I
Insight Horizon Media

Is bench press a good exercise for women?

Author

Robert Miller

Published Feb 18, 2026

Is bench press a good exercise for women?

Marsland explains that the bench press can be extremely beneficial in developing strength in women, since it works several parts of your body. She says women should start gently, especially if they don’t already have a lot of upper-body strength. You can also do dips, pushups, and plank variations to build strength.

How much should a female bench press?

On average, a 132-pound woman new to weight training should be able to press 70 pounds. With a novice, intermediate, advanced or elite level of weight training, her average bench press weight should be about 85, 95, 125 and 150 pounds respectively.

What bench press works women?

Increasing upper body strength, primarily in the chest, shoulders and triceps. Increasing upper body strength in the biceps and the musculature in the upper back. Increasing core strength.

Will bench press make women bulky?

Women may be concerned that bench pressing will either make their breasts smaller, or bigger. Neither is true.

Why are women so weak in bench press?

Of the big three lifts, the bench press is universally the weakest lift for women. Women naturally have smaller upper body dimensions than men and generally far less muscle mass. Pressing, whether it’s a bench press or overhead press, is always a weak pattern at the onset of training.

Can bench press reduce belly fat?

While any strength-training workout will help you do that (and while burning fat, not muscle), compound moves like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses require moving multiple joints and muscle groups, burning more fat and building more calorie-torching muscle.

What weight should I be lifting female?

That said, you should never start at 100 pounds. Ideally, a woman should start at 40% of her 1RM value or 40% of the maximal weight. What is this? Anything above 70% of your one-repetition maximum should be considered heavy lifting.

What weight should I bench press?

For example, the average man, in ordinary circumstances, should be able to bench press 90% of his body weight. If you’re relatively fit and already going to the gym, then 1 x your bodyweight should be a good standard.

Does chest press increase breast size?

After working chest presses into your workout, you may feel like your breast size has actually increased instead of reduced. It’s really your chest size that increases, not the breasts themselves. Building up your pecs doesn’t increase your cup size, but it does give the illusion of increased cleavage.

Why can men bench press more than women?

It is reported that men possess greater strength and muscle volume than women (7,9,14), with men’s greater testosterone production being a predominant contributing factor (20).

How can I improve my bench press?

Bench Press. Keep your feet flat on the floor, legs bent, and upper back flat against the bench. Grip the bar using a medium-width grip. Have your spotter help you take the bar from the rack. Keeping your elbows close to your sides, lower the bar straight down to the bottom of your chest.

What’s the best workout to increase your bench?

Close-Grip Bench Press. The Close-Grip Bench Press is hands down my favorite exercise to improve the competition Bench Press.

  • Concentric Pause Bench Press.
  • Spoto Press.
  • Close-Grip Incline Bench Press.
  • Big 4 = Big Weights.
  • How do you increase bench press?

    Practicing proper bench pressing techniques can help increase your bench press to 100 lb. Lay flat on the bench, keeping your feet flat on the floor and your bottom on the bench throughout the entire movement. Grasp the bar using an overhand grip with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

    What is bench press strength?

    Bench press. The bench press is an upper body strength training exercise that consists of pressing a weight upwards from a supine position. The exercise works the pectoralis major as well as supporting chest, arm, and shoulder muscles such as the anterior deltoids, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis, scapulae fixers, trapezii ,…