UrbanUpdate

The bench press is the most glorified exercise in men's fitness history. Sure, everybody now knows the deadlift is a better, more complete workout. But "How much do you bench?" remains the definitive macho-guy's benchmark.

The thing is, you can't just slap a couple plates on a bar and let out a few grunts. Proper technique can be the difference between getting swole and getting hurt. That's why we turned to Jabari Beaton, a personal trainer at David Barton Gym in New York, to tell us how to master definitive gym move.

**Wait—why am I benching again? **Well, according to Beaton, the bench press is part of a core group of exercises that—along with the squat, lat pulldown, deadlift, and dumbbell press—every guy should master. Each one of theses requires you to stabilize your body in order to move the weight, whereas machines do most of the stabilizing for you and thus are way crappier workouts. "When you're benching," he says, "you're actually using your arms, back, and even legs to create a solid base to move the weight.

Okay, so where do I start?"Start by lining up your eyes with the barbell," Beatons says. Line up your hands so your elbows and wrists are all in a straight line. "Then firmly plant your feet shoulder width apart on the floor." Once your feet are set, you can actually use your legs to help lift the weight. "A lot of guys lift their feet off the ground when doing a bench press, and your legs are actually where a lot of your power comes from."

**Once and for all, am I supposed to arch my back? **Yes. "Elevate the chest from the sternum up towards the barbell, which stabilizes your shoulders against the bench before what I call 'lift off'," Beaton states. "By bringing your chest closer to the bar than your shoulders, you're making sure it's the muscle group that will be receiving the weight."

**Do I need to breathe in any special, weight liftery way? **Yep. Beaton's advice: "Inhale while bringing the bar to your chest—right across your sternum is ideal—while keeping your chest elevated. Exhale on the way up to stabilize your core." Keep your elbows stay wide and in line with your wrists on the way down.

Gym bros always say the rep doesn't count unless the bar hits your chest. Is that a real thing?Unless you're entering the NFL combine, no. "For muscle building, you only need to lower the bar so that your arms are at a 90-degree angle."

**How fast should my reps be? **If you're going to be lifting heavy and testing your limits, lowering the bar slowly can be the difference between getting it up and not. "If you drop the bar too fast, you could be putting yourself in a bad position to push it back up," Beaton says. Instead, control the weight by lowering it slowly, keeping your chest elevated before making an explosive movement up. Think of it this way: "What are you more likely to catch? A baby thrown at you or a baby handed to you?"

Jake Woolf is a writer who has covered men’s style for over ten years and has contributed to GQ since 2014. A graduate of Parsons The New School for Design (good school, long name), he also has bylines at Robb Report, HighSnobiety, Pitchfork, and the defunct #menswear website Four Pins... Read moreWriterX