Barbell Bench Press
Muscles worked: Chest (assisted by triceps, front delts).
How to do it
- Lie back on a flat bench.
- From the starting position, breathe in and begin coming down slowly until the bar touches your middle chest.
- After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Shoulder blades pinned back and down
- Bar touches at nipple line, drive feet into the floor
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 5 to 8 rep range, progressing in 2.5 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Loading the bar? Use the plate calculator, and check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Dumbbell Bench Press - chest
- Incline Dumbbell Press - chest
- Incline Barbell Press - chest
- Dips - chest, triceps
Track the barbell bench press properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.