Barbell Bench Press

Chest
Shoulders
Triceps

Equipment: Barbell

New to this

Your first barbell bench press

What weight should I start with on the barbell bench press?

The empty bar, 45 lb, for 2 sets of 5. Nearly everyone can press it, and starting there means your first session is about learning the groove rather than surviving it.

Add 5 lb at a time, not 10. Bench progresses slower than squat and deadlift for almost everyone, and the smaller jumps keep you moving for longer before you stall.

Always use a spotter or the safety pins when you go heavy enough that a missed rep is possible. This is the one lift where getting stuck under the bar is a real risk.

What usually goes wrong on the barbell bench press?

Your elbows flare straight out to the sides. Tuck them to roughly 45 degrees from your body. Your shoulders will thank you in about six months.

The bar drifts toward your face. Aim for the bottom of your sternum, not your collarbone. If it keeps drifting, the weight is too heavy.

Your lower back arches off the bench hard enough that your hips lift. Plant both feet and press them into the floor. A small arch is normal; your hips leaving the bench is not.

If the bench is taken

Flat bench is the busiest station in most gyms. Any of these press the same muscles, and the dumbbell version is the better place to start anyway because each arm has to do its own work.

How to do it

Lie back on a flat bench. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
From the starting position, breathe in and begin coming down slowly until the bar touches your middle chest.
After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Focus on pushing the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again.
Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.