The barbell bench press is a staple in most lifter’s programs and for good reason. It’s an awesome exercise for building horizontal pressing strength and increasing overall chest size.
However, I don’t barbell bench press anymore and I’m still making quality pressing and pec gains. I think at times lifters fall into the trap of thinking that they “have to use” certain exercises to make growth — the barbell bench press being one of them.
That said, I love the barbell bench press and think it can be highly beneficial for a wide range of lifters. It’s just not one of my go-to chest exercises when I want to focus on pec hypertrophy and I’m not in prep for a powerlifting meet.
Important Reminders
- Reminder 1: This article is not intended to make you stray away from the barbell bench press by any means or talk down on that exercise if you love performing it. Instead, I want this piece to highlight how I build my pecs and help clients do the same when we’re not barbell bench pressing in our workout programs.
- Reminder 2: When selecting exercises for training my pecs I lead with a mindset that follows the theory of training the pecs based on their fiber orientation. The pec major has three divisions of fibers: clavicular, sternal, and costal. On top of this, I also keep effort high throughout my pressing workouts. It’s amazing what consistent effort can do when it comes to increasing strength and hypertrophy. Don’t sleep on effort and intensity.
- Reminder 3: If you notice your pecs are lagging in any one spot, then I’d suggest taking a block or two and biasing the areas you’re lagging the most. For example, if your lower pecs are falling behind, then you’ll want to program a higher volume of exercises that will focus on this area. I’d also suggest using them earlier on in your workouts so you can put more effort towards them.
Why I Don’t Barbell Bench Press All of the Time
Before diving into what I do when I’m not barbell bench pressing, I want to provide a little context behind why I don’t barbell bench press all of the time, or year-round for that matter.
In the context of my programming and goals, there are three reasons why I don’t typically perform barbell bench presses for pec hypertrophy and general strength.
1. It’s Technical Nature Can Sometimes Be a Limiter
To be highly proficient in the barbell bench press you have to spend a good amount of time practicing this exercise. When my pressing goals are more general I want to be efficient with my time spent in the gym.
If I can save time by not spending extra time warming up and getting prepped for the barbell bench press then that’s a win for me. For me, I find it easier to get straight into my chest days when I’m not barbell bench pressing.
As you get more experienced with your training this time can increase because you’ll typically need more prep time to reach the intensities you need for growth.
2. It May Cause More Fatigue Taking Away From Other Exercises
If I’m going heavy on the barbell bench press and doing singles, doubles, and triples, I’m usually a lot more gassed after when it comes to my accessories which are often more focused on hypertrophy work.
Similar to other compound exercises like the deadlift and back squat, the barbell bench press is more demanding than some of its pressing peers. If your main goal is hypertrophy then this could limit your potential to focus on that adaptation.
3. Its Range of Motion Can Be a Limiter
Another reason why I don’t love performing the bench press to increase my general strength and chest size is that its range of motion will be capped faster than using other chest variations.
For example, I have long arms and sometimes have cranky shoulders when pressing. This can limit the range of motion that I’m training my pecs through and if my goal is hitting a variety of pec fibers then there are better options for doing so.
Two Rules of Pec Training
For efficient pec training, I keep two rules in mind. This helps guide my intent with programming and the exercises I use for building my chest. One rule is more science and theory-driven, and the second rule is a core principle for all training.
Rule 1: Training the Pecs Around the Idea of Fiber Orientation
The first rule that I consider is based on the theory of how to train different pec fibers based on pressing orientation. In the pec major, we have three divisions of pec fibers.
- Clavicular Pec Fibers: These are the upper pecs that will be trained more with incline/some vertical pressing variations.
- Sternal Pec Fibers: These are the pec fibers that originate from the sternum. They’re the meaty middle pec fibers that you’ll train through horizontal pressing variations.
- Costal Pec Fibers: These are the lower pec fibers that give your pecs a girthy and volumuous look. You train these with horizontal and decline pressing variations.
Keeping this logic in mind, I can ensure I’m programming exercises based on building my pecs as a whole ensuring I’m hitting the upper, middle, and lower fibers.
Rule 2: Effort Always Matters
Just because you’re not barbell bench pressing doesn’t mean you should coast through your pressing workouts. Effort always matters when it comes to growth and this is key to remember.
Sometimes I’ll have clients that I notice sandbagging pressing workouts when we’re using primarily dumbbell and cable variations. The exercises may feel or seem “easier” but that doesn’t mean you should let up on their intensity.
