Primary muscle
chest
Equipment
barbell
Secondary muscles
shoulders, triceps
Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar and your feet flat on the floor. Pull your shoulder blades back and down, and keep them there for the whole set. Unrack the bar and bring it over your lower chest with straight arms. Lower under control until the bar touches your chest, keeping your elbows at roughly 45 to 75 degrees from your torso. Press back up, driving your feet into the floor and keeping your hips on the bench. Common mistakes: flaring the elbows straight out to the sides, bouncing the bar off the chest, and lifting the hips off the bench to shorten the range.