Benchpresses

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A form of resistance training executed on a horizontal surface where weights are lifted vertically to improve upper body strength and muscle mass
2. This workout involves exerting force to raise a bar or dumbbells overhead from a reclined position to target the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps
3. An exercise performed while lying on a flat surface that primarily engages muscle groups in the chest, shoulders, and arms by pushing weights away from the body

Etymology: "Benchpresses" is simply the third-person singular form of "benchpress" used as a verb, or the plural of "benchpress" used as a noun, so its history is that of the compound it inflects. "Benchpress" is a combination of "bench" and "press": the bench is the padded reclining seat the lifter lies on, and the press is the act of pushing a weight upward with the arms, a sense the word "press" has carried in English for centuries. Put together, the compound names the exercise of pressing a weight up from a bench, and the two parts keep their everyday meanings.

Synonyms: lifts, presses