Decline Barbell Bench Press
Barbell press performed head-down on a decline bench, driving from just below the sternum to full extension.
How to do it
- Set a decline bench, load the bar, and hook your feet securely under the leg pad.
- Lie back with your eyes under the bar and grip it just outside shoulder width.
- Pinch your shoulder blades together and drive them into the pad, then take the lift-off with a spotter.
- Inhale and lower the bar in a straight line to the base of your sternum until it touches your chest.
- Press the bar back up by driving your upper back into the bench and extending your elbows.
- Stop just short of full lockout to keep tension, then repeat for the prescribed reps.
Key technique cue
Only with a spotter: shoulder blades into the bench, bar straight to the lower sternum, wrists over forearms.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Bouncing the bar off the chest replaces muscular work with momentum and puts a shock load on the shoulders.
- ✕ Letting the shoulder blades come unset during the press hands the load to the front of the shoulder joint.
- ✕ Unracking a heavy bar without a spotter in the decline position leaves no safe way out of a failed rep.
- ✕ Letting the wrists roll back into extension puts the bar behind the forearm and strains the wrist joint.
Benefits
- ✓ Shortens the pressing range compared with a flat bench, which some lifters tolerate better at the shoulder.
- ✓ Keeps triceps involvement high, so it doubles as elbow extension volume on a chest day.
- ✓ Completes the bench-angle set, giving a third loading position for the pectorals.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Decline Barbell Bench Press
- Dumbbell Decline Bench Press
About the exercise
The decline barbell bench press puts the torso head-down with the feet hooked under a pad, which lowers the pressing angle and shortens the bar path. The pectoralis major is the prime mover, the triceps extend the elbows, and the front deltoid contributes less than on an incline. EMG comparison of flat, inclined and declined benching found similar pectoral activity in all three positions. Setup carries most of the risk. Shoulder blades stay pinned to the pad, a spotter helps with the lift-off, and the bar descends under control to the sternum rather than bouncing.
Updated
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