Bench press guide: muscles worked and a simple progression, coached by Arif

Coached by Arif
MG crew · Powerlifting · Heavy, simple, strong.
Updated October 2026 · 4 min read

“My shoulders ache after bench day. Should I stop benching, or change something?”

Usually you change something. Most sore shoulders on bench come from the setup, not the lift itself. Here’s the setup I use, the mistakes I fix most, and how to keep adding weight.

What the bench press works

• Chest (pecs): the main mover, bringing your arms across your body to press the bar up.
• Triceps: straighten your elbows and finish the lockout.
• Front shoulders: help the chest, and take more of the load as the weight gets heavier.
• Upper back and lats: hold your shoulder blades in place so you press from a solid base.

Set up like this

1. Eyes under the bar. Lie back so the bar is above your eyes, feet flat on the floor.
2. Set your shoulder blades. Pull them back and down into the bench, and keep them there for the whole set.
3. Grip. Just wider than shoulder width, bar low in your palm over your forearm bones.
4. Unrack and settle. Lift the bar out, bring it over your shoulders, take a breath.
5. Lower to mid-chest. Elbows tucked to about 45 degrees, not flared out to the sides.
6. Press up and slightly back. Drive your feet into the floor and press the bar back over your shoulders.

Five mistakes behind sore shoulders

1. Flaring the elbows to 90 degrees. It squeezes the front of the shoulder at the bottom of every rep. Fix: tuck your elbows to about 45 degrees.

2. Bouncing the bar off your chest. You lose control at the point where your shoulder is most exposed. Fix: touch the chest under control, with a short pause if you need it.

3. Loose shoulder blades. Without a solid base, your shoulders do the stabilising. Fix: set your shoulder blades before you unrack, and keep them pinned.

4. Wrists bent back. The bar sits behind your forearm and strains the wrist. Fix: bar low in the palm, knuckles to the ceiling, and use wrist wraps on heavy sets.

5. Skipping the warm-up. Cold shoulders don’t like heavy presses. Fix: a few minutes of band work and lighter sets before your working weight.

A simple progression

Pick a weight you can press for 3 sets of 5 with good form. When every rep of all three sets is clean, add the smallest jump your gym allows next session (often 1–2.5kg). When you stall for two or three sessions in a row, take about 10% off and build back up. It’s boring, and it works.

Wrist wraps and elbow sleeves

Wrist wraps keep the wrist stacked over the forearm so the bar doesn’t bend it back. Wrap over the wrist joint itself, not down the forearm. Elbow sleeves keep the elbows warm and snug through a lot of pressing. Elbow wraps are stiffer and only for experienced lifters on heavy sets.

What I’d put in your bag

Get the full Bench pack →

Wrist wraps, elbow sleeves, elbow wraps and a tee in one tap. Free UAE delivery over AED 350.

Questions people ask me

Should I arch my back on the bench?
A small natural arch with your shoulder blades set is normal and helps keep the shoulders safe. Keep your glutes on the bench.

How wide should my grip be?
Start just outside shoulder width. Very wide grips load the shoulders more; very narrow grips shift work to the triceps.

How tight should wrist wraps be?
Tight enough that your wrist can’t bend back, loose enough that your hand doesn’t tingle. Wrap for working sets and loosen them between.

Elbow sleeves or elbow wraps?
Sleeves for warmth and comfort on most pressing days. Wraps are much stiffer and only for heavy sets once you know how to use them.

My shoulder still hurts. What now?
Lower the weight and check the setup. If the pain is sharp, doesn’t settle with rest, or comes with numbness, see a physiotherapist.

Keep going

• My deadlift guide
• Bella’s squat guide
• Bella on wrist, elbow and knee wraps
• Everything for the big three: the Powerlifting hub