The bench press, a compound lift, perhaps the most well-known exercise and often used as an indicator of strength performance, often via the question: ‘How much do you bench?’. It’s one of the most exciting lifts, but also one of the most frustrating. The desire to hear the satisfying clang of two plates on either side of the bar and to match or exceed the weight that is seemingly easily pressed by the person on the next bench over, influenced a few questionable decisions that taught me some very valuable lessons about respecting the weights.
Early Days with Suboptimal Technique
I started lifting weights when I was 13. Following on from regular cardio sessions that allowed me to lose a few excess pounds that I accumulated from my biscuit loving phase (one that I modestly slip back into occasionally), I wanted to start putting on muscle. Those first few sessions were mainly based around dumbbell work before progressing to curling and shoulder pressing barbells with no weight. Momentum and a ‘move from position A to position B’ approach was the order of the day during those early workouts. After six months and a marginal improvement in technique, I started to incorporate compound movements into my workouts including barbell squats, deadlifts (my personal favourite to this day) and the bench press.
The first time I bench pressed was on a Smith machine. I know the Smith machine is not to everyone’s taste, but it was very handy to not have to worry about balancing the bar during those first few sessions before switching to the free barbell after about two months. (I still use the Smith machine for other exercises such as the JM Press and the seated shoulder press.) However, something I struggled with during those early days was maintaining a full range of motion. The experience of moving the bar all the way down to the chest and back up to a, near, full lock-out position seemed to be a hinderance against lifting as much as possible. Stopping about 4 inches above the chest was my typical bar path for too many years.
Shoulder Injury
By the time I was in my early twenties, I was benching 90kg, but with very questionable technique. My range of motion was too short; the eccentric (negative or lengthening) part of the movement wasn’t controlled, and I was effectively doing a glute bridge with every press. However, I was so determined to get to 100kg that I didn’t really care about technique. That all changed when I sustained a shoulder injury, but it wasn’t while bench pressing; it was during a river rowing training session. While the injury wasn’t considered major from a clinical perspective (rest and physio were the main treatments), it did force me to completely re-evaluate my approach to training.
A Rethink: Technique > Ego
My return to the gym post-injury was delayed due to the arrival of COVID-19, however this additional time away from the plates provided an opportunity to learn more about how to train well for the long haul. That’s when I started to develop my knowledge on natural bodybuilding and learned that my approach to lifts such as the bench press needed to change.
The first thing I needed to address was technique. I read numerous articles and watched loads of videos on YouTube regarding the proper technique for not only the bench press, but for the other compound movements and the isolation movements too. There were two main points that I had to remember across all exercises:
- Lift through a full range of motion, consistently (no swinging).
- Ensure the eccentric (negative or lengthening) part of the movement is controlled, including the last rep (no bouncing).
Both points are not only about achieving hypertrophy (muscle growth) but also about minimising the risk of injury and ensuring suitable flexibility. So, with this in mind I slid under the bar once again.
The Start of the Comeback
The first session back consisted of three sets of 10 reps limited to a maximum of 30kg, which is a 20kg free bar with 5kg on either side. The gym was quite busy that day and so it was a slightly challenging time for my ego. However, I was determined not to fall into the same bad habits that I had in the previous decade. My goal that day and today is to get stronger but also to stay strong, healthy and continue to work out for decades to come. I actually knew someone who was still working out at age 80 and could do hanging inverted sit-ups, something that someone a quarter of their age would find incredibly difficult. So, for those long-term gains, I was determined to put aside those insecurities that were probably unfounded anyway given that most people in the gym are focusing, or should be focusing, on what they are doing and not on what I’m doing. That first session back was pretty successful; I ensured the bar made contact with my chest (around the midline of the sternum) after a controlled eccentric phase during every rep. I also made sure my scapulae stayed retracted and depressed throughout each set to maintain shoulder stability (something that I really didn’t consider during the early days). Honestly, for the first time in years I actually felt a good stretch and pump. There was room for improvement though, such as in my work-out split.
Targeting Secondary Muscles
The triceps (triceps brachii consisting of the lateral, medial and long heads) act as secondary muscles during the bench press, functioning synergistically with the pectoralis major, which is the primary muscle. They mainly help during the top half of the movement when the elbows extend. It therefore makes sense that any isolation movements that primarily target the triceps (dips, pushdowns, overhead extensions etc.) should be performed on the same day as the bench press to capitalise on the work already performed during the compound movement for strength and hypertrophy.
