The Flat Bench Press – The details

The flat bench press is one of the greatest and most popular exercises used coaches and athletes to improve upper body strength and muscle mass, thanks to the versatility of the exercise for progressive overload.

The primary muscles involved are indeed the pectoralis, the triceps and the anterior deltoids, with slight differences in preferential activation depending on the exercise variation, grip width but also load.

In fact, when testing 1RMs, the role of the pectoralis major goes from being a prime mover to a “supportive-prime mover” accompanied by a greater activation of the anterior deltoid and triceps.

Król H, Gołaś A. Effect of Barbell Weight on the Structure of the Flat Bench Press. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 May;31(5):1321-1337. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001816. PMID: 28415066; PMCID: PMC5400411.