How to Start Velocity-Based Training - Part 2
How to Test Your Bench Press Technique Using Velocity
You train hard. You follow your programme. But in some sessions, the bar flies off your chest, and in others, the same weight feels impossibly heavy.
Most lifters blame fatigue, sleep, or just having an off day. But there's often a simpler explanation: inconsistent technique.
Small shifts in bar path, elbow position, or leg drive happen without you noticing. Over time, these variations add up. The result is unpredictable performance and unreliable progress tracking.
Velocity-based training offers a way to measure this objectively, in just three reps.
The 3-Single Technical Execution Test
Next time you bench, try this simple protocol.
Load the bar to around 85% of your max. Something heavy enough to require effort, but comfortable enough that a single is not a grind. Use the same grip and setup each time. Perform three singles, resting two to three minutes between each rep to ensure full recovery. Record the velocity of every repetition.
That's it. Three numbers that tell you exactly how consistent your technique really is.
What Your Numbers Mean
Compare your three velocities and examine how much they vary.
If they're nearly identical, with less than 5% variation between them, your technical execution is excellent. Your movement pattern is locked in, and you can trust your velocity data moving forward.
If they vary a bit more, somewhere in the 5-10% range, your execution is good, but there's room for refinement. Keep working on technique while you progress.
If they're scattered all over the place with more than 10% variation, technique needs to become a priority before you worry about adding more weight. The inconsistency in your movement is limiting both your performance and the reliability of any data you collect.
Why This Matters for Your Training
Consistent technique is the foundation of velocity-based training. When your movement pattern varies from rep to rep, your velocity readings become unreliable. You cannot make good programming decisions from inconsistent data.
But there's a bigger benefit beyond data quality.
When your technique becomes truly automatic, something powerful happens. You stop dedicating mental energy to maintaining proper form. Instead, all that focus goes into one thing: driving the bar as hard and fast as possible.
This is how technical consistency translates directly into force production. The lifter with the locked-in technique can put everything they have into moving the weight, while the lifter who is still thinking about form has their attention split.
Start Testing Your Execution
The 3-single test takes less than ten minutes and requires no complicated maths. Just heavy singles, three velocity readings, and an honest look at how varied those numbers are.
If your velocities are consistent, brilliant. You've got a solid foundation to build on. If they're not, now you know where to focus your attention before chasing heavier weights.
Velocity Programming Mastery covers the complete technical execution protocol, including how to track your consistency over time and what to do when the numbers need improving.
Want the complete system?
This free guide covers the basics, but if you want the full methodology, including velocity profiling, fatigue management, periodisation, and competition preparation, my Velocity Programming Mastery course walks you through everything across 50+ video lessons.
It's the same system I used to develop multiple World Champions as GB IPF Head Coach, now available as a complete online course for £199.
