horizontal push
Barbell Bench Press
chest · shoulders · triceps
barbell · bench · intermediate
How to do it
- 1Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar and your feet flat on the floor.
- 2Grip a little wider than shoulder width, unrack, and lower the bar to mid-chest.
- 3Press back up until your arms are straight, keeping your shoulder blades pulled together.
What to think about
- Squeeze your shoulder blades down and back before you unrack.
- Keep your wrists stacked over your elbows.
What usually goes wrong
- Bouncing the bar off the chest.
- Letting the elbows flare straight out to the sides.
Worth knowing
- Use a spotter or safety pins when working close to your limit.
Watch it
Instead of this
Dumbbell Flat Chest PressThe same movement, a step easier while you build the pattern.Incline Dumbbell PressThe same movement, a step easier while you build the pattern.Dumbbell Floor PressThe same movement, a step easier while you build the pattern.Incline Push-UpThe same movement, a step easier while you build the pattern.
What the cautions rest on
The safety points above come from these, not from house opinion.
- Strength and muscle gain require progressively increasing demand over time.
- Weight training carries a low injury rate compared with most field and contact sports.
- Holding your breath through a heavy rep raises blood pressure sharply, which matters most for people carrying cardiovascular risk.
- Free weights carried over the head or trunk need a spotter or a catch mechanism, and equipment needs checking before it is loaded.
Who checked this
Nobody qualified has. These are standard coaching points and ordinary gym safety, written down: how to set the thing up, what to control, and when to stop a set. They are not a clinical opinion and no physiotherapist or strength coach has read them back. If they disagree with somebody who can actually see you lift, believe that person.