Weight Training - Bench Press
The bench press exercise works the chest muscles Pectoralis Major and Minor, as well as muscles in the shoulder and arm. It is performed with a barbell
Teaching points
- Lay on your back on a bench with your feet on the floor.
- Grip the bar approximately 2 feet apart (or at a comfortable point, wider than shoulder width) with the arms straight above your chest.
- Slowly and under control, lower the bar down to the level of your chest.
- Push the bar back up, until the elbows are straight.
- Keep the lower back in contact with the bench at all times.
Variations & progressions
- Perform on an incline bench to place more emphasis on the upper chest.
- Perform on a decline bench to place more emphasis on the lower chest.
- Perform with a close grip - hands positioned just inside the shoulders, to increase the emphasis on the triceps.
Muscles worked
- Pectoralis major.
- Pectoralis minor.
- Anterior deltoid.
- Triceps.
Alternative exercises
- Bench press machine.
- Chest press.
- Push-up.
- Chest press using a resistance band.
Related injuries
- Pectoral strain.
