Barbell Bench Press: Guide — Training Compass

Push the bar upward with your chest, shoulders, and arms.

Get ready

Confirm that the bench is centered under the bar and cannot move, and that the two hooks and two safeties are respectively set to matching heights.
Test with the empty bar that you can unrack with straight arms, lower to a comfortable depth above your chest, and then lower a little farther so both safeties catch the bar while leaving room for you to exit.
Do not begin if any part cannot be confirmed.
If plates are added, load equal weight on both sides and install a locking collar outside the outermost plate on each side to prevent the plates from sliding.
Lie with your eyes roughly below the bar, both feet planted, and the back of your head, upper back, and glutes in contact with the bench. Set your shoulder blades gently back and down.
Use an even grip slightly wider than shoulder-width, wrap your thumbs around the bar, and keep your wrists as directly above your forearms as possible.
Straighten your elbows to unrack and move the bar above your shoulders.

Let your elbows travel diagonally down and lower the bar with control to a comfortable depth above your chest, always within the safeties' catchable range; do not drop the bar toward your chest.
Keep both feet stable and press the bar above your shoulders.

When finished, move the bar backward until it lightly contacts both uprights. Keep light backward pressure against both uprights and slowly bend your elbows until you feel both hooks support the bar and your hands no longer bear its weight; only then release your grip.

Breathe in and keep your trunk steady as the bar lowers, then breathe out as you press. Do not hold your breath throughout the set or between sets.

Rest about 120 seconds between sets; take longer as needed for breathing and movement control.

Use the empty bar or a lighter load; reduce the lowering range and reset the safeties; do not begin the work set if you cannot unrack and rerack steadily on your own.
Wall push-up: face a wall with hands at chest height. Step back to form a straight body line, bend elbows to bring the chest toward the wall, then push back. Stand nearer the wall to make it easier.

Optional: Increase the load slightly only when the unrack, every press, and the rerack remain stable and, after the set, you are still confident you could complete at least 2 more repetitions with the same controlled form.
Optional: Take about 3 seconds to lower.
Optional: Pause briefly at your lowest stable position without touching or bouncing the bar on your chest.

Failing to wrap the thumbs around the bar; bending the wrists excessively backward; flaring the elbows directly out to the sides; dropping or bouncing the bar on the chest; lowering the bar after confirming only one hook.

The bench, hooks, or safeties are not correctly set; inability to unrack or rerack steadily; sharp or worsening pain in the shoulders, elbows, wrists, or chest; tilting of the bar or loss of control of its path.