Chest · Barbell
Barbell Bench Press
How to do the barbell bench press, 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
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie on bench, feet flat on floor. Grasp barbell with overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. Lower bar to chest, then press it back up to starting position with arms fully extended.
- 1Retract your shoulder blades and lower the bar to your mid-chest; you should feel your chest, shoulders, and triceps doing the work
- 2Keep your feet planted and core engaged for a solid base
- 3Press the bar up and squeeze your chest and triceps at the top of the rep
Common mistakes
- Don't flare your elbows excessively or let the bar bounce off your chest
- 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 mainly works the mid chest, with the triceps, upper chest, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Barbell Bench Press strength standards
See how your barbell bench press ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM115 lb
Silvere1RM167.5 lb
Golde1RM232.5 lb
Platinume1RM300 lb
Diamonde1RM340 lb
Champione1RM372.5 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the barbell 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 paused bench press
- How to do the bench dip
Last reviewed April 2026.