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chest

Barbell Bench Press

Lying on a flat bench, you lower a barbell to your chest and push it back up. The main chest-building exercise.

beginnerbarbellflat benchplates

Barbell Bench Press, start position
START
Barbell Bench Press, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START3
  1. Set the rack hooks so the bar sits a little below arm's length when you lie down.
  2. Load the same weight on each side and clip the plates on.
  3. Lie on the bench and slide up until your eyes are under the bar.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Lie on your back with your eyes directly under the bar.
  2. Plant both feet flat on the floor. Press your feet down lightly so your whole body feels planted.
  3. Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench. Imagine tucking them into your back pockets.
  4. Grab the bar a little wider than your shoulders, palms facing your feet.
  5. Lift the bar off the hooks and hold it straight above your chest, arms straight.

Check: The bar is directly above your shoulders, your wrists are straight, and your shoulder blades and hips are touching the bench.

Lower the bar

  1. Bend your elbows and lower the bar slowly toward your lower chest. Keep your elbows about halfway between your sides and straight out, not flared wide.
  2. Let the bar touch your chest lightly, just below your nipples.

Check: The bar rests lightly on your lower chest, your forearms point straight up, and your shoulders are still flat on the bench.

Push the bar up

  1. Push the bar straight up until your arms are almost straight. Think of pushing yourself away from the bar, not the bar away from you.

Check: The bar is back above your shoulders in the same spot you started from.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set, then guide the bar back onto the hooks before you relax your arms.

Breathe in as you lower the bar for 2 to 3 seconds; breathe out as you push it up in about 1 second.

MUSCLES WORKED
Barbell Bench Press: muscles worked, front view
Barbell Bench Press: muscles worked, back view

chestfront deltstriceps

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES4
  • Elbows flared straight out to the sides. Puts the strain on your shoulder joints instead of your chest. Fix: Tuck your elbows in to about halfway between your sides and straight out.
  • Bouncing the bar off your chest. Uses momentum instead of muscle and can bruise or injure your ribs. Fix: Pause for a moment with the bar touching your chest, then push.
  • Feet lifted or shuffling around. You lose stability and push less weight. Fix: Plant both feet flat and keep them still for the whole set.
  • Hips lifting off the bench. Turns the lift into a decline press and strains your lower back. Fix: Keep your buttocks on the bench; lower the weight if you cannot.
SAFETY3
  • Use a spotter or set the safety bars at chest height for heavy sets.
  • Wrap your thumbs around the bar; never use a thumbless grip.
  • Never rack the bar by lifting it toward your face. Push up, then move it back to the hooks with straight arms.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • flat bench · rack height: bar at arm's length when you lie down, so you can unrack it without straining
  • plates Same weight on both sides, clipped on.
RELATED EXERCISES

easier: dumbbell bench press, push ups, chest press machine

harder: close grip bench press

variants: incline barbell bench press, barbell declined bench press

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