Exercise Comparison
Around The Worlds vs Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press




Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press
Instructions
Around The Worlds
Lay down on a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand with the palms of the hands facing towards the ceiling. Tip: Your arms should be parallel to the floor and next to your thighs. To avoid injury, make sure that you keep your elbows slightly bent. This will be your starting position.
Now move the dumbbells by creating a semi-circle as you displace them from the initial position to over the head. All of the movement should happen with the arms parallel to the floor at all times. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement.
Reverse the movement to return the weight to the starting position as you exhale.
Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press
Lie back on a flat bench with feet firm on the floor. Using a wide, pronated (palms forward) grip that is around 3 inches away from shoulder width (for each hand), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. The bar will be perpendicular to the torso and the floor. This will be your starting position.
As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest.
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. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Verdict
Both exercises target the chest. Around The Worlds is a intermediate exercise using dumbbell, while Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press is intermediate and uses barbell. Choose Around The Worlds if you have access to dumbbell, or Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press if you prefer barbell.