Setup
Lie flat on a bench with feet planted on the floor. Grip the barbell with hands positioned slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart, directly above your chest with arms fully extended.
How to do it
- Lower the bar in a controlled manner to your lower chest, keeping elbows tucked closer to your sides rather than flared out wide
- Press the bar straight up by extending your elbows, driving through your triceps
- Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down against the bench throughout the movement
- Maintain a slight arch in your lower back with your glutes in contact with the bench
- Exhale forcefully as you press the weight up and inhale as you lower it
Watch out for
- ✗Gripping too narrow, which places excessive stress on the wrists and reduces power output
- ✗Flaring elbows out too wide, which shifts emphasis away from triceps to chest
- ✗Bouncing the bar off the chest instead of using controlled momentum from the stretch position