How to do the bench press
The bench press is a full-body lift that happens to be done lying down. The bar moves because your chest and triceps push it, but how much you can push depends on how stable your back, shoulders and feet are underneath you.
- Type
- Lift
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- Barbell, Bench, and Rack
- Works
- Chest and Triceps
- Also worked
- Front deltoids, Lats, and Upper back
- Also called
- Barbell Bench Press and Flat Bench
Set up
- Lie down so your eyes are directly under the bar, and set your feet flat and wide enough that you can push through them.
- Pull your shoulder blades together and down into the bench and keep them there for every rep of the set.
- Grip so that at the bottom of the rep your forearms are vertical — for most people that is a little wider than shoulder width.
- Unrack by pushing the bar up and over until it sits above your shoulders, not above your face.
The rep
- Take a breath, brace, and lower the bar under control to somewhere between your nipples and the base of your sternum.
- Touch your chest without bouncing, keeping your elbows tucked to roughly 45 degrees from your torso.
- Press back up and slightly toward your head so the bar finishes over your shoulder joint.
- Lock out, breathe if you need to, and reset your brace before the next rep.
Cues that help
- Bend the bar: try to pull the ends of the bar apart, which engages your lats and stabilises the descent.
- Push yourself away from the bar rather than pushing the bar away from you.
- Heels down and pressure through the floor — leg drive is not cheating, it is part of the lift.
Common mistakes
Flaring the elbows straight out
Elbows at 90 degrees to your body puts the shoulder in its least stable position and is the fastest route to front-of-shoulder pain. Tuck to about 45 degrees.
Losing the upper back
If your shoulder blades unpin halfway through the set, the bench stops supporting you and you press off an unstable base. Reset between reps if you have to.
Benching alone at a true maximum
Use the safety pins or a spotter on anything you are not certain you can finish. There is no version of this lift where being pinned under the bar is a good outcome.
How to progress it
The bench press adds weight more slowly than the squat or deadlift — the muscles moving it are smaller. Expect 1 to 2.5 kg (2.5 to 5 lb) a week at best when you are new, and much less after that. Adding a rep to your top set is progress too, and it is the kind that is easy to miss unless you write it down.
How to track it
Log sets, reps and weight. Because bench progress is slow, the useful record is the trend across months rather than any one session — a chart of your top set over twelve weeks tells you far more than the last workout does.
Log your bench press
Opens the lift form with Bench Press already filled in. Free account, no card.
Bench Press questions
Why has my bench press stalled?
Usually one of three things — you are not eating or sleeping enough to recover, your setup is inconsistent from session to session, or your triceps and upper back are the limit rather than your chest. Fix the setup first, it is free.
Should the bar touch my chest every rep?
Yes, if your shoulders allow it. A consistent touch point is what makes reps comparable to each other. If touching hurts, shorten the range slightly rather than pressing through pain.
How wide should my grip be?
Wide enough that your forearms are vertical at the bottom. Wider shortens the range but stresses the shoulders more; narrower shifts work to the triceps.