The foundational horizontal press. Bar travels from a mid-chest touch point straight up over the shoulders, driven by pecs, anterior delts, and triceps. The cornerstone strength benchmark of the push category.
Demo: Barbell Medicine style tutorial
Sets
4
Reps
3-8
Rest
2:30
Contraindications
Shoulder impingement — regress to floor press or neutral-grip DB press. Requires a spotter or rack with safety pins for heavy singles.Setup
Lie supine on bench, eyes roughly under the bar. Set a wide oblique overhand grip (index fingers on the rings for most lifters). Retract and depress shoulder blades into the bench, feet flat and driving into the floor.
Execution
- 1Unrack the bar over the shoulders
- 2Lower under control to touch low-to-mid chest
- 3Keep elbows at roughly 45-75 degrees from torso, not flared to 90
- 4Drive the bar back up and slightly back toward the face at lockout
- 5Maintain scapular retraction throughout
Key cues
- Bend the bar in half
- Pull the bar down, don't drop it
- Feet drive into the floor
- Keep shoulder blades pinned
- Elbows at 45 degrees, not flared
Common faults
- Flaring elbows to 90 degrees, stressing the anterior shoulder
- Losing scapular retraction mid-set
- Bouncing the bar off the chest
- Feet sliding or losing leg drive
- Uneven bar path side to side
Tweaks
- Pause at the chest for 1-2 seconds
- Add a slight leg drive/arch for powerlifting-style pressing
- Vary grip width slightly to shift triceps vs. pec emphasis
Muscles
Primary: Pectoralis Major, Triceps Brachii, Anterior Deltoid
Secondary: Serratus Anterior, Core
Notes
Jason doesn't currently own a barbell — included per catalog spec for future rack purchase.
Sources
Attribution: Powerlifting canon / Stronger by Science (Greg Nuckols)