How to Bench Press: Techniques, Benefits, Variations (2024)

The bench press is a compound upper-body exercise that builds increased strength and muscle development in the chest, shoulders, biceps, and triceps.

How to Perform the Bench Press

A standard flat bench can be used in place of a bench press rack, and you can perform bench presses with dumbbells or a barbell. Be sure to select the appropriate weight for you.

Lie on the bench, under the rack that holds the bar. Your eyes should be roughly aligned with the front of the barbell rack uprights. Your glutes, shoulders, and head are flat on the bench with a neutral spine. Your feet are flat on the floor and relatively wide apart.

1. Draw your shoulder blades down to avoid rounded shoulders.
2. Grasp the barbell using an overhand grip with your thumbs on the outside of your closed fist. Your arms are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and the angle of your upper arms is about 45 degrees to the body.
3. Remove the barbell from the rack, locking your elbows. (Don't move the bar in an arc from the rack directly to the chest position.)
4. Inhale while slowly lowering the bar just above your chest at the nipple line.
5. Exhale as you press the bar above your chest, extending your arms. Don't watch the bar; focus on the ceiling.
6. Lower the bar so it is just above your chest. This is the starting position for the next bench press.
   

Once you've finished your desired reps, place the bar on the rack. Move the bar backward gradually until you feel the rack uprights, then lower the bar to the barbell rest.

Don't try to hit the rack rests directly. If you miss, you can lose control, which can be dangerous.

Bench Press Benefits

The bench press is a compound exercise that involves the pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, and triceps brachii. It builds strength and encourages hypertrophy of these muscles.

Muscle growth is the target of bodybuilders, but everyone can benefit from muscle mass, which declines with age. The bench press is a functional exercise that helps you more easily perform daily activities that require pushing or carrying.

Bench presses help restore muscle balance for athletes who primarily use pulling muscles. This includes wrestlers, rock climbers, and swimmers. The barbell bench press, deadlift, and squat are competitive lifts in powerlifting.

Bench Press Variations

You can perform bench presses in a variety of ways to meet your fitness level and goals.

Partial Bench Press

If you have concerns about shoulder joint stability, don't lower the weight so far that the top of the arms falls below parallel. While you may not benefit from the full range of motion, this modification places less stress on the shoulder.

Varied Bench Press Grips

Once experienced with the bench press, vary the grip to work slightly different muscles. A wider grip increases the use of the pectorals, whereas a narrower grip will increase the use of the triceps.

Incline Bench Press

An additional bench press variation uses an incline bench. Lifting from an incline emphasizes the anterior deltoids of the shoulder.

You can do an incline press with dumbbells or a barbell. Sit on the incline bench with the weight just above the chest. Press the weight toward the ceiling, then lower slowly to the starting position.

Decline Bench Press

Another option is to do this exercise on a decline bench, which better emphasizes the pectoralis major. To do a decline bench press, follow the same basic steps as a standard bench press, just from a declined position.

Common Mistakes

Avoid these common errors to keep your bench press safe and effective.

Moving Bar Over the Mouth or Neck

Make sure the path of the bar is not too low—over the mouth and neck region—when racking or unracking. Move the weight to and from the rack with your arms extended, not low across the neck and face.

Improper Grip Width

Your grip on the bar should normally be wide enough to have your elbow joints at right angles (at a minimum) and forearms in a perpendicular plane. If your grip is too wide and your elbows are flared out, you risk injuring your pectoral muscles.

Incorrect Thumb Position

Another grip-based mistake involves the thumb position. Your hand grip should be overhand with the thumbs placed under the bar and across the top of the fingers. Don't place your thumbs behind the bar or locked beneath the fingers.

Locking Elbows Suddenly

Contrary to some weightlifting safety advice, you can "lock out" your elbows when doing a bench press. The key to making this action safe is not to lock your elbows suddenly or explosively.

Pushing Head Into Bench

Keep your head flat on the bench and feet flat on the floor for stability, but don't push your head into the bench to assist the lift—firm up the neck muscles instead.

Arching Back and Lifting Buttocks

Your buttocks should remain flat on the bench during the bench press. Don't emulate the powerlifter style of arching your back so much that your glutes lift off the bench. If you do, this can result in lower back pain.

Safety and Precautions

Avoid this exercise if you have a shoulder injury. Should you feel any shoulder pain during the bench press, replace the weights and end the movement immediately.

Beginners can benefit from bench presses without weight on the bar to warm up, get a feel for the bar, and learn proper form. If you are more advanced and bench press with heavy weight, use a spotter. Also, a pair of weightlifting gloves can give you a better grip.

If pressing heavy weights, use a power rack. This rack has bars on either side set at the level of your chest. If your lift fails on a power rack, the bars prevent the barbell from crushing your chest.

Start with three sets of 10 reps using an unweighted barbell. Add weight once you can perform this exercise safely and with good form. Add 2.5 pounds to each side of the bar weekly.

Try the Bench Press

Incorporate the bench press and similar exercises into one of these popular workouts:

• Upper Body Workout for Chest, Back, Shoulders, and Arms
• Full-Body Workout to Burn Fat and Build Muscle
• Weight Workout for Back Pain

By Paul Rogers
Paul Rogers is a personal trainer with experience in a wide range of sports, including track, triathlon, marathon, hockey, tennis, and baseball.