Exercise Advice: This exercise is exactly the same as the free weight medium grip barbell bench press except that you will use a closer grip when performing this exercise. Lie flat on your back and grab the barbell above you with a grip about 12 inches apart. 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!
