# Ez Barbell Bench Press - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/8818/ez-barbell-bench-press/ - Media ID: 8818 - Primary muscle: Chest - Body part: Chest - Equipment: EZ Barbell - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/8818/ez-barbell-bench-press.mp4 ## Description The Ez Barbell Bench Press is a horizontal pressing exercise performed lying on a flat bench, pressing an EZ bar — the shorter bar with the wavy zigzag shape — from the chest up to full elbow extension. It works the same basic pattern as a conventional barbell bench press, but the angled grip sections of the EZ bar place your hands in a slightly less externally rotated position, which many lifters find friendlier to the wrists and shoulders. The primary muscles worked are the pectorals of the chest, with strong assistance from the triceps as they straighten the elbows and the front delts as they help drive the bar up. Because the EZ bar is shorter and lighter than a standard Olympic barbell, the total load is usually a bit lower, but the movement pattern and pressing mechanics carry over well to heavier benching. This variation is a solid choice for lifters who feel wrist or shoulder discomfort with a straight bar, since the semi-supinated hand angle reduces the degree of forearm twist required. It is also useful for home gym training, where a lighter EZ bar is easier to handle and unrack on your own. Beginners appreciate the shorter bar because it is less intimidating to set up, while more experienced lifters use it as an accessory press to accumulate chest and triceps volume with a slightly different stress. Setup matters here just as much as it does with a straight bar. Your eyes should be roughly under the bar when you lie back, your feet planted flat on the floor, and your shoulder blades pulled together and tucked down beneath you to create a stable shelf for the press. A loose, drifting setup is the most common reason the bar path becomes inconsistent. To execute the press, lower the bar under control toward your mid-to-lower chest, letting the elbows angle out to roughly 45 to 60 degrees rather than flaring straight out to the sides. Touch lightly, then drive the bar back up and slightly back toward the rack line until the arms are extended without locking hard. Keep the wrists reasonably stacked over the elbows throughout. As with any free-weight bench press, safety comes from respecting the bar. Use collars on the sleeve, start lighter than you think you need on the first session, and if you train alone without safety bars, do not take a set to the point where the bar stalls over your face or throat. ## Instructions 1. Set a flat bench inside a rack or bench stand so that when you lie down, your eyes are roughly beneath the racked EZ bar. 2. Grip the EZ bar on the angled inner sections with a grip slightly narrower than a standard bench press, usually around shoulder width, and check that both hands are symmetrical on the waves. 3. Lie back, plant your feet flat on the floor, squeeze your shoulder blades together and down, and keep a slight natural arch in your lower back with your chest up. 4. Take a breath into your belly, brace your core, and unrack the bar, bringing it out over your lower chest with straight arms. 5. Lower the bar under control toward your mid-to-lower chest, keeping your elbows at roughly 45 to 60 degrees from your torso rather than flared straight out. 6. Touch the bar lightly to your chest without bouncing it, keeping your wrists stacked over your elbows. 7. Press the bar up and slightly back along the same path until your arms are extended and the bar is over your lower chest or upper abdomen area. 8. Exhale as you press up, and inhale at the top before lowering the next rep, or hold your breath through the sticking point on heavy sets and breathe between reps. 9. After your final rep, guide the bar back to the uprights, making contact with the posts before releasing your grip. 10. Reset your shoulder blade position and foot placement before each set rather than adjusting mid-rep. ## Tips & Tricks - The most common mistake with an EZ bar is gripping it on a random section of the waves — put both hands on matching angled segments so one side is not loaded differently from the other. - If your wrists ache at the bottom, your grip is probably too wide and your wrists are collapsing back; narrow your grip slightly and keep your knuckles facing the ceiling. - Do not chase the flat-bar bench press numbers — the EZ bar is usually shorter and lighter, so load it according to how the set feels, not ego. - Watch for the bar drifting toward your face or your rack as it comes down; a straight vertical path over the lower chest keeps the shoulders in a stronger position. - Bouncing the bar off your chest turns this into a momentum exercise — pause for a beat on the touch if you catch yourself rebounding. - Keep your hips on the bench; bridging the hips up high to shorten the range takes work away from the chest and puts your lower back in a compromised spot. - Use collars on both sleeves, because the shorter EZ bar tips more easily if a plate slides off one side. - If you train alone without spotter arms, set the safety pins or bars just below your chest touch point so a failed rep can be safely dumped. - Squeeze the bar hard and think about pulling it slightly apart as you press — this tends to steady the wrists and improve chest engagement. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which muscles does the Ez Barbell Bench Press work? The chest is the prime mover, with the triceps extending the elbows and the front delts assisting the press. Grip and shoulder stabilizers also work to control the bar. ### Why use an EZ bar instead of a straight barbell for bench press? The wavy grip puts your hands in a partly angled position, which reduces wrist extension and shoulder rotation for many lifters. It is a good option if a straight bar bothers your wrists or shoulders. ### Is the Ez Barbell Bench Press good for beginners? Yes. The shorter, lighter bar is easier to unrack and control, which makes it a comfortable way to learn the bench press pattern before moving to a full Olympic barbell. ### How wide should my grip be on the EZ bar? Start with your hands on the angled inner sections at roughly shoulder width, mirroring each other. If your wrists feel twisted at the bottom, narrow the grip slightly. ### Where should I lower the bar during the Ez Barbell Bench Press? Lower it to your mid-to-lower chest in a controlled line. Touching near the sternum keeps the shoulders in a safer position than lowering high toward the neck. ### Can I build the same chest size with an EZ bar as a regular barbell? It trains the chest through the same pressing pattern, so muscle-building results are similar when the effort and load are matched. The main difference is grip comfort and the total weight the shorter bar allows. ### What can I use if I don't have an EZ bar? Dumbbells on a flat bench are the closest substitute and allow a natural wrist angle. A standard barbell also works — simply narrow your grip a little to mimic the EZ bar hand position. ### How can I stay safe pressing alone with an EZ bar? Set safety pins or spotter arms just below your chest touch point, use collars on both sleeves, and avoid taking sets to complete failure where the bar could stall over your face. ### Should my elbows flare out to the sides during this press? A moderate flare of roughly 45 to 60 degrees works well. Fully flared elbows straight out to the sides increase shoulder stress, while tucking them fully to the ribs turns the lift into more of a triceps press.