The anterior deltoids of the shoulders also act as secondary muscles during the bench press, particularly during the initial drive from the lowest position. I used to train them during an allocated shoulder day, however a year ago I decided to incorporate an anterior deltoid dominant exercise into chest and triceps day. Note that I didn’t say anterior deltoid isolation movement; that’s because it’s impossible to complete an exercise that involves the anterior deltoids without usually involving the triceps and the chest, particularly the clavicular portion of the pectoralis major, and other shoulder muscles including those of the rotator cuff (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis). The closest I’ve got to isolating the anterior deltoids is via a cable front raise whilst lying in a supinated position on an incline bench.
The muscles of the rotator cuff provide stabilisation to the shoulders (particularly the glenohumeral joint) during the bench press. The scapulae are also stabilised by the pectoralis minor. The back muscles including the rhomboids, the latissimus dorsi and the teres major also play a vital role in providing a stable base throughout the movement. Pulling off a great back day may be the key to your next chest day being successful.
Angle Variation
So far, we have only discussed the flat version of the barbell bench press. However, I have found that alternating between flat and incline barbell variants with each mesocycle (typically six weeks long for me) has improved my performance in both movements. The incline variant targets the clavicular portion of the pectoralis major more and allows for overall chest development which not only allows for a balanced look but also transfers well into overall activation when returning to the flat variant.
I think it’s generally the case that the amount of weight that can be pressed with the incline will be lower compared to the flat variant – around 10% to 20% less. My current max in the incline barbell press is 80kg and that took nearly two years of controlled but consistent work, carefully ensuring that my old shoulder injury wasn’t reaggravated by a poor bar path. This wasn’t the only other pressing movement that supported my resurgence in flat barbell pressing.
Balancing Up with Dumbbell/Cable Pressing and Flys
Another area of improvement that required addressing was an imbalance in favour of the right side of my upper body when performing pressing movements. I did notice it for the first time when I was 13, however the ill-constructed solution of awkward upper body tilting was used as a sticking plaster and obviously could not be used in the 2.0 approach.
The better alternative was incorporating dumbbell and cable-based pressing and fly work that would allow for greater control either during bilateral variants of the movements, or during a unilateral adaptation that would target the weaker left side of my body. This influenced a steady improvement in both the strength and hypertrophy of the left side of my upper body to the point where any disparity between the two sides is now very marginal.
Chest-Triceps Workout Plan Examples (2024 vs 2026)
Here are two examples of workout plans for chest-triceps day: one from 2024 and one from 2026.
Chest-Triceps Workout Plan: 22/06/24
| Exercise | Sets/Reps/Target Weights/Additional Info |
| Warm-up | Treadmill – 5 mins ‘Lock 3’: Shoulder mobility warm-up while lying in a pronated position. 1x 10 reps of extensions with supinated palms; 1 x 10 reps of rotations with pronated palms; 1 x 10 reps of T-raises. Cable External Rotations: 1 x 10 reps |
| Flat Barbell Bench Press | 5 sets: 6-10 reps. Aim for 75kg max |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 4 sets: 6 -10 reps. Aim for 26kg max |
| Bodyweight Dips (Chest Favouring) | 4 sets: 6 -10 reps |
| Cable Flys | 2 sets incline: 8-10 reps. 2 sets standing: 8 -10 reps |
| Triceps Pushdowns | 4 sets: 8-12 reps |
| Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions | 4 sets: 8-12 reps |
Chest-Triceps-Anterior Deltoids Workout Plan: 13/07/26
| Exercise | Sets and Reps |
| Flat Barbell Bench Press | 5 sets: 1 x 15 reps warm-up set (bar only); 3 x working sets (6 – 10 reps) – increase weight by 10kg per set starting from 60kg. Drop-set – back down to 60kg. |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 4 sets: 1 x 12 rep warm-up; 3 x working sets (6-10 reps). |
| Bodyweight Dips (Chest Favouring) | 3 sets: to failure. |
| Incline Dumbbell Flys | 4 sets: 1x warm-up set (12 reps); 3 x working sets (8-10 reps) |
| JM Press | 4 sets: 1x warm-up (12 reps); 3 x working sets (6-10 reps) |
| Incline Triceps Pushdowns | 3 sets (8-12 reps) |
| Seated Dumbbell Press | 4 sets: 1x warm-up; 3 x working sets |
Key Differences:
- With exception to the flat barbell bench press in which progressive overload with increasing weight was being tracked for the purpose of reaching the 100kg 1 rep max target, I don’t typically set a fixed goal for maximum weight in exercises anymore. I instead plan for a certain number of reps in my warm-up set and choose a weight that I know from experience that I can complete at that rep range, before then progressing upwards based on the quality of my technique and how the target muscles feel. If they don’t feel like they’re being worked enough, with proper technique, I will increase the weight. This is to avoid returning to the situation where I am so focused on reaching a certain target weight in a lift that I become sloppy, particularly when doing isolation movements.
