Bench Press

The bench press is a great compound exercise for building up your chest muscles. Check out the Bench Press World Record

Muscles Used

Primary Muscles

Pectoralis Major, Sternal (Chest - lower pecs)

Secondary Muscles

Stabilizer Muscles

Technique

With the barbell on the rack, lie on the bench so that the bar is above your head.
Bring your hands up and hold the bar just wider than shoulder width apart.
Lift the barbell off the rack and extend your arms until they're straight.
Slowly lower the weight until the bar almost touches your chest.
Slowly lift the weight back up.
Repeat steps 4 & 5 until you've repeated the desired number of reps

Placing your hands wider emphasises your outer pecs, narrower, and you emphasise your inner pecs and triceps.

Number of Reps

For building muscle size: 3 sets of between 6 - 8 reps. For muscle tone: 3 sets of between 12 - 15 reps.