The Arsenal

Bench Press

Horizontal barbell press — the classic upper-body strength lift.

How to do it

—Feet planted, slight arch, shoulder blades pulled down and back — press from a stable platform, not a soft one.
—Bar touches around the lower chest, not the throat.
—Elbows roughly 45° from your body, not flared to 90°.

—Bouncing the bar off the chest to hide a weight you can't control.
—Butt leaving the bench — the set stopped counting when it did.
—Going to failure on every set instead of leaving one in the tank on the heavy ones.

Dumbbell press (kinder on the shoulders) or push-ups with feet elevated.

Add a 2-second pause on the chest, or run the 3x5 at a heavier percentage.

Dumbbell bench pressFloor pressWeighted push-ups

6 workouts