Bench Press (Barbell)
Lie on a bench and press a barbell from the chest to arm's length. Also called Flat Bench Press, Barbell Bench and Wide Grip Bench Press.
- Pattern
- Press forward
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Works
- Chest, front delt, triceps
- Loads
- Shoulders, elbows, wrists
If something hurts
Not medical advice. Sharp pain, numbness or swelling needs someone qualified to look at it.
Each swap below spares one joint.
Shoulder Floor Press (Barbell)Try it if it feels okay
Stops the bar above chest level so the shoulder never reaches end range.
Elbow Cable Fly
A fly's elbow stays fixed, so no elbow bend loads it.
Wrist Chest Press (Machine)
Fixed handles: the shoulder stops short of the bottom stretch and the wrists stay neutral.
When it stalls, these usually help
Same bar path with more of the work on the triceps, which is where a bench usually gives out.
A second pressing day that is not a repeat of the first.
The horizontal pull that balances the press; the upper back it builds is the shelf you press from.
How Swolver coaches it
This lift is read from your own sessions. When it goes flat for four weeks, Swolver names the likely cause in plain words, such as weekly sets that dropped, and the one change to make. The rules are all on the method page.