Muscle outlines from Body Muscles by Ivan Vulović, Apache 2.0 — regrouped and recoloured for Muscle Train.
Lie flat on a bench and set your hands well outside of shoulder width. Set your shoulder blades by pinching them together and driving them into the bench. Take a deep breath and allow your spotter to help you with the lift off in order to maintain tightness through your upper back. Let the weight settle and ensure your upper back remains tight after lift off. Inhale and allow the bar to descend slowly by unlocking the elbows. Lower the bar in a straight line to the base of the sternum (breastbone) and touch the chest. Push the bar back up in a straight line by pressing yourself into the bench, driving your feet into the floor for leg drive, and extending the elbows. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Prioritize technique over weight to avoid injury. Keep the bar aligned with wrists and elbows in a straight path. Touch the chest on every rep, no bouncing. Stop just short of lockout to maintain chest and triceps tension. Use a slight elbow tuck or the cue “flare and push.” Arch from the mid/upper back, not the lower back. Grip the bar tightly with thumbs around for stability (avoid suicide grip as a beginner). Keep wrists stacked and knuckles facing the ceiling. Experiment with grip width for comfort and shoulder health. Retract and keep shoulder blades tight throughout. Use controlled descent, strong leg drive, and keep glutes/shoulders on the bench. Think about pushing yourself away from the bar, not just pressing it up. A spotter helps maintain setup tightness during lift-off.
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