When your bench dies in the top half, the board press is one of the oldest and most reliable fixes in the game. It lets you handle heavier weight through the part of the press where you are weakest, the lockout, and it teaches you to grind through that range.
What a Board Press Is
A board press is exactly what it sounds like. A board, or a stack of boards, sits on your chest and the bar touches the board instead of your body. That shortens the range of motion and lets you train the top portion of the lift with more weight than you could press from a full stretch. A single board hits just below the midpoint, more boards raise the start higher toward lockout.
Why It Works for Lockout
Your triceps drive the lockout. The board press overloads that range so your triceps and your nervous system get used to handling heavier weight at the top. Over time that builds the strength to push through a stall point that used to bury you. It also builds confidence under heavier loads, which matters more than lifters admit.
How to Program It
Use the board press as a heavy supplemental lift on your bench day or a second bench day. Work it for low to moderate reps with weight that challenges your lockout. Lower the bar to the board under control, let it settle for a beat so you are not bouncing, then press. The dead stop on the board is where the strength is built. Pick a board height that targets your specific sticking point.
The board press is a lockout builder, plain and simple. If the top of your bench is where the bar slows and stops, this is one of the best tools you can add.