Barbell JM Bench Press
The Barbell JM Bench Press powerfully builds triceps strength and size while engaging your chest.
Description
A strength exercise that targets the triceps and chest muscles. It involves lying on a bench, lifting a barbell to chest level, and then extending the arms to press the barbell upwards.
How to Do Barbell JM Bench Press
- 1Setup
Lie supine on a flat bench, positioning your eyes directly under the racked barbell. Grip the barbell with an overhand, pronated grip, slightly narrower than shoulder-width, with your thumbs wrapped securely around the bar.
- 2Setup
Unrack the barbell and hold it directly above your upper chest, with your elbows tucked slightly inward, maintaining tension through your triceps.
- 3
Inhale and slowly lower the barbell by bending your elbows and shoulders simultaneously, allowing the bar to descend in a diagonal path towards the junction of your upper chest and neck. Keep your elbows tracking forward, not flaring out.
- 4
Continue lowering until your forearms are close to parallel with the floor and the barbell is approximately 1-2 inches above your upper chest/lower neck area.
- 5
Exhale and powerfully extend your elbows, pressing the barbell back up along the same diagonal path to the starting position, focusing on contracting your triceps.
Tips
- Maintain a controlled eccentric (lowering) phase to maximize triceps time under tension and prevent injury.
- Keep your elbows relatively tucked throughout the movement to emphasize triceps activation and reduce shoulder strain.
- Visualize driving the bar up by pushing through your triceps, not just your chest or shoulders.
- Use a spotter, especially with heavier loads, as the bar path can be challenging to control if fatigue sets in.
Common Mistakes
- ×Flaring elbows excessively shifts tension away from the triceps to the shoulders and can cause injury; keep your elbows tucked closer to your body.
- ×Lowering the bar too far down the chest turns it into a close-grip bench press, reducing triceps isolation; aim to stop the bar just above your upper chest/lower neck.
- ×Using a grip that's too wide or too narrow reduces triceps focus or strains wrists; use a slightly narrower than shoulder-width grip.
Variations
Barbell Reverse Close-grip Bench Press
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