Barbell Guillotine Bench Press
Barbell Guillotine Bench Press is an intermediate compound barbell exercise that mainly works your chest, with help from your shoulders and triceps.


How to do the barbell guillotine bench press
- 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.
- As you breathe in, bring the bar down slowly until it is about 1 inch from your neck.
- 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.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
Muscles worked
Sets and reps
For strength, do 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps with 2-3 minutes of rest. For muscle growth, 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with 90 seconds of rest. Add a little weight when you hit the top of the range on every set.
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Start your free trialBarbell Guillotine Bench Press alternatives
Exercises that train the same main muscle, including options with other equipment.
Bench PressBarbell · Beginner
Chest PressMachine · Beginner
Push UpBodyweight · Beginner
Dumbbell Bench PressDumbbell · Beginner
Cable Chest PressCable · Beginner
Svend PressOther · BeginnerFAQ
What muscles does the barbell guillotine bench press work?
It mainly works your chest; your shoulders and triceps assist.
How many sets and reps of barbell guillotine bench press should I do?
For strength, do 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps with 2-3 minutes of rest. For muscle growth, 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with 90 seconds of rest. Add a little weight when you hit the top of the range on every set.
Is the barbell guillotine bench press good for beginners?
It suits lifters with some experience. Beginners can start with a lighter weight or one of the alternatives below.