Chest · Barbell
Barbell Bench Press with 1 Board
How to do the barbell bench press with 1 board, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie on a bench with a single board resting on your chest, feet flat on the floor. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width, lower the bar until it touches the board, then press it back up to full extension.
- 1Retract your shoulder blades and lower the bar to the board; you should
- 2feel your chest, shoulders, and triceps doing the work
- 3Keep your feet planted and core engaged for a solid base
- 4Press the bar up off the board and squeeze your chest and triceps at the top
Common mistakes
- Don't flare your elbows excessively or let the bar bounce off the board
- Avoid arching your lower back too much or lifting your hips off the bench
- Don't let your wrists bend backward; keep them stacked under the bar
Muscles worked
The barbell bench press with 1 board mainly works the mid chest and triceps, with the upper chest, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell bench press with 1 board for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.