Barbell Wide Bench Press

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Lie flat on the bench with your feet planted firmly on the floor and your shoulder blades retracted and depressed into the pad.
2. Grasp the barbell with a grip significantly wider than shoulder-width, typically placing your index or middle fingers on the knurling's outer rings.
3. Position yourself so the bar is directly over your eyes before unracking.
4. Unrack the bar and stabilize it directly over your mid-chest with your wrists stacked vertically over your elbows.

How to do it

1. Lower the barbell slowly toward your mid-sternum while inhaling, maintaining a controlled tempo.
2. Touch the bar lightly to your chest without bouncing, ensuring your elbows stay at approximately a 75-degree angle from your torso.
3. Press the bar back up to the starting position while exhaling, following a slight J-curve path back toward your eye level.
4. Lock out your elbows at the top of the movement without allowing your shoulders to round forward off the bench.

Form checklist

• Keep your shoulder blades squeezed together and pinned to the bench throughout the entire set.
• Ensure your wrists remain neutral and do not bend backward under the weight of the bar.
• Maintain 'three points of contact': your head, upper back, and glutes must remain on the bench at all times.
• Drive your feet into the floor to create total-body stability and leg drive.

Pro tips

• Focus on the 'mind-muscle connection' by imagining you are trying to bring your biceps together at the top of the movement.
• Actively try to 'pull the bar apart' during the descent to maximize tension across the pectoral muscles.
• Use a 3-second eccentric phase to increase time under tension, which is particularly effective with this wider grip.

Make it harder

• Incorporate a 2-second pause at the bottom of the rep to eliminate momentum and force the chest to work harder from a dead stop.
• Perform '1.5 reps' by lowering the bar to the chest, pressing halfway up, returning to the chest, and then pressing to full lockout.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the barbell wide bench press work?

The barbell wide bench press primarily targets the pectorals, and also works the abs and serratus anterior as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the barbell wide bench press?

The barbell wide bench press uses barbell.

Is the barbell wide bench press good for beginners?

The barbell wide bench press is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

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