Taking some sets to failure every workout and continuing to push your numbers up is underrated, in my opinion. How many lifters could benefit and break through plateaus by simply producing more effort versus overanalyzing their training?
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My 4 Pec Training Staples
There are a lot of pressing variations that I’ll use in different training blocks, however, there are often four exercises that grace my workout program nearly every week.
Exercise 1: Dumbbell Bench Press
The dumbbell bench press can benefit pretty much every lifter. This exercise is fantastic for hypertrophy and building strength at all skill levels and it’s easy to train through deep ranges of motion with different arm angles.
Why I Like Them
- Easy to use for improving horizontal pressing strength.
- Great for focusing on hypertrophy and pushing high levels of effort while working to isolate pec fibers.
- Awesome variation for training the sternal pec fibers.
- Can work as a main compound exercise and typically requires less warm-up time compared to the barbell bench press.
- Easy to manipulate hand position to find comfortable pressing patterns and train different pec fibers.
How I’ll Use Them
- Sets and Reps: 4-5 x 6-10
- Rest: 2-3 minutes
- Prescribed Intensity: Ascending load from 3-4 RIR to 0-1 RIR for top set
I’ll use other set and rep schemes, too, but this is one of the main flows I use when I want a blend of strength and hypertrophy. For most lifters, I’d suggest running this flow for 6-10 weeks before shifting it.
Exercise 2: 1.5 Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
The 1.5 incline dumbbell bench press is another staple that I use for building my chest. This variation is fantastic for training the upper pec fibers and it’s an easy exercise to keep your stimulus high without needing a ton of weight.
To perform these, you’ll start locked out bring the dumbbell down, press up halfway (that’s your half-rep), come back down, then press up and a lockout (that’s your full rep) — that counts as 1-rep.
Why I Like Them
- Great for training and biasing the clavicular/upper pec fibers.
- Awesome for easily accumulating more mechanical tension on the pec fibers.
- Useful for beginners wanting to improve their control when pressing dumbbells.
- Easy to adjust your bench height to bias the upper pecs or anterior delts depending on your goals.
How I’ll Use Them
- Sets and Reps: 3-4 x 8-12
- Rest: 90-sec to 2-minutes
- Prescribed Intensity: All sets 2-3 RIR. Take the final set to 0-1 RIR.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with this exercise and play with different bench heights, tempos, and set and rep schemes. You can also use normal incline dumbbell bench presses here.
Exercise 3: Costal Cable Press
To round out my pec fiber-focused training I’ll also use costal cable presses for most pressing workouts. This variation is awesome for targeting the lower/costal pec fibers.
Why I Like Them
- Fantastic for strengthening and biasing the lower pec fibers.
- Easy to use for hypertrophy and creating a high degree of mechanical tension on the pecs.
- Cables typically feel good on the joints after a tough day of pressing.
How I’ll Use Them
- Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-15
- Rest: 75-90 seconds
- Prescribed Intensity: All sets 1-2 RIR with a full second hold at lockout.
When programming costal cable presses, don’t be afraid to play with your cable angle. Your height and limb lengths should influence your setup. When in doubt, think of lining the cable up in a diagonal orientation from the floor.
Exercise 4: Push-Up On Dumbbells (Sometimes With a Band)
Push-ups on dumbbells can be awesome because they can serve as a main exercise for your pressing day or as a finisher. By performing your push-ups on dumbbells you can get a deeper range of motion to hit the pec fibers.
Why I Like Them
- Easy to perform everywhere and these can be an awesome staple while traveling.
- Work great for getting “more” out of your normal push-ups from a hypertrophy point of view.
- Great for warm-up use or as a finisher at the end of pressing days.
How I’ll Use Them
- Sets and Reps:
- As a Finisher: 2-3 x AMRAP (as many reps as possible)
- As a Main Exercise: 2-3 x 8-10 (use a band for added lockout stimulus)
- Rest: 60-75 seconds
- Prescribed Intensity: All sets to failure.
Don’t sleep on push-ups performed on dumbbells. They’re a freakishly effective exercise for accumulating more mechanical tension on the pecs and using bands for a block or two can be great for building lockout strength as well.
Takeaway Thoughts
I love the barbell bench press but I rarely use it for building my chest. I’ll use it when in a powerlifting meet prep and when I’m focused on building top-end strength.
Outside of these niche goals, though, I typically opt for other exercises over the barbell bench press, and me and my clients have experienced awesome pec growth in doing so.
I’m curious, when training for pec growth, do you use the barbell bench press as a staple or utilize other exercises? Let me know in the comments below!
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