- The number of sets for bodyweight movements have been reduced from 4 to 3; however, each set is to failure rather than being in a certain rep range. This is once again to avoid sloppy technique and rushed reps. I find that failure in bodyweight movements is often a bit more variable compared to failure for other movements. On a good day, I might be able to do 12 reps of bodyweight dips in the first set before dropping to 10 for the second and maintaining that for the third. However, on a not so good day, maybe I didn’t sleep enough the night before or my diet is a bit awry, I might not be able to get past 8 reps throughout all the sets. I’ve learned that it’s wise to account for unforeseen external factors.
- The warm-ups are within the exercises themselves, and a specific warm-up routine is no longer performed at the start of the workout. I’ll talk about this more in a future article.
- An anterior deltoid targeting movement has been incorporated into chest-triceps day since November 2025.
Finally Reaching 100kg (1 Rep Max)
On the 23rd of July 2026 , I prepared for chest-triceps-anterior deltoids day the same way I prepare for most workouts. I typically have eggs before a workout and on this day I had a 4-egg omelette with beans and toast before waiting two hours for it to be digested and then I made my way to the gym.
The first thing that came to mind when I walked through the doors was ‘why haven’t they fixed the air conditioning yet?’. But after that little internal quandary, I made my way over to a bench. I started with a warm-up set with just the bar, 15 reps – standard. I then progressed up to 60kg – 10 reps – normal. Then 70kg – 10 reps. Then 80kg – 8 reps. Then 90kg – 6 reps. I felt strong, and a friend of mine who is my spotting partner during the bench press said that it was all moving rather smoothly. At this point, there were two options running through my mind: 1, quit while I was ahead and move on to bodyweight dips; or 2, try 100kg.
I suggested to my spotter that we should take the 15kg plates off, put the second 20kg plates on either side and see how it looked and, more importantly, how it made me feel. If upon seeing the weight I imagined myself failing the lift or even worse ending up with another injury, I wasn’t going to proceed. I had come too far to start making foolish decisions again.
The second of the pair of 20kg plates were slid onto either side of the bar before coming together, making that distinctive clanging sound that I wanted to hear so badly when I was younger. I stepped back from the bench and looked at the challenge that was in front of me, almost staring it down (which I know sounds a bit silly). I then turned to my spotter and uttered the words: “Let’s try it.”
My spotter and I then went through the plan for the 1 rep max lift: a step-by-step process that would probably fit in with those management courses that most of us have been forced to attend at some point in our lives. He would help me un-rack and set the bar in the top position before I then controlled the eccentric phase, ensuring the bar made gentle contact with my chest. I would then initiate the drive of the concentric phase with my spotter’s hands placed just above the bar ready to assist if necessary. (Safety is the number one priority, not just while doing the bench press, but across the whole gym.)
With the plan set, I slid under the bar. Even though the weight above me was only 10kg heavier than my previous set, it might as well have been 1000kg heavier given the weight of expectation. This was the culmination of a three-year process – I really didn’t want to mess it up. I placed my hands on the bar just outside shoulder width before retracting and depressing my scapulae. My shoulders felt stable; my back felt stable; my elbows and wrists felt stable. I could feel my heart pumping and the beads of sweat running down the left side of my face. I took three deep breaths, braced and calmly said to my spotter: “Un-rack.”
We moved the bar in unison carefully to the top position and I lowered the bar slowly towards my chest. The light contact between the bar and my sternum belied the heavy weight that was being moved with such fluidity. I then pushed and the bar moved, steadily, higher, higher, and higher, my elbows extended, my pectoralis major contracted, pumped with blood. My spotter’s hands followed closely behind the bar acting as a reassuring safety net for this leap of faith. Then, with one last defiant push I made it to the top position before slowly tilting the bar back and re-racked without assistance.
I laid on the bench for a few seconds, not quite contemplating what I had finally achieved. I briefly thought I was dreaming. It was only after my spotter had congratulated me that it finally struck me that I had finally reached a milestone that I aspired to for nearly 20 years. My spotter then joked: “One with 210kg next Joe?” My reply: “Not today, but maybe one day.”
What’s next?
For the next couple of months my focus will return to developing a leaner physique. One of the drawbacks of achieving goals in heavy lifting is that my body has become a bit disproportionate. I’m now aiming to address this and have already begun to lose a few pounds following dietary adjustments. My training approach will also change slightly with higher rep ranges, slightly lighter weights and the utilisation of drop sets (something I will discuss more in a future article).
As for the flat barbell bench press, it will still be part of my chest training, but I will probably not exceed 90kg for the next few mesocycles. However, the alternating between incline and flat angles, coupled with dumbbell and cable-based movements will carry on. I will also reintroduce the machine chest press during this week’s workout due to its conduciveness with achieving an amazing stretch in the pectoralis major as I edge back towards a more refined look and begin a new phase in my gym journey.
Science and Joe 