The Bench Press is probably the most popular barbell exercise in every gym. It’s an excellent upper body exercise for developing your…
- Chest muscles
- Triceps
- Deltoids
The bench press can be performed with both a barbell and dumbbells. This tutorial will be focused on using the barbell.
Download this video to your iPod (right click and hit “Save Link As”)
About the Bench Press
Proper Bench Press Form
To perform the Bench Press...- Lay on the bench and make sure the bar is at proper height. A bar that is too high above the bench will make it hard to rack which is very unsafe and could lead to serious injury.
- Put your back on the bench and feet on the ground. Start with your arms about 25 inches apart or so. The hand placement will vary, just find something that is comfortable. Make sure to grip the bar with your thumb around the bar. Don't use a thumbless grip.
- Bring the bar out and slowly lower it to your chest at about nipple height.
- Once it touches your chest, push back up making sure to keep your butt on the bench and your feet on the floor. Lock your arms all the way out at the top.
Common Bench Press Mistakes
- Bringing your feet off the floor - Your feet should stay on the floor at all times when bench pressing. This is usually a common mistake when you are lifting a weight that is very heavy for you.
- Bringing your butt off the bench - This is a major trap that many people fall into when benching. When you arch your back, your butt comes off the bench and you are putting a lot of excess stress on your body that can lead to injury.
- Short range of motion - Make sure you are going all the way down to your chest and pushing the bar all the way up. Shorting the range of motion is keeping you from getting the full benefit of the lift!
Where do I start if I'm a beginner? (weights, reps, sets)
As a beginner you should practice bench pressing with just the barbell. If a barbell is too heavy for you, try to use a broomstick or dumbbells. To start the bench press we're going to work in a high rep range so that you can learn the movement and ingrain it in your system. Start with...
- Barbell (or broomstick)
- 3 sets
- 12 reps
I’ve always found this exercise the most difficult to execute properly and still am not doing it correctly. But thanks to this guide, I now believe that I can perform the exercise in its true form and finally get the concentration of the pecs that I’m currently lacking.
hello dudes.
good website and good instructions
i never lock my arms out all the way, i like to keep the tension on so i keep it in a gentle bent.
holla
Whay do you recomend 12 reps for people who wants to get strong in the bench? Everybody who know power lifting prinsips know that 3 x 3 where you train with 90-95 % of your max is what make you strong…
@ Ali – we don’t recommend 12 reps for people trying to build strength. If you read the title of that section we say that 12 reps is a good place to start for beginners (someone who has never benched before)
12 reps helps them ingrain the motion for a few weeks before we move them to a strength routine like 5×5.
Thanks for the comment, you should comment more often as you seem to know a lot about strength training. I like having these discussions with knowledgeable folks…
-Vic
Hi Vic
I’ve just started doing the bench press and have a question. When I am at the top of the press, should the bar be over my chest or slightly over my head? I’ve read elsewhere that the motion when you push up is that of an upside down “J”. When I bench press I tend to push straight up, I don’t curve. Which is correct?
@Lynne: I personally teach the movement as straight up. But I’ve heard others teach it with the almost curving motion that you speak of. Stay tuned as we are close to finishing filming for an instructional DVD covering all of the major barbell exercises, with Pro-Powerlifter AJ Roberts doing the instructions for the deadlift, squat, and bench press.
Can you add a sub-section on close grips? Since this website seems to be dedicated to functional lifting (as every place should IMO), what better way to attack the tris and bis then by doing close grips. I just yesterday was shown how and why I was doing them all wrong. I was doing them just like a bench press but with my hands close together. The trainer told me to keep my elbows in and push up and out towards my stomach. It changed the way the lift feels, it gets at my tris way more, and puts less stress on my shoulders and forearms.
I’m not so sure I’m with you on the functionality of the close grip bench press. But I’m always open to learning. I do occasionally hit the close hand push ups, so really what’s the difference? Maybe you’re on to something here. . .
i’ve read other places that you should pinch your shoulder blades together while doing a bench press? is this true?
what about bouncing the bar off your chest. I witness people bouncing the bar at the bottom off their chest. I know this is incorrect, what damage if any can it do and I bench so that the bar just kisses my chest. Give me some feedback please.