Bench Press Exercise Guide
-
- Shoulders, Triceps
- Strength
- Barbell
- Compound
- Push
- Intermediate
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Exercise Instructions
- Setup for the bench barbell bench press by setting the height of the rack (if it's adjustable) and adding the weight you're going to use.
- Lie back on a the flat bench. Using a medium width grip and palms facing forward (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.
- Slowly lower the bar straight down to the middle of your chest. Don't let the bar touch your chest! Pause, then slowly raise the bar back up. Do not lock your elbows out or rest at the top, go straight back into your next rep.
- Repeat for desired reps.
- Place the bar back on the rack.
Bench Press Tips:
The bench press is one the best exercises for building the chest. Here's some tips on benching with good, safe technique:
- Make sure you grip with bar with your thumbs around the front. This is the only safe way to bench. Too many people have got injured when the bar has slipped forward and fallen on their chest or even worse, neck!
- It's common for some lifters to bounce the bar off their chest. The bar should not touch the chest at all throughout the set.
- Locking the elbows out at the top of the movement makes the exercise easier, takes the pressure off the target muscles, and makes the exercise less effective. Always stop before your elbows lock out and immediately start slowly lowering the bar for the next rep.
- Another common practice amongst lifters is to use heavy weights and not lower the bar all the way down and up. Although this technique is good for shocking the muscles, you should always use the longest rep range possible without locking your elbows or touching your chest.
- Rep timing should slow enough that you control the weight on the way down. Letting the weight drop really quickly is not productive because the muscles do not have to work as hard on the negative phase of the movement. This makes the exercise less effective.
- Keep your feet firmly planted on the floor. Your feet provide the stabilization for the lift, if you hold them up or flap them around you're move likely to lose balance.
- Make sure you have the right grip on the bar. Your hands should be wider than shoulder width, as demonstrated in the video. If your grip is too narrow your shoulders will take over as the prime movers in this exercise.
- Make sure you lower the bar straight down to your middle chest and push it straight up. Don't deviate from this range of motion.
- Your glutes and shoulder blades should be touching the bench at all times throughout the set. It's OK to arch the back as long as the glutes and shoulder blades are fixed.
Inclined Bench press Guide
-
- Shoulders, Triceps
- Strength
- Barbell
- Compound
- Push
- Beginner
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Exercise Instructions
- The incline bench press works the upper chest. Set up for the incline bench press by setting the bench to an angle of between 30 and 40 degrees (30 is preferable as anything higher than that will use your shoulder muscles too much) and loading on the weight you want to use.
- Lay back on the bench with your feet firmly on the floor and grasp the barbell with a wider than shoulder width overhand grip (palms facing your feet).
- Take the barbell off the rack. Slowly lower the barbell down to the top of your chest as far as possible without touching your body.
- Pause, then slowly raise the back back to the starting position. Do not lock your elbows out.
- Repeat for desired reps.
Incline Bench Press Tips:
- Don't set the bench angle too high. 30 degrees is enough to hit your upper chest and not overly involve your shoulders.
- Don't "bounce" the bar off your chest. Keep the rep timing slow and control the weight, especially on the way down. Lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
- You should lower the bar straight up and down to your upper chest.
Decline Bench Press Guide
-
- Shoulders
- Strength
- Barbell
- Compound
- Push
- Beginner
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Exercise Instructions
- The decline bench press works the lower part of the pectoral muscles. Set up for the exercise by loading on the weight you want to use and setting the decline bench to an angle of around 30 degrees.
- Lay back on the decline bench with your legs/ankles firmly secured on the padding.
- Take the barbell off the rack and hold it straight up in front of you.
- Slowly lower the barbell down towards your lower chest as far as possible without hitting your body.
- Pause, then slowly raise the barbell back to the starting position without locking the elbows out.
- Repeat for desired reps.
Decline Bench Press Tips:
- Make sure you push the barbell straight up and down, even though you're on a decline. Don't push it forwards or backwards.
- Use the maximum range of motion by lowering the bar as far as possible without hitting your body and raising it until your elbows almost lock.
- This exercise can be dangerous, if you're doing it for the first time use a light weight so you can gauge the best weight for you to use.
- Never bounce the bar off your chest, but maintain full control of the weight at all times.
Bench Press Exercise Guide
- Shoulders, Triceps
- Strength
- Barbell
- Compound
- Push
- Intermediate
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Exercise Instructions
- Setup for the bench barbell bench press by setting the height of the rack (if it's adjustable) and adding the weight you're going to use.
- Lie back on a the flat bench. Using a medium width grip and palms facing forward (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.
- Slowly lower the bar straight down to the middle of your chest. Don't let the bar touch your chest! Pause, then slowly raise the bar back up. Do not lock your elbows out or rest at the top, go straight back into your next rep.
- Repeat for desired reps.
- Place the bar back on the rack.
Bench Press Tips:
The bench press is one the best exercises for building the chest. Here's some tips on benching with good, safe technique:
- Make sure you grip with bar with your thumbs around the front. This is the only safe way to bench. Too many people have got injured when the bar has slipped forward and fallen on their chest or even worse, neck!
- It's common for some lifters to bounce the bar off their chest. The bar should not touch the chest at all throughout the set.
