Best Bench Press Muscles Used Pictures. Other muscle groups such as the erector spinae, lats, and rotator cuff stabilize the bench press, including decelerating the bar. The bench press is one of the most popular and widely used upper body strength and hypertrophy building movements.
Dips and bench press hit many of the same muscle groups. The bench press can help restore muscle balance for athletes that primarily use pulling muscles, such as in wrestling, rock climbing, and swimming. Set the bench so that it's at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees.
A wider grip incorporates more muscles.
In general, the muscles used for bench press are the pecs, shoulders, and triceps. Other muscle groups such as the erector spinae, lats, and rotator cuff stabilize the bench press, including decelerating the bar. Depending on your goals, there are different variations of bench presses that work slightly different muscles, too. Think benching is just as simple as grabbing a bar and pushing away bench press: