Bench press

A man performs a barbell bench press while another spots him.

The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a compound movement, with the primary muscles involved being the pectoralis major, the anterior deltoids, and the triceps brachii. Other muscles located in the back, legs and core are involved for stabilization. A barbell is generally used to hold the weight, but a pair of dumbbells can also be used.

The barbell bench press is one of three lifts in the sport of powerlifting alongside the deadlift and the squat, and is the only lift in Paralympic powerlifting. The bench press is also extensively used in weight training, bodybuilding, and other types of training to develop upper body muscles, primarily the pectoralis major. To improve upper body strength, power, and endurance for athletic, occupational, and functional performance as well as muscle development, the barbell bench press is frequently used.

Movement

The person performing the exercise lies on their back on a flat bench with a barbell grasped in both hands directly over their shoulders. Before the bar is lowered, the scapulae are depressed and retracted to ensure stability and protect the shoulder joint. The barbell is lowered to the mid-to-lower sternum until it touches the chest, then pressed back upwards, and the arms are extended until the elbows are locked out. The feet remain flat on the floor throughout the entire movement. This is one repetition.

Powerlifting

The bench press in powerlifting follows the same basic movement pattern, but with stricter standards. The lifter's head, shoulders and glutes must stay in contact with the bench throughout the lift, and their feet must remain flat on the floor. The bar is lowered to the chest with the referee's signal to start, and remains motionless in contact with the lifter's body until the signal to press is given. The lift is finished once the arms are fully extended and the weight is re-racked. The lifter's elbow joints must be level with or below their shoulder joints at the bottom for the lift to count, thereby disallowing reducing the range of motion too much through excessive back arching. These rules can vary across federations.

Improving performance in powerlifting involves powerlifters implementing specific techniques. These include arching, taking and holding deep breaths, and actively pressing their feet into the floor. These methods engage all body parts during the lift, ensuring proper weight distribution across the back, legs, and the floor. The back arch has been criticized for sometimes shortening the range of motion excessively.

History

The bench press has evolved over the years, from floor, bridge, and belly toss variations to the methods used by bodybuilders and powerlifters today. It became popular from the late 1950s onwards. Despite the fact the parallel dip is safer (the dip does not require spotters or safety bars), in the 1950s the bench press overtook the dip in popularity and became the standard chest exercise.

At first the strict floor press was the most popular method. In 1899, using a barbell with 48 centimetres (19 in) discs (plates), George Hackenschmidt rolled a barbell over his face (which was turned to the side) and performed a strict floor press with 164 kilograms (362 lb). This stood as a record for 18 years until Joe Nordquest broke it by 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) in 1916.

Around this time, new methods started gaining ground. Lifters began to discover that strong glutes could help them get the bar from the ground to overhead. They would lie on the floor and position the bar over their abdomen, then perform an explosive glute bridge movement, catapulting the bar upwards and catching it at lockout.

Lifting techniques, training, and drugs have improved over the years and the bench press record lift has grown from 164 kilograms (362 lb) to a raw record of 355 kilograms (783 lb) (record held by Julius Maddox) and a shirt-equipped record of 635 kilograms (1,400 lb) (record held by Jimmy Kolb) in approximately 100 years.

Muscles

A conventional bench press uses the pectoralis major, front deltoids, and triceps brachii to horizontally adduct the shoulder. While flat bench pressing, the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles are activated. The exercise also uses the triceps and anconeus to extend the elbows. The triceps are most crucial around the end of the press to help complete and lock out the elbows. With the right form, parts of the deltoids will be used to help make the lift, including the anterior deltoids. Wider hand spacing places a greater emphasis on shoulder flexion and narrower hand spacing utilizes more elbow extension. Because of this, wider hand spacing is associated with training the pectorals and narrower hand spacing is associated with training the triceps. Both close and wide hand spacing train the deltoid area.

In addition to the major phasic (dynamic) muscles, the bench press also uses tonic (stabilizing) muscles, including the scapular stabilizers (serratus anterior, middle, and inferior trapezius), humeral head stabilizers (rotator cuff muscles), and core (transverse abdominis, obliques, multifidus, erector spinae, quadratus lumborum.)

