Bench press is a compound exercise that works our upper body muscles. So, how to do bench press? To perform this, you have to lie horizontally on a bench and use the barbell or dumbbell to press the weight up. During bench press, you have to lower the dumbbells or barbells close to your chest. Lower the barbell close to your nipples or the arms away from your body, about 45 degrees. Elbows should not be at 90 degrees cause it increases the risk of injury.

Don’t lower your elbows too much to avoid any kind of injury. The elbows should be just below the bench. Press your weight to the floor to push the weight up to the starting position. Perform 3 to 4 sets of it, and the reps range will be between 8 to 12.

How To Do Bench Press

Bench press is a simple and more effective exercise for growing your chest. If you are wondering how to do bench press, it doesn’t need any fancy requirements to perform this. You just need a bench or a barbell, or a pair of dumbbells. Lie on the bench horizontally, pick the weight and push it downwards towards your chest, the arms will be at 45 degrees, not straight, and press your feet to the floor to push the weight up.

Before performing this movement, it’s always better to have some energy or focus by taking a pre-workout supplement or meal to enhance your performance and strength during lifting.

It is a simple but effective exercise for various muscles of our upper body. And three variations of it that work for different muscles of the chest. These three variations are the flat bench press, the incline bench press, and the decline bench press.

Flat Bench Press

Flat bench press is a traditional bench press that works the entire chest. But it mostly affects our middle chest. If you want to know how to do bench press, then follow these steps:

• Lie horizontally on a flat bench. Grip the barbell wider than your shoulder width apart and then pick the barbell up.
• Now lower the weight towards the nips, and the arms should be away from your body about 45 degrees.
• Arms should not be at 90 degrees, as it increases the risk of injury.
• Push your feet into the ground to push the weight upward and keep your hips upward throughout the whole movement.
• Stop lowering the barbell when your elbows are just below the bench. Press your feet to the ground to push the weight upward.
• Perform 8 to 12 reps of it with hypertrophy and perform 3 to 4 sets of it.

Incline Angle Bench

Incline bench press is the best exercise to train our upper chest. If you want to learn how to do bench press, especially the incline bench press, then follow these steps:

• Lie on a bench, but the bench should be at 30 to 45 degrees. Grip the barbell wider than your shoulder width apart, and then pick the barbell up.
• Now lower the weight towards the nips, and the arms should be away from your body about 45 degrees.
• Arms should not be at 90 degrees, as it increases the risk of injury.
• Push your feet into the ground to push the weight upward, and keep your hips close to the bench or on the bench.
• Stop lowering the barbell when your elbows are just below the bench. Press your feet to the ground to push the weight upward.
• Perform 8 to 12 reps of it with hypertrophy and perform 3 to 4 sets of it.

Decline Bench Press

Decline bench press is most effective for training the lower chest. Lower chest workout is also important as the upper or middle chest. So, if you want to know how to do bench press for lower chest development, then follow these steps:

• Lie on a bench, but the bench should be at 15 to 30 degrees. Grip the barbell wider than your shoulder width apart, and then pick the barbell up.
• Now lower the weight towards the nips, and the arms should be away from your body about 45 degrees.
• Arms should not be at 90 degrees, as it increases the risk of injury.
• Stop lowering the barbell when your elbows are just below the bench.
• Perform 8 to 12 reps of it with hypertrophy and perform 3 to 4 sets of it.

What Muscles Do Bench Press Work?

Bench press is a compound movement for building the upper body muscles like the chest, shoulders, and triceps. If you’re learning how to do bench press, it’s important to know that this exercise mainly targets your chest while also engaging supporting muscles. The bench press mainly targets your chest. The main target of the bench press is to build strength and build a strong chest.

But its different variations affect different muscles. The narrow grip bench press works for our triceps and forearms. The other muscles worked are the front delts, which help push the weight upwards. And the triceps that help you in locking out the elbows.

Bench press will also help you increase your overall strength. Make a bigger chest, improve overall muscle endurance, and prepare your body for bodyweight exercises like pushups.

How Much Does a Bench Press Barbell Weigh?

Most people also have a concern in their mind about how much the bench press barbell weighs. So, in different gyms, it is available in different weights. But the Olympic bar weighs 20 kg.

This is the barbell that is used in most gyms for squats, bench presses, and deadlifts. But for women, a lighter bar is also available that weighs 15 kgs. It is more thinner and lighter bar

Can We Do Bench Press Daily?

Some people have concerns in their mind about whether can we do bench press daily. If you’re wondering how to do bench press safely and effectively, research shows that doing it every day is not good for muscle growth. Doing the bench press daily will increase the risk of injury and does not allow muscles to recover. Rather than that, you should perform bench press 2 to 3 times a week, as it is effective for more people. That is more helpful in muscle building and strength.

Summary

How to do bench press effectively is essential for building upper body strength. This compound exercise targets your chest, shoulders, and triceps. To perform it, lie on a bench, lower the barbell or dumbbells toward your chest, and your elbows will remain at a 45-degree angle, and press your feet into the floor to push the weight back up. The flat, incline, and decline variations of the bench press work different parts of the chest. Perform 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps, and avoid doing it daily. Doing the bench press 2 to 3 times a week gives the best muscle growth and recovery.