What equipment do you need for the wide grip bench press?

You need barbell and flat bench to do the wide grip bench press.

What is a good wide grip bench press?

For men, a good wide grip 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

Wide Grip Bench Press

How to do the wide grip 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

Find more:Chest exercises Barbell exercises

How to do it

Lie on a flat bench with a barbell racked above you. Position your hands wider than shoulder-width on the bar. Lower the bar to your chest with control, keeping your elbows flared out slightly. Press the bar back up to the starting position, focusing on your chest muscles.

1Set your hands wider than shoulder width and lower the bar to your chest, feeling a strong stretch across your pecs
2Keep your shoulder blades pinned to the bench and press the bar up, feeling your chest do most of the work
3Maintain a consistent bar path and squeeze your chest at the top

Common mistakes

Don't flare your elbows excessively or let the bar descend too low on your chest
Avoid arching your back excessively or lifting your feet off the floor
Don't bounce the bar or lose control during the eccentric phase