Bench press
Chest, triceps and front deltoids.
How to do it
- Lie down with your eyes right under the bar and your feet planted on the floor.
- Pull your shoulder blades together and down (as if tucking them into your back pockets) and keep them there for the whole set.
- Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders, wrists straight above your elbows.
- Unrack the bar and bring it over your shoulders with your arms straight.
- Lower it under control until it touches your chest at sternum level (lower chest), elbows about 45-60° from your body.
- Press up and slightly back, until the bar is over your shoulders again.
Cues
- Shoulder blades together and down: it protects the shoulder and gives you a stable base.
- Feet pushing into the floor ("leg drive") without lifting your glutes off the bench.
- Lower the bar under control, no bouncing off the chest.
Common mistakes
- Flaring the elbows to 90° (a lot of stress on the shoulder).
- Bouncing the bar off your chest.
- Lifting your glutes off the bench.
- Wrists bent backwards.
When progress gets hard, use micro-loads (0.5-1.25 kg) instead of 2.5 kg jumps, and don't sacrifice technique to add weight.
Photos: free-exercise-db (public domain).
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