The Milko Bench Press For Core Stability

Recently, I’ve discovered a unique core stability drill from strength coach Milko Georgiev who coaches Karlos Nasar, one of the best weightlifters in the world today. This exercise requires you to stiffen the lumbar spine and keep the lower back flush against a bench while executing an upper body twist and punch. It activates your anterior abdominal muscles like crazy to lock your spine in place, and teaches essential movement coordination of lumbar stability with thoracic spine and upper body movement (engages the serratus anterior well with the punching motion).

For most, this exercise will be very difficult. Therefore, we have to build the pattern up from scratch. Here is the exact sequence of steps that Milko recommends you should master first.

To teach the correct bracing technique, it is important to stop the hip flexors from taking over and pulling the spine into extension. We regress to the floor using the principles of a Janda sit-up from renowned neurologist, physical therapist, clinician, and researcher Vladimir Janda.

Start by Driving your heels down into the ground while you create a slight posterior pelvic tilt, flattening your lumbar spine to the floor. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core before then lifting your shoulder blades off the floor with arms straight up to the sky.

This is different than a traditional sit up where the lumbar spine continues to flex as the upper body lifts and curls forward off the ground – the idea with this variation is learn how to lock the low back and just lift the upper back. Now because the spine is flexing slightly to move to this position and then being locked in place, it’s not right for everyone (such as those currently dealing with back pain due to a flexion intolerance where spine bending triggers pain).

Once the bracing and lumbo-pelvic positioning is established, we then move to a bench for step two. Place a stack of weight plates under each foot to maintain the pelvic tilt achieved on the floor in step one, push your chest out from the bench to create leverage. But do not push so far that your lower back lifts, this is a strict rule. Once you are in position, perform an unweighted upper-body twist from the shoulders while concentrating hard to keep your lower back fully in contact with the bench. This exercise teaches crucial thoracic movement while demanding absolute lumbar stability. This means you shouldn’t see the lower back move once set in place.

Next, decrease the plate height or remove the plates if you have good hip mobility. We’re going to find the optimal pressing stance. Start by pushing your chest further out off the bench until your feet naturally lift off the ground. This determines the optimal placement of the feet, pelvis and chest.

With your feet at that stance placement, we’re going to introduce an asymmetrical load to provoke a twist in the core. You must work hard to counteract this destabilization pressure in the upper body by seeking support from the opposite leg of the weight (either by hooking your foot under a heavy dumbbell or driving the foot into the floor with the help of a friend). This activates the body’s longest kinetic chain, connecting the pressing arm diagonally across the abdominal wall to the stabilizing foot.

Now for those wanting an even greater challenge – Milko took his bench press even further. The ultimate challenge is to then turn the static foot anchor into an active counterbalance. Lifting your legs from the floor heavily recruits the hip flexors which mechanically try to pull the pelvis forward and arch the back. This increases the demand on the athlete to maintain core stiffness to support the lower back.

Once you can successfully perform the unweighted version with knees bent – increase the difficulty with straighter legs. Now you’re fighting a massive extension moment so you’ll feel your anterior core working like crazy.

Eventually the last progression is to add a light weight to one hand and a kettlebell counterbalanced on the opposite leg. If you can successfully hold this dynamic counterbalance with their back glued to the pad during the thoracic spine twist, you have mastered the lumbo-pelvic control required to execute the full Milko bench press.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Until next time,