Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip

The barbell bench press is a fundamental compound movement for building chest, shoulder, and tricep strength. It's considered the gold standard for upper body pressing power.

pectoralis major sternal headpectoralis major clavicular headdeltoid anteriortriceps brachii long headtriceps brachii lateral headtriceps brachii medial head

Category: strength
Level: beginner
Force: push
Mechanic: compound
Equipment: barbell

Instructions

Lie back on a flat bench. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
From the starting position, breathe in and begin coming down slowly until the bar touches your middle chest.
After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Focus on pushing the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Tips

Retract your shoulder blades and maintain arch in your back
Drive through your heels and engage your glutes for stability
Lower the bar to your chest with control over 2-3 seconds
Press the bar in a slight arc toward your face at the top

Common mistakes

Bouncing the bar off the chest instead of controlled touch-and-go
Flaring elbows too wide, creating shoulder impingement risk
Lifting feet off the ground, reducing stability and power

Safety

Always use a spotter or safety bars when lifting heavy weights. Avoid this exercise if you have shoulder impingement issues.

Variations

Machine Chest Press
Single Arm Dumbbell Chest Press
Standing Cable Chest Press
Multi Grip Press
Incline Push-Up Wide