bench and tight, like you’re trying to crack a walnut between your butt cheeks.
- Do this from when you setup until you finish your set. You have to actively drive your feet into the front of your shoes the entire time!
Practice.
Every set use leg drive to setup as tight as possible. Have your coach or training partner slap your leg to see if they can move it. When you’ve really mastered it, you won’t budge at all!
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