# Wide-Grip Bench Press

URL: https://heatsy.app/ex/wide-barbell-bench-press

Also known as: Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press, Wide Bench Press

Body region: Chest, Shoulders, Arms

## Muscles

- Main: Deltoid, Pectoralis Major
- Helps: Triceps
- Holds: Serratus Anterior, Biceps

## Equipment

- Barbell
- Flat Bench
- Squat Rack

## Technique

1. Lie on the bench with eyes under the bar, feet flat and shoulder blades pulled together.
2. Grip the bar clearly wider than a normal bench grip, roughly one and a half times shoulder width.
3. Unrack the bar and hold it over your shoulders.
4. Lower the bar to your mid-chest, stopping when your shoulders reach a comfortable depth.
5. Press back up until your arms are straight.

### Cues

- Keep the shoulder blades squeezed together and down.
- Keep the forearms close to vertical at the bottom.
- Set the safety arms or use a spotter, because a wide grip makes a failed rep harder to control.

### Common mistakes

- Gripping so wide that the shoulders hurt at the bottom.
- Letting the elbows flare straight out at 90 degrees.
- Bouncing the bar off the chest.

## Alternatives

- [Barbell Bench Press](https://heatsy.app/ex/barbell-bench-press)
- [Dumbbell Fly](https://heatsy.app/ex/dumbbell-fly)
- [Smith Machine Wide-Grip Bench Press](https://heatsy.app/ex/smith-wide-bench-press)