The Decline Barbell Bench Press is a intermediate-friendly barbell strength exercise that targets the chest, with the triceps and shoulders working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesChest
Secondary musclesTriceps, Shoulders
EquipmentBarbell
LevelIntermediate
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Decline Barbell Bench Press
Set a decline bench, load the bar, and hook your feet securely under the leg pad.
Lie back with your eyes under the bar and grip it just outside shoulder width.
Pinch your shoulder blades together and drive them into the pad, then take the lift-off with a spotter.
Inhale and lower the bar in a straight line to the base of your sternum until it touches your chest.
Press the bar back up by driving your upper back into the bench and extending your elbows.
Stop just short of full lockout to keep tension, then repeat for the prescribed reps.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Shortens the pressing range compared with a flat bench, which some lifters tolerate better at the shoulder.
Keeps triceps involvement high, so it doubles as elbow extension volume on a chest day.
Completes the bench-angle set, giving a third loading position for the pectorals.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Bouncing the bar off the chest replaces muscular work with momentum and puts a shock load on the shoulders.
Letting the shoulder blades come unset during the press hands the load to the front of the shoulder joint.
Unracking a heavy bar without a spotter in the decline position leaves no safe way out of a failed rep.
Letting the wrists roll back into extension puts the bar behind the forearm and strains the wrist joint.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Decline Barbell Bench Press, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
