Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press
- Lie back on a flat bench with feet firm on the floor. Using a wide, pronated (palms forward) grip that is around 3 inches away from shoulder width (for each hand), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. The bar will be perpendicular to the torso and the floor. This will be your starting position.
- As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest.
- After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Barbell Guillotine Bench Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
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2
Bench Press
The bench press is the most popular upper body exercise for building chest strength and muscle mass. It's a compound movement that also develops the triceps and anterior deltoids.
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3
Wide-Grip Decline Barbell Bench Press
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
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4
Bench Press - With Bands
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a resistance band.
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5
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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6
Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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7
Dumbbell Bench Press with Neutral Grip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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8
Hammer Grip Incline DB Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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9
Machine Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
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10
One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do wide-grip barbell bench press work?
Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press primarily works the chest. The shoulders and triceps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for wide-grip barbell bench press?
Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press uses barbell.
Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press: is it suitable for beginners?
Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press is rated intermediate. Movements that assume you already own the basic pattern and are ready to load it.
What can I do instead of wide-grip barbell bench press?
Barbell Guillotine Bench Press, Bench Press, Wide-Grip Decline Barbell Bench Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my wide-grip barbell bench press reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; wide-grip barbell bench press can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press with AI
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