Bench press - Definition and Overview

A soldier from the U.S. Army performs a bench press; the amount of weight being lifted in this photo is far above what most people are capable of.

The bench press is an exercise in weight lifting in which the lifter lies on his back on a bench, raising and lowering the bar directly above the chest. It is intended for the development of the chest, or pectoral, muscles. It is properly performed while laying on your back with your shoulder blades pinched together on a specially designed bench with a weighted barbell suspended on a rack over your chest. Not pinching your shoulder blades together causes the front deltoids (shoulders) to take over. Form a slight arch in your lower back for stability, but don't let your buttocks lift off the bench. While keeping your feet planted on the ground, you then take the barbell, lift it off the rack, and lower it to your chest at about the middle of your sternum. The weight is then raised back up to the starting position. This exercise should always be performed with a spotter to catch the bar in case you drop it on your chest. Other variations on the exercise or to perform it on the incline, on a decline, or on a stabilizer ball. Each variation is intended to work different subgroups of muscles, or work the same muscles in slightly different ways. The world record in the heaviest weight class (125+ kg) was set by the finnish Kenneth Sandvik in december, 2004. He managed to benchpress 322.5 kilos.

See also

• Press up