Barbell Bench Press

Lie on a flat bench with eyes roughly under the bar, feet planted, and a moderate arch. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width and set the shoulder blades back and down.

Unrack the bar and bring it over the lower chest. Lower under control until the bar touches or nearly touches the chest, then press back up until the elbows are extended without losing upper-back tightness.

• Keep the shoulder blades retracted against the bench throughout
• Lower the bar to the lower chest, not the neck
• Keep the forearms roughly vertical at the bottom

• Bouncing the bar off the chest
• Letting the elbows flare straight out to the sides
• Losing upper-back tightness at lockout

• Close-grip bench press
• Paused bench press
• Incline barbell bench press

No verified references have been added for this exercise yet. This section is awaiting review — nothing here is cited until a source is confirmed.