Barbell Jm Bench Press

Setup

1. 01Lie on a flat bench in a rack and grip the bar at about shoulder width.
2. 02Set the shoulder blades and plant the feet as for a bench press.
3. 03Unrack and position the bar over the upper chest and chin line.
4. 04Keep the elbows pointing mostly forward, not flared.

Execution

1. 01Lower the bar toward the chin and throat area by bending the elbows.
2. 02Let the forearms fold onto the biceps while the elbows stay high.
3. 03Stop when the bar hovers a few inches above the chin.
4. 04Extend the elbows to press the bar back up along the same path.

Checkpoints

• -Bar path drops toward the chin, not the sternum.
• -Elbows stay up and forward of the bar at the bottom.
• -Forearms fully compress against the upper arms at the turnaround.
• -The press finishes with a hard triceps lockout.

Common mistakes

• -Turning it into a regular close-grip press by lowering to the chest.
• -Loading too heavy and losing bar control near the face.
• -Flaring the elbows wide.
• -Bouncing out of the compressed bottom position.