Chest exercise
Barbell Bench PressHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Chest
- Also works
- Front delts, Triceps
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Barbell Bench Press?
- Lie on the bench with eyes under the bar and feet flat.
- Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down, then unrack the bar.
- Lower the bar slowly to your lower chest, elbows at about 45°.
- Press back up over your shoulders without locking out hard.
Cues
- Shoulder blades down and back
- Bar to the nipple line
- Wrists straight over elbows
Common mistakes
- Bouncing the bar off the chest; lower slowly and touch softly.
- Flaring elbows straight out; keep them about 45° from your body.
- Lifting hips off the bench; keep buttocks and feet planted.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Flat bench, standard gym height about 45 cm, pad about 30 cm wide (Bartolomei 2024 used 45 cm × 30 cm). Bar in J-hooks or uprights at the head end, roughly over the avatar's eyes when lying down. Five contact points stay fixed for the whole rep: head, upper back and shoulder blades, buttocks on the bench, both feet flat on the floor. Shoulder blades pulled back and down; natural low-back curve, no exaggerated arch. Overhand (pronated) closed grip, thumbs round the bar, about 1.5 × shoulder (biacromial) width, which for a 40–42 cm biacromial avatar puts the hands about 60–65 cm apart. Wrists straight, bar sitting low in the palm over the forearm bones.
The movement
Only the arms move. The bar travels in a shallow diagonal: from over the shoulders down and slightly towards the feet to the lower chest, then back up and slightly towards the head to finish over the shoulders again. The bar stays level (both hands at the same height). Elbows stay under the bar in the side view and keep the same 50° flare all the way down and up. Torso, hips, legs and head stay still.
End position
(turnaround point): Bar at the lower–mid chest, on the nipple line / lower sternum, touching lightly or 1–2 cm above it. Upper arm about 50° from the torso (45–65°). Forearms close to vertical, wrist stacked over the elbow from both views. Elbows end just below the level of the bench top (ACE). Shoulder blades still pinned; buttocks and head still on the bench.
Tempo
Lower 2 s, no pause and no bounce at the chest (a 0.2 s soft touch is fine), press 1.5–2 s, hold 0.3 s at the top.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grip width (between hands) | 1.5 × biacromial | 1.3–1.7 × | |
| Elbow angle at top (included) | 172° | 165–178°, no snap | |
| Upper arm to torso at bottom | 50° | 45–65° | |
| Bar height above chest at bottom | 0–1 cm | touch to 2 cm | |
| Bar touch point | nipple line / lower sternum | lower to mid chest | |
| Bench height / width | 45 cm / 30 cm | 42–46 cm / 26–30 cm | |
| Tempo down / up | 2 s / 1.75 s | 1.5–2.5 s / 1.5–2 s |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Barbell Bench Press is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
