What Muscles Does the Bench Press Work?

The main job of the bench press is growing chest muscle size and strength, but because it’s a compound exercise, it also builds several other muscle groups at once.

Are you hitting the gym? Then you’ve probably heard about bench press exercises. But the real question is: why do this exercise, and what are its benefits?

What is a Bench Press?

A bench press is a compound exercise in which a person lies on a bench with their feet on the floor and presses a loaded barbell (or dumbbells) upward with both arms. The main work of this exercise is growing chest muscle size, but as a compound movement it also builds strength and stamina in supporting muscle groups. The bench press has two common variations: the barbell bench press, which uses a barbell, and the dumbbell bench press, which uses dumbbells. The barbell bench press is a bilateral exercise, since both hands move a single fixed bar together as one unit.

3 types of variations in the Barbell Bench Press

1. Flat barbell bench press – Lie down on a flat bench with your feet on the ground and press the barbell up by extending both arms, then lower it back down slowly to your chest. The flat barbell bench press is one of the three lifts contested in powerlifting.
2. Incline barbell bench press – Here the bench is set at roughly a 15-30 degree angle. Exercising at this angle targets your upper chest and anterior deltoids more directly, and it’s a common choice for growing the upper chest.
3. Decline barbell bench press – Here the bench is angled downward, typically around 15-30 degrees. Lying on this downward slope shifts more of the work to the lower pectoral muscles, or lower chest.

8 Benefits of the Barbell Bench Press

There are several benefits to doing the bench press, including:

1. Builds upper body strength
2. Builds muscular stamina
3. Helps improve posture
4. Growth in chest muscle size
5. Stronger deltoids
6. Stronger triceps
7. Helps improve bone health
8. Loadable to match your strength level, so it scales as you progress

What is the Dumbbell Bench Press?

The dumbbell bench press is much like the barbell version, except you use dumbbells instead of a barbell. Because each hand controls its own weight independently, it allows a bit more freedom of motion than the barbell version. The dumbbell bench press also has the same three variations as the barbell version:

1. Incline dumbbell press
2. Flat dumbbell press
3. Decline dumbbell press

3 Muscles Involved in All Variations

The muscles involved in all three bench variations are:

1. Flat bench press – The flat bench press primarily engages the triceps brachii, pectoralis major, and anterior deltoids, with the traps and back working as secondary muscles.
2. Incline bench press – This variation emphasizes the clavicular (upper) head of the chest, along with the anterior deltoids and triceps.
3. Decline bench press – This variation emphasizes the sternal head, or lower pecs, along with the triceps brachii.

5 Benefits of the Dumbbell Bench Press

1. You control your range of motion more precisely than with a barbell.
2. Allows a deeper stretch at the bottom of the movement.
3. Generally easier on the joints than heavy barbell pressing.
4. Creates more time under muscular tension per rep.
5. Allows more variations than a fixed barbell.

Benefits of the Bench Press for Women

There are real benefits to the bench press for women, too. Many women are working toward weight loss or muscle gain goals, and combined with proper nutrition, the bench press can be a solid part of that plan. Training it a couple of times a week, with proper form, can build noticeable upper body strength over time, primarily in the chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Other benefits include increased core strength and better body posture. Whether the end result is fat loss or muscle gain mostly comes down to overall diet.

What’s the proper technique?

First, figure out your goal. If you’re a powerlifter looking to lift as much weight as possible, your bench press form will look somewhat different from a bodybuilder’s.

Set Up

• Lie down on the bench so your eyes are roughly under the bar. Your feet should be flat on the floor and a bit wider than hip-width.
• Make sure the bar is racked at a comfortable height to lift off. If it’s too high, unracking becomes awkward and unsafe; adjust the rack height so the lift-off feels controlled.
• Grip the bar with a full grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width, and hold it firmly so there’s no risk of it slipping.
• Take a deep breath, brace your core, and keep your glutes tight. Unrack the bar and bring it to a position over your chest.
• Lower the bar in a controlled manner until it lightly touches your chest, around the sternum or mid-chest.
• From there, press the bar back up to the starting position over your chest.
• Pause briefly at the top, then rack the bar back in its original position when you’re done with the set.
• Keep a slight, natural arch in your lower back – avoid excessive arching.
• Repeat for your desired number of reps.

That’s the proper technique for the bench press. Choose a weight that matches your current strength level – don’t go too heavy too soon, or you risk injury. When lifting near your limit, use a spotter and consider safety collars or a power rack with safety bars, since a barbell bench press carries real risk if the bar gets stuck on your chest. Training it 1-2 times a week with good form, and progressing gradually, is a reasonable way to build upper body strength and stamina over time.

Hope this article gave you the information you were looking for on the bench press.