The bench press is one of the three competition lifts in powerlifting and the classic barbell pressing exercise: lying on a flat bench, you lower the bar to the chest and press it back up to full arm extension. It primarily targets the pectorals, front shoulders, and triceps.
Technique: the setup includes retracting the shoulder blades and creating a slight arch in the upper and lower back, feet planted firmly on the floor for leg drive. Grip width affects the exact muscles emphasized and the bar's travel distance, and is usually chosen individually rather than fixed. The bar is lowered under control to the chest (touching lightly, not bouncing), then pressed back up in a path that moves slightly toward the face as the arms extend, not a straight vertical line.
Common technical errors: bouncing the bar off the chest instead of controlling the descent; the hips lifting off the bench during the press; uneven bar path or uneven arm extension between the two sides; and flaring the elbows out to roughly 90 degrees from the torso, which increases strain on the shoulder joint for many lifters.
Technique: the setup includes retracting the shoulder blades and creating a slight arch in the upper and lower back, feet planted firmly on the floor for leg drive. Grip width affects the exact muscles emphasized and the bar's travel distance, and is usually chosen individually rather than fixed. The bar is lowered under control to the chest (touching lightly, not bouncing), then pressed back up in a path that moves slightly toward the face as the arms extend, not a straight vertical line.
Common technical errors: bouncing the bar off the chest instead of controlling the descent; the hips lifting off the bench during the press; uneven bar path or uneven arm extension between the two sides; and flaring the elbows out to roughly 90 degrees from the torso, which increases strain on the shoulder joint for many lifters.