How to bench press

The bench press is an excellent exercise for training your chest muscles or pectoralis major. In addition it targets the triceps (brachii) and the deltoids. This exercise replicates a pushing movement and is quite effective to build upper body strength and muscle mass. Although it seems like a simple exercise, it is important you know how to bench press. What to keep in mind to minimize risk of injury and how to get the most out of it and maximize training results.

How to bench press instructions:

-Lie flat on a bench with your shoulders in front of the support rests.

-Grab the barbell wider than shoulder width, with an overhand grip.

-Lift the barbell out of the support rests and bring it with the arms almost fully extendedd above the upper chest.

-Lower the barbell to the chest or just above the chest depending on your shoulders’ range of motion and press it up again until the arms are almost completely straight. During this movement the elbows are lowered almost completely sideways.

-Repeat.

How to bench press safety tips:

-The back of the head, the upper back and the buttocks are in contact with the bench during the exercise.

-The rest of the body remains still.

-Don’t overarch the back during the exercise.

-Lower the bar until you can’t keep your shoulders in place anymore. If you lower it any further, and your shoulders start pointing upward you increase risk of shoulder injury. The range of motion depends on how flexible your shoulders are and you should not force it further.

How to bench press training tips:

Although the bench press is one of the most important exercises to develop the chest muscles, adding an incline (dumbbell or barbell) press and a dumbbell or cable fly will increase your upper body muscle mass even more.

See also:

-The most effective chest exercises

-Dumbbells vs barbells: Barbell Bench Press vs Dumbbell Press