Setup
Lie flat on a bench with your eyes directly under the bar. Plant your feet firmly on the floor, arch your lower back slightly, and grip the bar just wider than shoulder-width with wrists stacked over forearms.
How to do it
- Unrack the bar and position it directly over your chest with arms locked out
- Lower the bar in a controlled arc to touch your mid-chest while keeping your elbows at roughly 45 degrees from your body
- Drive your feet into the floor and press the bar back up in a slight arc toward your shoulders
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together throughout the entire movement
- Maintain contact between your upper back, glutes, and the bench at all times
Watch out for
- ✗Flaring elbows out to 90 degrees, which places excessive stress on the shoulder joints
- ✗Bouncing the bar off the chest instead of maintaining control through the full range of motion
- ✗Lifting the glutes off the bench during the press, which reduces stability and power transfer