Chest Exercises - Wide Grip Barbell Bench Press

Exercise Advice: This exercise is exactly the same as the medium grip barbell bench press except that your grip will be as wide apart as possible. Position yourself on a regular free weight flat bench press machine. Lie flat on your back and grab the barbell above you with a grip as wide as possible. Lift the barbell off of the rack and slowly lower it to about 3 inches above your chest and then press the bar back to the start position. DO NOT TOUCH THE BAR TO YOUR CHEST (this causes unneeded stress on your shoulder joints and takes the tension away from your pec muscles, which are what we want to be doing the work!). Be sure that when you are lowering the bar that you do so in a slow and controlled fashion. Conversely, when you press the bar upward, you want to do so in an explosive fashion. Repeat this movement for as many repetitions as you can until failure. Remember to always use a spotter when performing this and almost every other free weight exercise!

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