The Bench Problem
Why Your Bench Press Stalls — And Why It's Probably Not You
If you've benched for more than a few years, you know the pattern. Your squat climbs. Your deadlift climbs. Your bench crawls — and the day after a heavy session, your shoulders let you know about it.
Most lifters blame themselves. Bad genetics. Bad form. Getting older. I spent years asking a different question: what if it's the bench?
The Launch Pad® Gen II — a patented performance interface that installs on the bench you already own.
The one piece of equipment nobody ever questioned
Almost everything in the gym has been redesigned around the human body. Bars got better knurling and spin. Racks got safer. Shoes, belts, and machines all evolved. The flat bench? It's been essentially the same padded plank for most of a century.
Here's what that means mechanically: when you lie on a flat bench under load, the bench pins your shoulder blades against a rigid, flat surface. But pressing was never meant to happen with frozen shoulder blades. Your scapulae are designed to move — to glide and rotate as your arms travel. On a flat bench, the surface fights that motion on every rep.
A bar path built on a restricted foundation. Range of motion you can't use. Stress concentrated exactly where you don't want it.
What happens when you give your shoulder blades room
The Launch Pad® is a patented performance interface (US Pat. 12,115,411) that straps onto the bench you already own in about 60 seconds. Chamfered side panels give your shoulder blades room to move naturally. An adjustable lumbar support locks in a repeatable arch. A high-traction surface keeps you planted under heavy loads.
The chamfered side panels create room for the shoulders and upper arms to move — the core of the design.
We didn't stop at how it feels. We put it in front of university researchers — three separate published studies:
Acute Crossover Testing
In a single session, lifters pressing from the contoured interface showed — compared with a traditional flat bench:
- +24–27% pectoral muscle activation
- +17.5% faster mean bar velocity
- +15.8% greater pressing range of motion
4-Week Eccentric Overload Study
Under the same training protocol, the Launch Pad® group gained +40.6 lb on their 1RM versus +24.5 lb for the flat bench group — about 66% greater strength improvement.
8-Week Collegiate Football Study
In a randomized controlled trial with collegiate football players, the Launch Pad® group gained +42.7 lb of max strength versus +20.1 lb on the flat bench — roughly 2× the strength gain — while adding +7 reps vs +4 on the NFL-225 test.
Same lifters. Same programs. Different surface.
The people who saw it immediately
Division I strength staffs, doctors of physical therapy, and tactical program directors spotted what was happening faster than anyone — because they'd been coaching around the flat bench's limits for years.
"The Launch Pad® has been a tremendous benefit for our program, providing a natural pressing surface… Our quarterbacks, in particular, have benefited during both offseason and in-season training. Its ability to support better shoulder positioning makes it a must-have for any weight room."
— Josh Storms, CSCS, MSCCDirector of Football Strength & Conditioning, Florida State University
"It naturally teaches the points of contact and allows the shoulder blades to move a lot more freely. It allows us to put our athletes in better position, coach less, and focus on what really matters."
— JL HoldsworthStrength Coach
"The Launch Pad® helps place the shoulders and body in an optimal position when benching… It is also awesome at helping engage more motor units and muscle recruitment by allowing greater ranges of motion. While the focus is the bench press, it's extremely versatile — very easy and quick to set up and use."
— Dr. Zach Colls, PT, DPT, CSCS, USA-WCo-Owner, Movement Lab Sports Medicine · Partner, USA Sports Medicine
"The Launch Pad® put them in the correct position to be better. It's an outstanding piece of equipment!"
— Dr. Lavell Williams, CSCS, SCCC, MSCC, FMSTactical Air Control Party Program Director, United States Air Force
"It positions athletes optimally without the need for constant supervision during every rep… I intend to continue utilizing The Launch Pad® both personally and with my athletes."
— Chris Campbell, CSCSDirector of Strength and Conditioning, The University of Texas at El Paso
The adjustable lumbar system locks in a consistent, repeatable setup — every rep starts from the same place.
What The Launch Pad® is — and what it isn't
It's not a cushion, and it's not a medical device. It's a rigid, commercial-grade training tool: high-density polyurethane and anodized aluminum, built to hold its geometry under serious loads. Many users report improved shoulder comfort — but the reason to own it is performance: more usable range of motion, cleaner mechanics, and a setup you can repeat rep after rep.
Flat, incline, dumbbell work, rows, machine pressing — one pad covers the whole upper-body day.
Two honest things you should know before buying. First, there's an adjustment period — the new range of motion and contact points feel different for the first few sessions, and most lifters need to start lighter than usual for a week. That's not a flaw; that's the new range you didn't have before. Second, it's $357.99. That's not cheap for a pad — because it isn't one. It's a patented, university-studied upgrade to every bench you'll ever own, at a fraction of what a specialty bench costs.
Try it on your bench, risk-free
Every order includes The Launch Pad®, a tactical carrying backpack, two cam straps, and a lumbar adjustment pin.
Press from a better position — starting this week
Strap it to your bench, press on it for 30 days, and if it's not for you, send it back.
See The Launch Pad® →The Launch Pad® is a performance training product, not a medical device. Research findings describe average group results in published studies and do not guarantee individual outcomes. Expert quotes are excerpted from full testimonials.