10 Best Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip Alternatives for Home Gyms

The Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip is done lying on your back with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Reverse Band Bench Press, the Wide-grip Barbell Bench Press and the Barbell Bench Press. Four harder versions, among them the Bench Press With Chains and the Bench Press - Powerlifting, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip

The steps for the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Pectorals, with shoulders, triceps · Barbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Lie back on a flat bench. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
  2. From the starting position, breathe in and begin coming down slowly until the bar touches your middle chest.
  3. After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Focus on pushing the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
  4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
  5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

The 10 Best Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Reverse Band Bench Press

    1. Reverse Band Bench Press

    99% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the pectorals.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Position a bench inside a power rack, with the bar set to the correct height. Begin by anchoring bands either to band pegs or to the top of the rack. Ensure that you will be position properly under the bands. Attach the other end to the barbell.
    2. Lie on the bench, tuck your feet underneath you and arch your back. Using the bar to help support your weight, lift your shoulder off the bench and retract them, squeezing the shoulder blades together. Use your feet to drive your traps into the bench. Maintain this tight body position throughout the movement. However wide your grip, it should cover the ring on the bar.
    3. Pull the bar out of the rack without protracting your shoulders. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart. Lower the bar to your lower chest or upper stomach. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times.
    4. Pause when the barbell touches your torso, and then drive the bar up with as much force as possible. The elbows should be tucked in until lockout.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
  2. Bench Press With Chains

    Progression

    2. Bench Press With Chains

    99% match

    Pectorals · Advanced · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the pectorals.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the leader chain, shortening it to the desired length.Place the chains on the sleeves of the bar.
    2. Lying on the bench, get your head beyond the bar if possible. Tuck your feet underneath you and arch your back. Using the bar to help support your weight, lift your shoulder off the bench and retract them, squeezing the shoulder blades together. Use your feet to drive your traps into the bench. Maintain this tight body position throughout the movement. However wide your grip, it should cover the ring on the bar.
    3. Pull the bar out of the rack without protracting your shoulders. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart. Lower the bar to your lower chest or upper stomach. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times.
    4. Pause when the barbell touches your torso, and then drive the bar up with as much force as possible. The elbows should be tucked in until lockout.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
  4. Wide-grip Barbell Bench Press

    4. Wide-grip Barbell Bench Press

    98% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, taken with a wide grip.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie back on a flat bench with feet firm on the floor. Using a wide, pronated (palms forward) grip that is around 3 inches away from shoulder width (for each hand), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. The bar will be perpendicular to the torso and the floor. This will be your starting position.
    2. As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest.
    3. After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
    4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip

Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip FAQ

What muscles does Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip work?

The medium-grip bench primarily targets the pectoralis major (sternal and clavicular heads), with secondary loading of the anterior deltoid and triceps brachii. Biomechanically it emphasizes horizontal adduction and shoulder flexion; cue: press through the midline while keeping the scapula retracted to maximize pec involvement.

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