Barbell Guillotine Bench Press

How to do the Barbell Guillotine Bench Press

1. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over your neck with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
2. As you breathe in, bring the bar down slowly until it is about 1 inch from your neck.
3. After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Muscles worked

Role	Muscles
Primary	chest
Secondary	shoulders, triceps
Equipment	barbell
Difficulty	intermediate
Type	compound

No barbell? Train the same muscles with these

Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.

Clock Push-Up Bodyweight Decline Push-Up Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Medium Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Reverse Grip Bodyweight Incline Push-Up Wide Bodyweight

Easier than the Barbell Guillotine Bench Press

Same movement pattern, lower entry difficulty — work up from here.

Alternating Floor Press beginner · Kettlebell Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip beginner · Barbell Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip beginner · Barbell

Harder than the Barbell Guillotine Bench Press

Plyo Kettlebell Pushups expert · Kettlebell

Superset the Barbell Guillotine Bench Press with

Opposing lats and middle back work — alternate sets without extra rest.

Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover lats Bent Over Two-Arm Long Bar Row middle back Reverse Grip Bent-Over Rows middle back Bent Over Barbell Row middle back

Common questions

What muscles does the Barbell Guillotine Bench Press work?

The Barbell Guillotine Bench Press primarily works the chest, with the shoulders and triceps as secondary movers. Alternating Floor Press, Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip, and Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip train the same muscle, across 11 equipment types.

What equipment do you need for the Barbell Guillotine Bench Press?

A Barbell. Without a barbell, Clock Push-Up, Decline Push-Up, and Incline Push-Up train the same muscle, and 17 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.

Is the Barbell Guillotine Bench Press suitable for beginners?

It is rated intermediate. Start with Alternating Floor Press, Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip, and Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip and work up.

Where should the Barbell Guillotine Bench Press go in a workout?

Early — the Barbell Guillotine Bench Press is compound, working 3 muscle groups, so run it first or second while you are fresh, then superset Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover and Bent Over Two-Arm Long Bar Row later.

Similar exercises

Alternating Floor Press Kettlebell Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip Barbell Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip Barbell Bench Press - With Bands Resistance Bands Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pullover Dumbbell Cable Chest Press Cable Machine