Chest · Barbell
Barbell Guillotine Bench Press
How to do the barbell guillotine bench press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie on a flat bench and grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width with your elbows flared out. Lower the bar toward your upper chest near the base of your neck, then press it straight back up to lockout. Use lighter weight than a standard bench press and keep every rep controlled.
- 1A strong stretch and contraction across your upper and mid chest
- 2Your elbows flared to bias the chest
- 3A controlled descent toward the top of your chest
Common mistakes
- Lowering the bar onto your throat or bouncing it off your chest
- Going too heavy; this position stresses the shoulders
- Letting your wrists bend back under the bar
Muscles worked
The barbell guillotine bench press mainly works the upper chest and mid chest, with the triceps, front delts, and lower chest assisting.
- Upper ChestPrimary
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell guillotine bench press 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.