The bench press is a classic, but sometimes you may be in a position when you just can’t do it for whatever reason. Don’t worry. There are plenty of bad girls waiting to take her place.

Push-ups

Push-ups can be a great bench press alternative. The exercise is fairly simple and can be done at home. If you want to make the push-up more difficult, you can add weight by using a backpack.

There are also many difficult push-up progressions, like the one leading to a planche, that will keep you busy for a lifetime. Another bonus of the push-up is that it’s a shoulder friendly exercise that strengthens the scapular stabilizers.

Dips

The dip a solid pushing upper body exercise. You can make the exercise incredibly difficult by adding weight. However, before adding weight, you have to become proficient at the bodyweight version. If you want, you could make the dip your primary pushing exercise.

Dumbbell Bench Press

Many people who experience shoulder pain during the regular barbell bench press feel fine when performing the exercise with dumbbells. The dumbbells allow you to find a groove that’s less stressful to the shoulder joint, unlike the bar which forces you into a locked position.

Overhead Barbell Press

The overhead barbell press is a pushing exercise that requires serious core strength and support. It works the whole shoulder girdle and is one of the best shoulder movements.

People who experience shoulder pain during bench presses often respond much better to the overhead barbell press. The downside of the exercise is that it does not stimulate the chest as much the bench press because you are standing. To fix that problem, you may add an accessory lift like push-ups or dips to your routine. This will increase the load on the pectoral muscles.