Barbell Bench Press

Muscles worked

How to do it

1. Lie flat on the bench with your eyes directly under the bar, planting your feet firmly on the floor.
2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width with a pronated grip and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
3. Take a deep breath in, brace your core tightly, and unrack the bar so it stabilizes directly over your shoulders.
4. Lower the bar under control to your mid-chest, keeping your elbows tucked at roughly a 45-degree angle to your torso.
5. Pause briefly when the bar lightly touches your chest without losing full body tension.
6. Drive your feet into the floor and press the bar back up to the starting position, exhaling near the top of the movement.
7. Fully extend your elbows to finish the repetition before beginning the next.

Equipment and setup

Flat bench, barbell, weight plates

Flat bench positioned securely inside a rack or bench press station.

Also known as: Flat Bench Press, Bench