Lie on a bench and press a barbell from your chest to locked-out arms. It's one of the three powerlifting lifts and the main barbell test of upper-body pushing strength. It's also the lift where the bar sits right over your throat and chest, so the rules are simple: thumbs wrapped around the bar, and either a spotter or safety pins set to catch a missed rep. Never bench heavy alone with nothing to catch the bar.
Set up
Set your safety first, with an empty bar. In a rack, put the safety pins or arms slightly below where the bar touches your chest, and check the height before you load any plates. If you're using a spotter instead, agree on a lift-off count (for example "1, 2, 3") and a word for "take it" before the set.
you know exactly what happens if a rep gets stuck.
Lie down with your eyes roughly under the bar and set five points of contact: back of your head, upper back and shoulders, and butt on the bench, plus both feet flat on the floor. Keep all five in place for the whole set.
Pull your shoulder blades back and down, and keep them there. This gives you a stable shelf to press from and reduces load on the shoulder joint. Your upper back will lift your chest a little. Don't force a big lower-back arch, and your butt stays on the bench.
shoulders pinned back, chest up, body tight.
Grip & unrack
Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width with your thumbs wrapped all the way around it. Never use a thumbless ("suicide") grip: with nothing under the bar, it can roll out of your hands onto your face, neck or chest. It's also banned in competition (for example in USA Powerlifting).
the bar is locked in your hands, not balanced on them.
Sit the bar low in your palm, wrists straight, knuckles toward the ceiling. Your wrists should stack over your forearms, not bend back.
the bar sits over your wrist and forearm bones, not out in your fingers.
Take a breath, brace, and lift the bar out until it's over your shoulders with your arms straight. If a spotter hands it off, they stand behind your head and help it out on the count you agreed.
Lower it
Lower the bar under control to your lower chest, around or just below nipple level. Never let it drift up toward your neck.
the bar comes down to the same spot every rep.
Keep your elbows tucked partway, not flared straight out to the sides. Coaches commonly cue about 45 to 70 degrees from your torso. Your forearms should be roughly vertical at the bottom.
elbows under the bar, not winging out at 90 degrees.
Touch your chest lightly. Don't bounce the bar off it. In competition the bar has to stop on your chest and wait for the "press" command, so practising a brief pause is a good habit.
Press
Press the bar up and slightly back toward your shoulders, then finish with your arms straight and elbows locked over your shoulders. Keep your feet planted and your butt, head and shoulder blades on the bench. Breathe out as you get through the hardest part, or once you reach the top.
the bar travels back toward your face as it leaves your chest, then straight up.
If a rep stops moving, don't fight it. With a spotter, say your agreed word and keep pressing while they help. Alone in a rack, let your chest drop, lower the bar onto the pins, and slide out from under it.
Feel it
Your body stays tight and still on the bench. The bar comes down to the same spot on your lower chest, touches without bouncing, and goes up and back over your shoulders. Your elbows stay under the bar and your wrists stay straight. If the bar wanders or your butt lifts, the weight is too heavy for now.
Fix-its
- Your elbows flare out to the sides Tuck them partway toward your body and keep your forearms vertical. Lighten the bar until you can hold that position on every rep.
- The bar bounces off your chest It's too heavy, or you're rushing. Lower it under control and practise a brief pause on your chest.
- Your butt or head lifts off the bench Reset the five points of contact before each set. Push through your feet without lifting your hips. In competition a raised butt fails the lift.
- The bar drifts toward your belly or your neck Pick one touch point on your lower chest and hit it every rep, then press back toward your shoulders, not straight up from the belly.
- Your wrists bend back and ache Move the bar lower in your palm so your wrists stack over your forearms, knuckles to the ceiling.
Drill
- Pin check: with an empty bar, set the pins, lower to your chest and make sure the bar clears them on a good rep. Then practise a bail by letting your chest drop until the bar rests on the pins. Note the hole number for next time.
- Empty-bar setup: run through all five points of contact, shoulder blades back and down, thumbs around, straight wrists, and slow touch-and-press reps to the same spot.
- Paused bench: light weight, lower the bar, hold it still on your chest for a moment, then press. This trains a steady touch point and removes the bounce.
- Film from the side: check that the bar touches your lower chest, travels back toward your shoulders as it rises, and finishes over your shoulders with your elbows locked. Add weight only while every rep looks the same.
Sources
- NSCA — Essentials of Tactical Strength and Conditioning, Module 3: Exercise Technique (2013)
- USA Powerlifting — Rulebook v2026.2, 4.3 Bench Press: Rules of Performance (2026)
- NASM — Bench Press Elbow Pain: How Trainers Should Assess and Adjust (2022, updated 2026)
- Noteboom et al. — Effects of bench press technique variations on musculoskeletal shoulder loads and potential injury risk, Frontiers in Physiology (2024)
- Stronger by Science (Greg Nuckols) — Bench Press Bar Path
- Barbell Logic — Complete Guide to Barbell Safety
- CrossFit (Eric O'Connor, CF-L4) — Effective Spotting (2026)
- Art of Manliness (Brett & Kate McKay) — The 4 Rules of Bench Pressing Without a Spotter (2020, updated 2022)
Last checked 2026-10-25.