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Bench Press

Difficulty: ⭐⭐ Intermediatepush

Home Setup

Use floor press variation with dumbbells or heavy objects

FloorYoga matHeavy booksWater jugsBackpack with weight

💡 Pro tip: Floor press eliminates need for bench and provides natural safety stop

Gym Setup

Flat bench with barbell rack or power rack

Safety: Always use safety bars or spotter, keep feet flat on floor, maintain 5 points of contact

💪 Muscles Worked

Pectoralis MajorAnterior DeltoidsTriceps BrachiiLatissimus DorsiSerratus Anterior

⭐ Why This Exercise?

The bench press is one of the three competition lifts in powerlifting and is essential for building maximal upper body pressing strength. It develops the chest, shoulders, and triceps while teaching full-body tension, leg drive, and technical precision required for competitive lifting.

Make It Easier

Regressions for building up strength

1. Dumbbell Bench Press

dumbbells + bench

Easier to control and bail safely

2. Floor Press

barbell + floor

Reduced range of motion and built-in safety

3. Machine Chest Press

chest press machine

Fixed path and easier to control

4. Push-up

bodyweight

Bodyweight variation to build foundation

Make It Harder

Progressions for advanced athletes

1. Incline Bench Press

barbell + incline bench + rack

Targets upper chest with different angle

2. Close-Grip Bench Press

barbell + bench + rack

Increases tricep involvement

3. Pause Bench Press

barbell + bench + rack

Eliminates stretch reflex, builds strength

4. Board Press

barbell + bench + rack + boards

Overload lockout portion

↕️ Similar Movements

Dumbbell Bench Press
Same pattern with independent arm movement
Incline Press
Upper chest emphasis variation
Overhead Press
Vertical pressing movement
Dips
Bodyweight horizontal/vertical push hybrid
Cable Fly
Isolation for chest muscles
Push-up
Bodyweight horizontal push pattern

Form Checklist

✓Retract and depress shoulder blades
✓Maintain arch in lower back
✓Bar path slightly diagonal toward face
✓Lower bar to mid-chest or nipple line
✓Drive feet into ground
✓Elbows at 45-75 degree angle from body
✓Grip width slightly wider than shoulders
✓Wrists stacked over elbows

Common Mistakes

  • •Bouncing bar off chest
  • •Lifting hips off bench
  • •Flaring elbows too wide (90 degrees)
  • •Uneven bar path or pressing
  • •Not touching chest
  • •Losing shoulder blade retraction
  • •Feet not planted firmly
  • •Gripping too wide or narrow

📈 When to Progress

When you can complete 3 sets of 8-10 reps with controlled tempo and perfect form, or when current weight feels significantly easier for 2 consecutive workouts