If your bench dies right off the chest, the cambered bar is one of the best tools to fix it. It is a specialty barbell built to attack the exact spot where a lot of lifters fail, the bottom of the press. Used right, it builds strength in the hardest part of the lift.
What a Cambered Bar Does
A cambered bar has a bend in it that lets the bar travel lower than a straight bar would. That gives you a deeper range of motion and a bigger stretch at the bottom of the press. You spend more time loaded in the weakest position, which is exactly where you want the work if your bottom end is your problem.
How to Use It
Treat it as a supplemental press, not your main competition bench. Work it in for sets of moderate reps with controlled tempo, feeling the stretch at the bottom and pressing out of it under control. Because the range is longer, expect to use less weight than your normal bench. That is the point. You are buying strength in a tougher position, not chasing a bigger number on the bar.
Who It Helps Most
The cambered bar shines for lifters who are strong at lockout but stall the moment the bar leaves their chest. If that is you, a block of cambered bar work can carry over to a stronger, more confident bottom on your regular bench. Go easy on the range at first, since the deeper stretch can be hard on the shoulders if you rush it. Build into it.
The cambered bar is a specialty tool for a specific problem. If the bottom of your bench is your weak spot, it earns a place in your training. If your lockout is the issue, look to boards and pins instead.