Compound — upper body

Bench Press

Barbell and bench

The bench press is the standard chest exercise and one of the three powerlifting lifts. It builds a broad, powerful chest together with strong triceps.

The bench press is treated as an upper-body chest exercise, but strong benchers press with their whole body — feet driving into the floor, upper back locked into the bench, bar path controlled by the lats. Treating it as an isolated chest movement is the single biggest reason people stall in the 60–80 kg range.

Technique

1. 1Lie with your eyes directly under the bar, natural arch in your lower back
2. 2Grip just outside shoulder width, wrists stacked straight
3. 3Pull your shoulder blades back and down — this creates a stable platform
4. 4Lower the bar to your lower chest along a slight arc, not straight down
5. 5Press the bar slightly back toward your face as you extend

Common mistakes

• Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides

  Fix: A 90° flare stresses the shoulder joint and weakens the press. Keep elbows around 45–75° from the torso so the shoulder stays packed.

• Bouncing the bar off the chest

  Fix: It hides a weak bottom position and risks the sternum. Touch lightly, keep tension, then press.

• Losing upper-back tightness mid-set

  Fix: Retract and depress the shoulder blades before you unrack and hold that position for every rep. If the shoulders roll forward, the platform is gone.

• Lifting the hips off the bench

  Fix: Turns the lift into a poor decline press and puts the lower back in a bad spot. Keep the glutes in contact and drive through the legs instead.

Sets and reps

How to progress

The bench press progresses more slowly than the lower-body lifts — 1.25 kg jumps with microplates beat forcing 2.5 kg and grinding. When you stall, add a second lighter bench day with a variation rather than pushing the heavy day harder. Triceps strength is the usual bottleneck past the beginner phase.

Variations

• Incline bench press

  30–45° emphasises the upper chest and is easier on the shoulders for many lifters.

• Close-grip bench press

  Grip inside shoulder width shifts work to the triceps and usually feels better on cranky shoulders.

• Dumbbell bench press

  Greater range of motion, forces each side to work independently, and exposes imbalances.

Frequently asked questions