Weight Lifting Bench Press

How to Perform the Barbell Bench Press

This Middle Management� Mini Guide, "Weight Lifting Bench Press" will give you instructions and tips on performing the barbell bench press so that you can build muscle fast.

The barbell bench press on a flat bench is a terrific "compound movement" exercise that works the pectorals (chest), deltoids (shoulders), and triceps (back of the upper arms). This allows us to multi-task by using several muscle groups. In turn, we can heavier weights, allowing us to build muscle fast.

Bench Press Instructions

Equipment:

Flat Bench

Barbell

Instructions:

Follow the Weight Lifting Bench Press instructions to get the most our of your weight lifting workout in order to build muscle fast.

Begin by laying face up on a flat bench and place your feet firmly on the floor.
Grasp the bar with a grip that is slightly wider than shoulder width and lower the weight to just below your nipples.
Use a controlled, smooth motion to press the weight from your chest back to the starting position, completing one rep.

The image below shows how to properly execute a bench press using the three steps described above.

Perform the weight lifting bench press.

Tips and Tricks:

The standard grip for a barbell bench press is approximately six inches wider than the width of your shoulders. However, there are benefits to using grips of varying widths. A narrower grip focuses on your triceps while a wider grip targets the outer portion of your chest more. You should be extra careful when using the wider grip because it places added stress on the shoulder joints and increases the risk of injury.

Make sure that you do not arch your back while you a performing the lift and keep your butt firmly planted on the bench. If you find that you cannot lift the weight without arching your back, that is a sure sign that you are using too much weight.

Doing the barbell bench press on an incline or decline press can move the emphasis to your upper and lower chest, respectively.

You can also use dumbbells in lieu of a barbell to increase the range of motion to fully target the pectorals and build muscle fast.

Always lift with a spotter to ensure your safety while weight lifting.

Additional Weight Lifting Bench Press Resources

Bench Press Calculator. Quickly calculate your bench press one rep max based on the number of repetitions performed at a given weight.

Bench Press Chart. This chart is useful when you don't have access to a calculator.

World Record Bench Press. How much is the world record bench press?

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