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Sports & Fitness vocabulary · Exercises & Technique

Bench press

Meaning in sports & fitness, with examples

/ˈbentʃ ˌpres/nounCore term

In sports & fitness, bench press means: An exercise in which you lie on a flat bench and push a barbell or dumbbells up from your chest until your arms are straight.

In Turkish: bench press, göğüs presi

How it is used

A classic upper-body exercise for the chest, shoulders and triceps. People bench press or simply bench ("How much do you bench?"). Variations include the incline and decline bench press. Lifters use a spotter for heavy sets.

Example sentences

  1. Can you spot me on the bench press? I'm going for 100 kilos.

  2. We'll do incline bench press after the flat bench.

Common collocations

  • flat bench press
  • incline bench press
  • dumbbell bench press
  • bench press max
  • barbellA long metal bar with weight plates added at each end, held with both hands for exercises such as squats, deadlifts and bench presses.
  • spotTo stand next to someone who is lifting a heavy weight, ready to help if they cannot finish the lift safely.
  • push-upA body-weight exercise in which you face the floor, keep your body straight and push yourself up and down with your arms.
  • deadliftA lift in which you pick up a loaded barbell from the floor until you are standing upright, mainly working the back, glutes and hamstrings.
  • free weightsWeights that are not attached to a machine, such as dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells, so the user has to control and balance them.

More terms: Exercises & Technique

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