Chest · Barbell · Compound · Intermediate

Barbell Bench Press

A barbell lowered to the chest and pressed back up while lying on a flat bench. The chest, triceps and front delts share the work, and it is one of the three powerlifting competition lifts. Most of the shoulder and wrist pain people blame on it traces back to a loose setup.

Barbell Bench Press, start position
Start
Barbell Bench Press, end position
End
FrontBack
PrimarySecondary
Main muscles
Chest
Also working
Triceps, Front Delts

How to do it

  1. Lie on the bench with your eyes roughly under the bar. Plant your feet flat, pull them back until your shins are close to vertical, and squeeze your shoulder blades down and back into the pad.
  2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width, so your forearms are roughly vertical when the bar is on your chest. Wrap your thumbs around it and set the bar low in the palm, over the forearm bones rather than up on the fingers.
  3. Unrack by straightening your arms and moving the bar out until it sits over your shoulders. Don't drag it off the hooks with bent elbows.
  4. Lower the bar under control to the lower chest, around the nipple line or just below. Keep the upper arms at roughly 45 to 75 degrees from the torso instead of out at 90.
  5. Touch the chest without bouncing, then press up and slightly back so the bar finishes over the shoulders. Keep pushing your feet into the floor as you press.
  6. Lock out with the shoulder blades still pinned, then take your breath for the next rep. If you train heavy without a spotter, set the rack's safety arms just below chest height before the first set.

Cues

Short phrases to think during a set.

  • “Try to bend the bar apart”
  • “Shoulders down and back into the bench”
  • “Push yourself away from the bar”
  • “Push the floor away with your feet”

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out to 90 degrees. This is the position most often tied to shoulder pain on bench; bring the upper arms in toward 45 to 75 degrees so they sit under the bar.
  • Bouncing the bar off the chest. It moves more weight and skips the hardest part of the lift; touch lightly and press from a controlled bottom position.
  • Letting the shoulder blades come loose partway through the set, so the shoulders roll forward off the bench. Reset them between reps if you have to.
  • Bending the wrists back with the bar sitting on the fingers. Move the bar down to the base of the palm so it is stacked over the forearm.
  • Lifting the hips off the bench to finish a hard rep. Leg drive should push you along the bench, not up off it.

The short version

Bench press is a barbell press with a lot of setup. Feet planted, shoulder blades pinned, the bar low in the hand and the elbows somewhere between 45 and 75 degrees: get those right and it is a reasonably joint-friendly way to press heavy weight. Skip them and the shoulders and wrists usually complain first.

It also progresses slowly, usually stalling well before the squat or deadlift, and the jumps that work late on are often 1 to 2.5 kg. The usual fixes are benching more often in the week, adding close-grip bench, overhead pressing and triceps work, and looking at where in the press the bar slows down. Coaches split on whether to train mostly touch-and-go or paused reps.

Why people do it

  • You can load it heavier than any other chest exercise and add weight in small, measurable jumps
  • Trains the chest, triceps and front delts in one movement
  • As a competition lift it has a large body of programs and technique coaching behind it
  • The stable setup suits variations aimed at a weak point: paused, close-grip, pin and floor presses

Drawbacks

  • Training close to failure needs a spotter or safety arms set at chest height; a missed rep with no safety can pin the bar on your chest or neck
  • The barbell fixes both hands in place, which some people with shoulder or AC-joint problems tolerate worse than dumbbells
  • Puts real load through the wrists, and heavy sets often call for wrist wraps
  • Progress is slow once the beginner gains are gone
  • Often felt mostly in the triceps and front delts, so it may not be enough on its own if the goal is chest size

Sources

Questions

How much arch is okay on bench press?+

Some arch comes automatically from pinning the shoulder blades and planting the feet, and that is normal for any lifter. A big competition arch shortens the press and is legal in powerlifting, but you don't need it to build muscle. Keep your butt on the bench and get the arch from the upper back rather than by forcing your lower back.

What grip width should I use for bench press?+

Start where your forearms are about vertical with the bar on your chest, which is usually a little wider than shoulder width. Wider shortens the stroke and leans on the chest and shoulders; narrower lengthens it and works the triceps more.

Why do my wrists hurt when I bench?+

Usually the bar is sitting high in the palm and bending the wrist back under load. Set it low in the hand over the forearm bones and wrap your thumb around it. Wrist wraps help on heavy sets.

Why does my shoulder hurt after bench press?+

The common causes are elbows flared out near 90 degrees, shoulder blades that drift off the bench, and more heavy volume than the shoulder is used to. Tuck the elbows somewhat, keep the blades pinned, and cut the load or volume for a while. If the pain is sharp, or hangs around after you have backed off, have it assessed before you bench heavy again.

Should I pause my bench reps or touch and go?+

Coaches disagree, and there is room for both in a program. Paused reps take away the bounce and build strength off the chest, and they are what a powerlifting meet requires. Touch-and-go allows a little more weight and more reps per set.

Swaps on other equipment

Each has the chest as its main muscle and is also a push, on a different piece of equipment.

Variations

Close-Grip Bench Press · Incline Barbell Bench Press · Dumbbell Bench Press · Paused Bench Press · Floor Press

Other chest exercises

Written for this site from the sources listed above. Last reviewed October 20, 2026. How this site is put together · Report a mistake