Wide-grip bench
- Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor, and grip the barbell significantly wider than your normal bench press grip (roughly 1.5 times shoulder-width).
- Unrack the bar and lower it under control toward your chest, keeping your shoulder blades retracted and elbows flared out wider than usual.
- Press the bar straight back up to the starting position while focusing on contracting your chest, locking out at the top.
Tips
- Before unracking the bar, pull your shoulder blades together and press them firmly into the bench so your chest is raised and your upper back forms a stable base for the press.
- Lower the bar under control until it is close to or lightly touches your chest, then press it straight back up without bouncing or pausing excessively at the bottom.
- Keep your wrists stacked directly over your forearms throughout the movement so the bar sits in the heel of your palm rather than bending your wrists back.
Common mistakes
- Using a grip that is only slightly wider than a standard bench press grip, rather than the significantly wider grip the exercise requires, changes the mechanics of the movement.
- Allowing the shoulder blades to lose their retracted position as the bar descends so the shoulders round forward and the chest flattens.
- Bouncing the bar off the chest at the bottom of the rep instead of maintaining control through the transition from lowering to pressing.
Make Every Set Count.
Plan your workouts, track every session, and see your progress over time.
