Olympic flat bench: how to set up and press

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Set the bench so that when you lie down, your eyes are just under the barbell.
2. Check that the bar hooks are at a height where you can unrack and rack the bar without fully locking out your elbows.
3. Make sure the bench is stable and the floor around it is clear (no plates lying around).
4. Load the bar with the weight you want and secure the plates with collars.
5. Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor and grab the bar a bit wider than shoulder-width.

How to do it

1. Lie on your back on the bench with your head supported, upper back and hips on the pad, and feet firmly on the floor.
2. Grip the bar with your palms facing away from you, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, wrists stacked over your elbows.
3. Take a breath, press the bar up to lift it out of the hooks, and bring it over your chest with your elbows almost locked.
4. Lower the bar toward the lower part of your chest in a controlled way over about 2 to 3 seconds, keeping your elbows under the bar.
5. When the bar is close to your chest (no bouncing), press it back up as you exhale until your arms are almost straight again.
6. At the end of the set, bring the bar back over the hooks, slide it gently into the rack, and set it down under control.

Common mistakes

• Hips lifting off the bench

  Instead : Keep your hips in contact with the bench the whole time. If they pop up, drop the weight and focus on driving your feet into the floor and keeping steady tension through your legs.

• Bar path drifting toward your face

  Instead : Aim to lower the bar to the lower chest, not toward your neck. Adjust your position so that, with arms straight, the bar is over your chest, not over your chin.

• Bouncing the bar off your chest

  Instead : Lower the bar under control, pause for about half a second near your chest, then press up. If you need to bounce to lift it, the load is too heavy for now.

• Wrists bent back under the bar

  Instead : Keep the bar lined up with your forearm, over the base of your palm. Let the bar sit a bit closer to your fingers and grip it firmly so your wrists stay straight.

Coach tips

• Use a controlled tempo, for example 2 to 3 seconds down and 1 to 2 seconds up.
• Take a deep breath before you unrack the bar, keep your chest up, then exhale as you press the bar away from you.
• Start light to practice your bar path and stability, then increase the load gradually from workout to workout.
• If you press heavy or feel unsure, ask someone to spot you from behind the bench to help if needed.

Variations

• Close-grip bench press with the barbell to put more emphasis on the triceps.
• Barbell skull crusher (lying triceps extension) to target the triceps more directly.
• Paused bench press with a short pause at the bottom to work on control and strength off the chest.

Exercises on this machine

• Barbell bench pressChest
• Barbell skull crusherTriceps
• Close-grip bench pressTriceps · Chest

Machine taken? Try instead

• Chest pressChest · Shoulders · Triceps
• Olympic incline benchChest · Shoulders · Triceps
• Multi-station cable machineBack · Chest · Shoulders · Biceps · Triceps
• Olympic decline benchChest · Triceps
• Pec deck and rear delt machineChest · Shoulders
• Shoulder pressShoulders · Triceps

Common questions