The exercise where you lie on your back and press a barbell upward from your chest is called the bench press.
The movement is performed on a weight-training bench. The lifter lowers the bar to chest level, then presses it upward by extending the arms. The pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, and triceps are the primary muscles involved, while the legs, back, and core help stabilize the body.
The bench press is a compound exercise because it uses several joints and muscle groups at once. It is central to bodybuilding and general strength training, and it is one of powerlifting’s three competition lifts, alongside the squat and deadlift. In Paralympic powerlifting, it is the sport’s only lift.
A push-up also trains the chest but moves the body toward the floor rather than pressing a weight away while lying on a bench. A chest fly uses a different arm motion, and an overhead press moves the weight above the head. The modern bench press grew especially popular from the late 1950s onward, replacing the parallel dip as a standard chest exercise.