Exercise Comparison
Behind Head Chest Stretch vs Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press
Instructions
Behind Head Chest Stretch
Sit upright on the floor with your partner behind you.
Place your hands behind your hand, and push your elbows back as far as you can. Your partner should hold your elbows. This will be your starting position.
Gently attempt to pull your elbows forward with your hands still behind your head for 10 or more seconds. Your partner should prevent your elbows from moving.
Now, relax your muscles and have your partner gently pull the elbows back as far as it comfortable for you. Be sure to let your partner know when the stretch is adequate to prevent overstretching or injury.
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. Behind Head Chest Stretch is a expert exercise using other, while Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press is intermediate and uses barbell. Choose Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press if you're looking for a more accessible option, or Behind Head Chest Stretch for a greater challenge. Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press is a compound movement working multiple joints, making it better for overall strength. Behind Head Chest Stretch isolates the target muscle for focused development.