Bench press form guide

The 3 most common mistakes

• 01

  Bouncing the bar off your chest.

  Uses ribcage rebound instead of muscle. Bypasses the hardest part of the rep and risks injury.

• 02

  Elbows flared to 90 degrees from your torso.

  Turns the lift into a stressful position for the shoulders. Forty-five degrees is the safer, stronger angle.

• 03

  Feet shifting around or losing leg drive.

  Without a stable base, the press is weaker and less consistent rep to rep.

The 3 cues that fix most of them

• 01

  Tuck your elbows to about 45 degrees.

  Not pinned to your sides, not flared to 90 degrees. Find the middle.

• 02

  Crush the bar in your hands.

  Grip the bar hard like you're trying to bend it. Activates lats and triceps and locks the wrists.

• 03

  Push the bench away with your feet.

  Plant your feet hard and push them into the floor. Stable base, better transfer of force.

Step by step setup

1. 01Lie back with your eyes directly under the bar.
2. 02Pinch your shoulder blades down and back into the bench. Keep them there for the whole set.
3. 03Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width. Forearms vertical when the bar is at your chest.
4. 04Plant your feet flat on the floor (or up on the bench if you can't reach), knees bent.
5. 05Take a big breath, brace, and unrack the bar. Bring it over your lower chest.
6. 06Lower the bar under control to the lower half of your chest. Light touch, no bounce.
7. 07Press the bar up and slightly back to the starting position. Lock out fully.

Muscles worked

Primary

Chest (pectoralis major), Front delts, Triceps

Secondary

Lats (stabilising), Core

Beginner tips

• Flat-soled shoes give a more stable base than running shoes — your platform is firmer.
• Use a spotter or set the safety arms in the rack to your chest height. Heavy benching is where most accidents happen.
• Don't ego-load. Lower the bar all the way down with control. Half-rep benching builds half-rep strength.

Sources

1. An electromyographic analysis of the bench press — Welsch EA, Bird M, Mayhew JL.. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2005).