push
Barbell Bench Press
Works in
gym
Equipment
barbell, bench
Primary muscles
chest, triceps, shoulders
Why do it
The benchmark upper-body press and a great builder of chest, front delts and triceps strength. Heavy pressing like this is a big compound lift, exactly the kind of work that drives real strength. Pin the shoulder blades, plant the feet and drive the bar off your chest with intent.
How to do it
The primary horizontal pressing lift for building chest, front delt, and triceps strength. Lie on a flat bench, unrack the bar over your chest, lower it to the mid-chest with control, then press back to lockout. Keep shoulder blades pinned and feet planted throughout.
What the science says
A review of cohort studies covering over a million people found that just 30 to 60 minutes a week of muscle-strengthening work was linked to a 10 to 17 percent lower risk of dying early and of heart disease, cancer and diabetes (Momma et al., 2022, British Journal of Sports Medicine).
Fun fact
The bench press is the lift almost everyone asks about. The heaviest raw bench ever, with no supportive shirt, is 355 kg (782 lb), set by American Julius Maddox.