Instructions
- Lie on the bench, pull your shoulderblades together and down, with a proud chest.
- Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
- Take a breath and hold it, and unrack the bar.
- Lower the bar with control, until it touches your chest somewhere close to the sternum.
- Push the bar up while exhaling.
- Take another breath in the top position, and repeat for reps.
Commentary
The bench press is one of the most classic upper-body exercises, and a competitive event in the sport of powerlifting. The exercise can be done with a marked stop at the chest, or by reversing the movement immediately upon contact with the chest.
Another common point of variation is the grip width, where a wider grip generally is a little stronger and uses the chest muscles more effectively, whereas a closer grip let’s the triceps take on more of the work.
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Text and graphics from the StrengthLog app.