Intermediate

1.5-Rep Bench Press

One and a half reps combine a full press with a partial rep from the chest to mid-range, so the pecs and front delts spend extra time in the deepest, most stretched and demanding portion of the lift. This drives hypertrophy and shores up a weak bottom off the chest without needing heavy loads. It is an excellent accessory for lifters who stall right after the touch point.

Equipment
Barbell, Bench
Body part
Chest, Triceps
Type
Strength
Browse by movement
Horizontal Press
Muscles worked
Target
Pectoralis Major Sternocostal
Secondary
Pectoralis Major Clavicular, Deltoid Anterior, Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head

How to do it

  1. 1

    Load a moderate weight, lighter than your usual working press, and set your arch and grip.

  2. 2

    Unrack and stabilize the bar over the shoulders with the shoulder blades pinned.

  3. 3

    Lower under control to the chest, then press only halfway up.

  4. 4

    Lower back to the chest a second time under control.

  5. 5

    Press all the way to lockout to complete one full repetition.

  6. 6

    Repeat for reps, keeping the bottom portion smooth and controlled.

Tips

  • Count the full rep only after the second press reaches lockout.
  • Keep tension on the chest at the bottom rather than resting the bar.
  • Start lighter than you think; the extra half rep adds up fast.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The half rep shrinks as the pecs tire until it is a two-inch push off the chest, which is the easiest part of the range rather than the part this format exists to load.
  • The second touch lands higher up the chest than the first, nearer the throat, so the two halves of the rep end up training slightly different presses.
  • Hips peel off the bench on the final press to lockout, because that is the rep that comes after all the work; if the bar needs a hip drive to finish, the load is wrong here.
  • Rest stays at the two minutes you use for straight sets, but a set of five is ten presses and ten descents, and the triceps turn up unready for the next one.
  • The set ends where the half rep fails, which is mid-range with the bar on your chest, so run these with pins set or with a spotter who knows the rep scheme.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the 1.5-rep bench press should I do, and how heavy?
Three sets of five, counting each one and a half as a single rep, at around 60 percent of your normal bench. Rest three minutes, since these take roughly twice as long under the bar as a straight set. Run them once a week in place of one pressing session for four to six weeks, then go back to full reps and see what the bottom feels like. If the half rep is already shrinking by rep three, the load is the problem.
Can I do 1.5-rep bench presses with dumbbells or push-ups instead?
The format works with anything that presses: dumbbells on a flat bench, a machine chest press, or a push-up where you come halfway up, back down, then all the way up. Push-ups are the best home version, because the extra half rep makes bodyweight genuinely hard with no load at all. Dumbbells have an advantage here too, since a failed half rep is easy to bail out of when you train alone.
Is the 1.5-rep bench press worth doing, and who is it for?
It doubles the time the pecs and front delts spend in the stretched bottom position, which builds size and strengthens the first few inches off the chest where many presses stall. It suits an intermediate lifter who benches regularly and wants more from a moderate weight. It is a poor choice for testing or building a one-rep max, since the load has to stay light, and the wrong pick if you fail at lockout, where board presses or close-grip work are more direct. It is also unkind to a shoulder that already aches at the bottom.

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