Chest · Barbell
Swiss Bar Bench Press
How to do the swiss bar bench press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie on a bench and grip the Swiss/football bar with a neutral grip. Unrack the bar over your mid-chest, lower it under control to your chest, then press back up. Keep your elbows tucked at a comfortable angle and your shoulder blades retracted.
- 1Grip the multi-angle Swiss bar with neutral hands and lower it to mid-chest, feeling your triceps and chest share the work
- 2Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down on the bench
- 3Press smoothly and feel the neutral grip reduce strain on your shoulders while engaging your upper body
Common mistakes
- Don't let your elbows flare out or drift too low, maintain a comfortable angle
- Avoid arching your back excessively or letting your feet come off the floor
- Don't bounce the bar or lose control of the descent
Muscles worked
The swiss bar 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
Swiss Bar Bench Press strength standards
See how your swiss bar 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 swiss bar 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 April 2026.