Barbells, in conjunction with a bench, can be used to perform a wide range of exercises that work your chest. A barbell is a long, cylindrical bar that has places on each end for weights to be added. Barbell chest exercises are often integrated into athlete and bodybuilder programs because the lifts performed with the barbell are compound movements that recruit more muscles than those found in the chest.
Muscles Worked
Chest exercises with the barbell typically work four muscles in the body. The two chest muscles that barbell exercises work are the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor. The pec major is on the top portion of your chest, while your pec minor is located on the lower portion of your chest. Chest barbell exercises also work the deltoid muscles of your shoulders and the tricep muscles on the back of your upper arm.
Barbell Bench Press Basics
The primary movement used when using a barbell to work the chest is the classic bench press exercise. The bench press can be performed by first lying with your back on a bench so that your feet are flat on the floor and your butt, hips and back are all flat on the bench. Grip the bar with an overhand grip so that your hands are spaced shoulder-width apart, and lift it off the safety rack. Allow the bar to descend toward your chest by allowing your arms to flex. Continue lowering the weight until it touches your chest, and then forcefully extend your arms, trying to push them back to full extension. This is the basic movement pattern used for all barbell variations for the chest.
Variations
There are several variations for chest exercises with the barbell. If you widen your grip by more than three hand lengths on each side, you are performing a wide-grip bench press. This will target the pecs more and reduce the role of the tricep and deltoid muscles. If you move your hands closer than the normal grip, it is a close-grip bench press and puts the emphasis on the secondary muscles and off the chest. If your bench is adjustable, you can raise the incline and perform an incline bench press. This works your pec major more. If you adjust the bench so that your back is placed at a downward angle, you are performing a decline bench press. This diverts the focus of the exercise to your pec minor.
Considerations
The wider your hand grip and the closer the bar gets to your chest, the more strain is placed on your shoulders. This is important to consider if you have had or currently have rotator cuff or shoulder problems. The incline bench press also places this increased stress on the rotator cuff.
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