What equipment do you need for the barbell underhand bench press?

You need barbell and flat bench to do the barbell underhand bench press.

What is a good barbell underhand bench press?

For men, a good barbell underhand bench press is about a 232.5 lb estimated one-rep max, the Gold (intermediate) standard in Kovo. Beginners start near 115 lb and elite lifters pass 372.5 lb. For women, the standards run from about 45 lb to 222.5 lb. The tier table above lists every rank from Bronze to Champion.

Chest · Barbell

Barbell Underhand Bench Press

How to do the barbell underhand 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

Find more:Chest exercises Barbell exercises

How to do it

Lie on a flat bench and grip the barbell with an underhand (supinated) grip at shoulder width. Lower the bar to the lower chest/upper abdomen with elbows tucked, then press back up under control.

1Upper chest and triceps driving the press while your lats and upper back stay tight to stabilize the shoulder.

Common mistakes

Using maximal loads too early, losing wrist neutrality, flaring elbows wide, or bouncing the bar off your torso.

Muscles worked

The barbell underhand bench press mainly works the upper chest and mid chest, with the triceps, lower chest, and front delts assisting.

Upper ChestPrimary
Mid ChestPrimary
TricepsSupport
Lower ChestSupport
Front DeltsSupport
BicepsMinor
ForearmsMinor
Upper AbsMinor

Barbell Underhand Bench Press strength standards

See how your barbell underhand 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.

Weight (lb)Reps

Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.

Kovo programs the barbell underhand 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.

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More chest exercises

See all chest exercises →

Last reviewed April 2026.