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EXERCISE GUIDE

Flat Barbell Bench Press

The Flat Barbell Bench Press is an intermediate barbell press that primarily trains the chest, with the shoulders and triceps assisting. It is useful for building pressing strength through the chest, shoulders and triceps.

Primary muscles
chest
Secondary muscles
shoulders, triceps
Equipment
barbell
Difficulty
intermediate

TARGET AREA

Muscles worked

Primary muscles

chest

Secondary muscles

shoulders, triceps

THE MOVEMENT

How to perform

  1. Set the bench to a flat angle, plant the feet, and position the eyes roughly under the bar.
  2. Grip the bar securely, set the shoulder blades back, and brace before unracking.
  3. Lower the bar under control to a repeatable touch point on the chest.
  4. Press back to the start while keeping the upper back tight and the bar path consistent.

IRONYOU / CORE

Core cues

  • Set the bench securely to the flat angle before loading the movement.
  • Use the same touch point or bottom position on every rep.
  • Stop adding load if the range of motion or bar/dumbbell path starts changing from rep to rep.

INTERACTIVE EXERCISE GUIDE

Bench Press in 3D

See the movement from every angle.

Bench Press in 3D — See the movement from every angle.
Interactive 3D View
  • Rotate
  • Zoom
  • Pause

Drag to rotate · Pinch or scroll to zoom

Bench Press Positions

Bench press start position shown from the side
Start position — side view
Bench press bottom position shown from the side
Bottom position — side view

3D bench press questions

Can I view the bench press from different angles?

Yes. The unlocked viewer is designed for free rotation around the exercise.

What does the bench press look like from the side?

Rotate the unlocked model to the side to inspect the setup and movement throughout the rep.

What is the correct bench press bar path?

The bar should follow a controlled, repeatable path between the touch point and the start position.

Can I rotate the bench press animation?

The unlocked interactive model is designed to rotate with mouse or touch controls.

Is this a video or an interactive 3D model?

The unlocked experience uses a real interactive 3D model rather than a fixed-angle video.

Can I pause and zoom in on the bench press movement?

Yes. The viewer controls let you pause the movement and adjust the camera zoom.

Interactive 3D View

Unlock Interactive 3D

Rotate the exercise, zoom in and pause the movement at any point.

Unlock 3D exercise views across IronYou.

STAY SHARP

Common mistakes

  • Letting the shoulders drift forward at the bottom.
  • Bouncing or rushing the lowering phase.
  • Using more load than you can control through a repeatable range of motion.

YOUR PROGRESS

Your strength

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IRONYOU RANK SYSTEM

Standards

Published reference points from the production IronYou rank system.

IronYou has 13 strength ranks: Copper I–III → Silver I–III → Gold I–III → Titanium I–III → IRON. IRON is the highest IronYou rank. The public standards tables show the estimated 1RM required to enter Silver I, Gold I, Titanium I, and IRON. Standards vary by sex and bodyweight.

Logged load: total barbell load. Public value: total barbell load.

Flat Barbell Bench Press Strength Standards — Male

Male

Published estimated 1RM thresholds by bodyweight. Load is recorded as total barbell load.

Flat Barbell Bench Press estimated 1RM strength standards by bodyweight and IronYou rank — Male.
Bodyweight (kg)Silver IGold ITitanium IIRON
50 kg55.9 kg74 kg92.1 kg129.8 kg
60 kg61.9 kg82 kg102 kg143.9 kg
70 kg67.3 kg89.2 kg111 kg156.5 kg
80 kg72.3 kg95.7 kg119.2 kg168 kg
90 kg76.7 kg101.6 kg126.5 kg178.4 kg
100 kg80.8 kg107 kg133.2 kg187.7 kg
110 kg84.4 kg111.8 kg139.2 kg196.2 kg
120 kg87.7 kg116.1 kg144.6 kg203.8 kg

Flat Barbell Bench Press Strength Standards — Female

Female

Published estimated 1RM thresholds by bodyweight. Load is recorded as total barbell load.

Flat Barbell Bench Press estimated 1RM strength standards by bodyweight and IronYou rank — Female.
Bodyweight (kg)Silver IGold ITitanium IIRON
40 kg27.9 kg37 kg46.1 kg65 kg
50 kg37.3 kg49.3 kg61.4 kg86.6 kg
60 kg43.1 kg57 kg71 kg100.1 kg
70 kg46.7 kg61.8 kg77 kg108.5 kg
80 kg48.9 kg64.8 kg80.7 kg113.8 kg
90 kg50.4 kg66.7 kg83 kg117 kg
100 kg51.2 kg67.9 kg84.5 kg119.1 kg
  • Values are estimated 1RM thresholds required to enter the named IronYou major rank tier.
  • Standards are derived from the production IronYou Rank V1 model.
FULL CALCULATOROpen the full Flat Barbell Bench Press calculator

KEEP EXPLORING

Variations

  • Related variations: Flat Dumbbell Bench Press, Decline Dumbbell Bench Press, and Incline Dumbbell Bench Press.
  • Changing the bench angle changes the setup and emphasis while keeping the same basic movement family.

EARLY ACCESS

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