Your bread and butter chest builder. Press big, press safe.
Keep your shoulder blades pinned the whole set, don't let them shrug up toward your ears.
The barbell bench press loads your chest through a long pressing arc, letting the pecs move more total weight than any other upper-body lift. Your triceps take over near the top, finishing the lockout as the bar travels from mid chest to arms straight. That combination of heavy loading and simple progression is why it anchors nearly every pressing day.
Just wider than shoulder width so your forearms are vertical when the bar touches your chest. Wider hits more chest but shortens the range, closer shifts work to the triceps.
Usually it's flared elbows and loose shoulder blades. Tuck the elbows to roughly 45 degrees, pin your shoulder blades down and back, and ease the load off while you regroove it.
Yes, a controlled touch at mid chest is the full range. Bouncing it off your sternum isn't touching, it's cheating the stretch that grows the pecs.
