Barbell Bench Press

Execution

1. Take a grip about one fist wider than your shoulders on each side, with your wrists stacked over your forearms.
2. Pull your shoulder blades down and together and hold them there all set so the shoulder has a base.
3. Lift the bar out of the hooks and bring it over your shoulder joints, breathe in and brace your belly.
4. Lower the bar over 2-3 seconds to the middle of your chest, elbows about 45 degrees from your torso.
5. Exhale and press the bar back on a slight diagonal toward your shoulders, driving your feet into the floor.
6. At the end of the set, guide the bar back into both hooks before you let go.
7. If one rep fails while you are alone, lower the bar onto the safety arms; with no safety arms, roll it down your belly and sit up, and never use collars.

Quick cues

• Imagine snapping the bar in half.
• Shoulder blades down and locked.
• Drive your feet into the floor.
• Elbows at 45 degrees.
• Leave the collars off.

Common faults

• Fault: Elbows flaring straight out to 90 degrees

  Fix: Tuck the elbows toward the ribs to about 45 degrees and drop the load until you can hold that angle.

• Fault: Bouncing the bar off the breastbone for momentum

  Fix: Let the bar touch the chest and pause for one beat before pressing, cutting the load about 10% for two weeks.

• Fault: The shoulder blades spreading and the front of the shoulder rolling forward

  Fix: Set the blades down and together before you un-rack and hold that until the bar is back in the hooks.

• Fault: Lifting the hips off the bench to finish the last rep

  Fix: Keep the hips on the bench and end the set two reps earlier, or get a spotter.

• Fault: Using collars while training alone

  Fix: Leave the collars off so you can tip the bar and slide the plates off one end if you get pinned.