A female athlete performing a bench press at the IPA world championship 2007, in the "Bench Only" category

Use

The bench press is used as a test of upper-body explosive strength during the NFL Scouting Combine, where prospective NFL draft picks attempt to get as many reps of 225 pounds (102 kg) as possible.

Possible injuries

A man (lying down) performs a bench press with a spotter using a thumbless grip.

Performing the bench press can contribute to multiple types of injuries:

Many of these possible injuries can be avoided by using dumbbells instead of a barbell since dumbbells can be dropped without hitting the chest or neck, while also allowing greater external rotation of the shoulder which can help prevent shoulder injuries. Studies have also shown dumbbell bench press activates the pectorals more, which can lead to increased muscle growth.

See also

References

  1. ↑ John F. Graham (August 2000). "Dumbbell bench press". Strength and Conditioning Journal. 22 (4): 71. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  2. ↑ Ronai, Peter (November 2018). "The Bench Press Exercise". ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal. 22 (6): 52–57. doi:10.1249/FIT.0000000000000432. ISSN 1091-5397.
  3. ↑ Padulo, J.; Laffaye, G.; Chaouachi, A.; Chamari, K. (2015). "Bench press exercise: the key points". The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 55 (6): 604–8.
  4. ↑ "Powerlifting Bench Press Rules". PowerliftingToWin. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Bench Press Rule Change". British Powerlifting. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 McRobert (1998), p. 210.
  7. ↑ Contreras, Bret (2011-12-15). "The Best Damn Bench Press Article Period". T Nation. Archived from the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  8. ↑ "Powerlifter Will Barotti benches 1,105 pounds for a new world record". muscleandfitness.com. 6 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "Jimmy Kolb Sets New All-Time Equipped Bench Press World Record of 635.4 Kilograms (1,401 Pounds) | BarBend". 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Parry, Alex (2022-01-17). "What Muscle Does Bench Press Work?: Diagram, Guide and Exercise Variations". characterstrength. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  11. ↑ Rodríguez-Ridao, David; Antequera-Vique, José A.; Martín-Fuentes, Isabel; Muyor, José M. (2020-10-08). "Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17 (19): 7339. doi:10.3390/ijerph17197339. ISSN 1660-4601. PMC 7579505. PMID 33049982.
  12. ↑ Bhatia, Deepak N.; de Beer, Joe F.; van Rooyen, Karin S.; Lam, Francis; du Toit, Donald F. (August 2007). "The "bench-presser's shoulder": an overuse insertional tendinopathy of the pectoralis minor muscle". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 41 (8): e11. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2006.032383. ISSN 1473-0480. PMC 2465431. PMID 17138640.
  13. ↑ "What Is The NFL Combine? | How Does The NFL Combine Work?". Football IQ Score. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  14. ↑ Kahler, Kalyn. "NFL Combine Drills and Workouts, Explained". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  15. ↑ IOC Sport Medicine Manual 2000 available in .PDF form online
  16. ↑ "Spinal Cord Injury due to Cervical Disc Herniation Caused by Bench Pressing" (PDF). hilarispublisher. Journal of Spine.
  17. ↑ "Petition Requesting Labeling of Weightlifting Bench-Press Benches to Reduce or Prevent Deaths Due to Asphyxia/Anoxia" (PDF). US Consumer Product Safety Commission. May 13, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-08. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  18. ↑ Imai, Eriya; Watanabe, Jun; Okano, Hiromu; Yokozuka, Motoi (June 2023). "Efficacy and safety of supraclavicular versus infraclavicular approach for subclavian vein catheterisation: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials". Indian Journal of Anaesthesia. 67 (6): 486–496. doi:10.4103/ija.ija_837_22. ISSN 0019-5049. PMC 10355348. PMID 37476443.
  19. ↑ Sgobba, Christa (2017-07-12). "This Kind Of Bench Press Will Hit Your Pecs the Hardest". Men's Health. Retrieved 2020-12-17.

Sources