Home / Fitness exercises / Chest / Negative bench press with a barbell

Negative barbell bench press

Chest training is considered a crucial aspect for many athletes in the gym, and especially men often focus heavily on their chest muscles during strength training. To specifically strengthen not only the upper and middle parts of the major chest muscle, incorporating negative bench pressing into your training is recommended. This exercise contributes to building the musculature in the lower chest area.

Negative bench pressing with the barbell is often referred to as reverse bench press or decline press. A training partner is advisable for this variation of barbell bench pressing. Advanced and professional athletes often integrate this fitness exercise into their training plans. While there are some similarities with the classic bench press or the positive inclined bench press with the barbell, negative bench pressing brings its own challenges and benefits.

The application of negative bench pressing with the barbell is also possible on the Smith machine, chest press machine, or cable tower. Further alternatives are explained in the following section.

Muscles targeted during negative bench pressing with the barbell An effective training plan should include exercises for various muscle groups. During negative bench pressing with the barbell, the focus is primarily on the major chest muscle, especially in the lower region. The triceps, anterior serratus muscle, and the front part of the shoulder muscles support you during this exercise.

Execution of negative bench pressing with the barbell Beginners often struggle with executing negative bench pressing with the barbell correctly. However, even advanced and professional athletes should pay attention to some aspects. For better understanding, the execution is divided into body position and movement.

Body position

For negative bench pressing with the barbell, you need a decline bench. If available in your gym, you can start. Lie flat on your back on the bench, and set the inclination angle ideally between 30 and 45 degrees. Secure your feet on the pad to remain stable during the execution. Grab the barbell with an overhand grip, and you are now in the correct body position for negative bench pressing.

Movement execution

Either take the barbell from the rack or have your training partner hand it to you. While inhaling, lower the barbell slowly, keeping your elbows directly under your wrists the entire time. The downward movement ends just above your chest. Press the barbell upward in a moderate pace, exhaling during this movement, and ensure that you slightly move the barbell forward until it is positioned over your nipples.

Stressed muscles and common mistakes

In many cases, frustrating errors can creep into fitness exercises, increasing the risk of injury or compromising training success. Here are some mistakes that often occur during the inverse bench press with the barbell.

✅ Bending of the Wrists: Athletes tend to bend their wrists backward, especially when dealing with heavy weights. This can elevate the risk of painful and prolonged hand injuries. The barbell should always be positioned directly above the wrists.

✅ Arms Not Bent: Fully extending the arms promotes wear and tear on the elbow joints. Therefore, it is advisable never to completely straighten the arms.

✅ Bouncing off the Chest: Bouncing off the chest can result in reduced stress on the chest muscles. Simultaneously, there is a risk of injuries in the chest area.

✅ Exercising Too Quickly: To optimally stimulate the muscles, it is crucial to perform the exercise at a moderate pace. Unfortunately, some athletes tend to act too hastily during the inverse bench press with the barbell.

Alternatives and similar exercises to the LH negative bench press

When it comes to strengthening the lower chest muscles, training with the barbell is an excellent choice. To keep your training engaging and fully tap into your physical fitness potential, it is recommended to incorporate a variety of fitness exercises. Here are several alternatives to barbell decline presses.

Negative dumbbell bench press

Using dumbbells for negative bench presses is a corresponding alternative to barbell decline presses. Instead of using a barbell, you opt for two dumbbells. The fundamental elements such as body position, execution of movements, and the targeted muscle groups are comparable. The difference lies in the fact that with negative dumbbell presses, you have more freedom of movement, which comes with both advantages and disadvantages.

Negative bench press on the multi press

Another option is the negative bench press on the Smith machine. This has the advantage that the Smith machine's rail supports the execution of movements. In comparison to the negative barbell decline press, there are no significant differences here.

Chest press

In specific cases, the chest press machine in the gym can be adjusted to allow for negative bench presses.

Cable fly down for the lower chest

Performing cable flys downward on the cable tower or with the cable machine allows you to specifically target the lower chest. Here, you move the cable slowly from top to bottom. Alternatively, at the cable tower, you can also train the lower and middle chest.

Bench press variations for middle and upper chest

To achieve comprehensive muscle development, it is important to include all areas of the chest in your training plan. With exercises like flat bench press and incline bench press with the barbell, as well as flat bench press and incline bench press with dumbbells, you focus on the middle and upper fibers of your chest muscles.