10 Best Barbell Wide Bench Press Alternatives for Limited Equipment

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

Barbell Wide Bench PressWatch the Barbell Wide Bench Press

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

How to Do the Barbell Wide Bench Press

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

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

  1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
  2. Grasp the barbell with a wide grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
  4. Lower the barbell slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows slightly flared out.
  5. Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest, then push it back up to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Barbell Wide Bench Press Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Barbell Wide Bench Press 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. Barbell Bench PressPlay demonstration

    1. Barbell Bench Press

    99% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want an easier version that still works the pectorals.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
    2. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    3. Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
    4. Lower the barbell slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in.
    5. Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest.
    6. Push the barbell back up to the starting position by extending your arms.
    7. Repeat for the desired number 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 Wide Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Barbell Wide Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Wide Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Wide Bench Press
  2. Wide-grip Barbell Bench Press

    2. Wide-grip Barbell Bench Press

    99% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the pectorals.

    • 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 Wide Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Barbell Wide Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Wide Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Wide Bench Press
  3. Bench Press - Powerlifting

    Progression

    3. Bench Press - Powerlifting

    98% match

    Pectorals · Advanced · Compound

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

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Begin by lying on the bench, getting 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.
    2. However wide your grip, it should cover the ring on the bar. Pull the bar out of the rack without protracting your shoulders. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart.
    3. 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 Wide Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Barbell Wide Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Wide Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Wide Bench Press
  5. Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip

    5. Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip

    97% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, taken with an overhand grip.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    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.

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

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

Barbell Wide Bench Press FAQ

What muscles does Barbell Wide Bench Press work?

The wide bench press primarily targets the sternal head of the pectoralis major via horizontal adduction, while the anterior deltoids and triceps assist. With a wider grip you increase pec stretch and shoulder torque, so retract scapulae and keep elbows near 45° to maximize pec loading and reduce shoulder stress.

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