Bench Press with Bands
Trains the Pecs.
- Equipment
- A barbell, a rack, a resistance band and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Loop a band over each end of the barbell and anchor both under the bench or to the rack base.
- Set up on a flat bench with the safety pins in place.
- Take an overhand grip a little wider than your shoulders and unrack the bar.
- Lower to the chest under control — the bands go slack as you descend.
- Press back up, fighting more band tension with every inch.
- Rack the bar carefully; the bands pull it back toward the anchors.
Common mistakes
- Loading the bar as if the bands were not there. The lockout carries the most tension, so a weight that leaves the chest easily may stop halfway.
- Anchoring the bands where they can slip. A band leaving an anchor under a loaded bar over your chest is the failure worth setting up against.
- Letting the bands pull the bar down faster than you can control. They accelerate the descent, and the chest arrives sooner than with plates alone.
- Using bands to fix a weak chest. They are lightest at the bottom, so they train the lockout — a slow first inch wants pauses or a change of grip instead.