- Locking the elbows out at the top of the movement makes the exercise easier, takes the pressure off the target muscles, and makes the exercise less effective. Always stop before your elbows lock out and immediately start slowly lowering the bar for the next rep.
- Another common practice amongst lifters is to use heavy weights and not lower the bar all the way down and up. Although this technique is good for shocking the muscles, you should always use the longest rep range possible without locking your elbows or touching your chest.
- Rep timing should slow enough that you control the weight on the way down. Letting the weight drop really quickly is not productive because the muscles do not have to work as hard on the negative phase of the movement. This makes the exercise less effective.
- Keep your feet firmly planted on the floor. Your feet provide the stabilization for the lift, if you hold them up or flap them around you're move likely to lose balance.
- Make sure you have the right grip on the bar. Your hands should be wider than shoulder width, as demonstrated in the video. If your grip is too narrow your shoulders will take over as the prime movers in this exercise.
- Make sure you lower the bar straight down to your middle chest and push it straight up. Don't deviate from this range of motion.
- Your glutes and shoulder blades should be touching the bench at all times throughout the set. It's OK to arch the back as long as the glutes and shoulder blades are fixed.
Inclined Bench press Guide
- Shoulders, Triceps
- Strength
- Barbell
- Compound
- Push
- Beginner
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Exercise Instructions
- The incline bench press works the upper chest. Set up for the incline bench press by setting the bench to an angle of between 30 and 40 degrees (30 is preferable as anything higher than that will use your shoulder muscles too much) and loading on the weight you want to use.
- Lay back on the bench with your feet firmly on the floor and grasp the barbell with a wider than shoulder width overhand grip (palms facing your feet).
- Take the barbell off the rack. Slowly lower the barbell down to the top of your chest as far as possible without touching your body.
- Pause, then slowly raise the back back to the starting position. Do not lock your elbows out.
- Repeat for desired reps.
Incline Bench Press Tips:
- Don't set the bench angle too high. 30 degrees is enough to hit your upper chest and not overly involve your shoulders.
- Don't "bounce" the bar off your chest. Keep the rep timing slow and control the weight, especially on the way down. Lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
- You should lower the bar straight up and down to your upper chest.
Decline Bench Press Guide
- Shoulders
- Strength
- Barbell
- Compound
- Push
- Beginner
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Exercise Instructions
- The decline bench press works the lower part of the pectoral muscles. Set up for the exercise by loading on the weight you want to use and setting the decline bench to an angle of around 30 degrees.
- Lay back on the decline bench with your legs/ankles firmly secured on the padding.
- Take the barbell off the rack and hold it straight up in front of you.
- Slowly lower the barbell down towards your lower chest as far as possible without hitting your body.
- Pause, then slowly raise the barbell back to the starting position without locking the elbows out.
- Repeat for desired reps.
Decline Bench Press Tips:
- Make sure you push the barbell straight up and down, even though you're on a decline. Don't push it forwards or backwards.
- Use the maximum range of motion by lowering the bar as far as possible without hitting your body and raising it until your elbows almost lock.
- This exercise can be dangerous, if you're doing it for the first time use a light weight so you can gauge the best weight for you to use.
- Never bounce the bar off your chest, but maintain full control of the weight at all times.
Dumbbell Flys Guide
- Shoulders
- Strength
- Dumbbell
- Isolation
- Push
- Beginner
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Exercise Instructions
- Grasp a set of dumbbells and sit on the end of a flat bench with the dumbbells resting on your thighs.
- Lay back on the bench and extend your arms out, holding the dumbbells above your body with a neutral grip (palms facing each other). The dumbbells should not be touching. Keep your feet planted on the floor for balance. Bend your arms slightly. This is the starting position for the exercise.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells out to your sides in a semi-circle. Rotate at the shoulders only, keep your arms slightly bent.
- Once the dumbbells get about level with your chest, squeeze the chest muscles and raise the dumbbells back up using the same path of motion (semi circle) as you did on the way down.
- Without letting the dumbbells touch, slowly lower them again.
- Repeat for desired reps.
Dumbbell Fly Tips:
- This exercise should be done slowly, focusing on the stretch and contraction of the pectoral muscles.
- Don't pause or let the dumbbells touch at the top of the exercise.
- Use a full range of motion by lowering the dumbbells as far as comfortably possible.
- Always use a wide semi circle motion when doing this exercise, and don't allow the dumbbells to come too close to the body.
Dumbbell Pullover Guide
- Lats, Shoulders, Triceps
- Strength
- Dumbbell
- Compound
- Push
- Intermediate
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Exercise Instructions
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and position yourself on a flat bench with your shoulder blades resting on the bench.
- You should be at a 90 degree angle to the bench. Your back shoulder be straight, knees bent at 90 degrees, and feet firmly plated on the floor.
- Holding the dumbbell in both hands, straighten your arms so that dumbbell is directly overhead. This is the starting position.
- Bending at the shoulders only and keeping your arms straight, slowly lower the weight down behind your head until the dumbbell reaches the height of the bench.
- Slowly raise the dumbbell back to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps.
Pullover Tips:
- Do not bend at the elbows.
- Do not let the dumbbell go too far forward. The starting position is directly above your head and the dumbbell should not go any further than that.
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