Barbell Bench Press against Chains

The Barbell Bench Press against Chains enhances your pressing strength by adding variable resistance.

  1. Set up a barbell on a bench with chains attached to each side.
  2. Lie back on the bench and grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width.
  3. Lower the barbell to your chest, ensuring the chains rest on the ground.
  4. Press the barbell back up, allowing the chains to lift off the ground as you extend your arms.

How to perform the Barbell Bench Press against Chains

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Bench Press against Chains using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your pectoralis major.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your pectoralis major rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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