Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| press de banca | /pɾess de banka/ (from spelling rules) | feminine, masculine |
| banco de prensa | /ˌbanko de ˈpɾensa/ | |
| prensa de banco | /pɾensa de banko/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
| press de banco | /pɾess de banko/ (from spelling rules) | feminine, masculine |
In a fitness or weightlifting context, press de banca is the standard way to refer to the bench press exercise. To say "to do bench press" or "to perform a bench press", use the verb hacer followed by the phrase (e.g., hacer press de banca). Variations for specific exercises include press de banca inclinado for incline bench press and press de banca con mancuernas for dumbbell bench press.
Which one should you use?
The forms vary in their phrasing and grammatical gender. banco de prensa and prensa de banco are alternative ways to name the exercise. press de banco and press de banca can be treated as either masculine or feminine nouns.
How does it change in a sentence?
While press de banca is often used as a masculine noun, it can occasionally be treated as feminine depending on whether the speaker is associating the phrase with the word prensa (press).
Did you know?
- In some contexts, the term banca appears in the phrase, which shares a root with banco but also mirrors the Tagalog word bangka for a boat.
- English speakers might find it odd that the word press is often used directly as an unadapted borrowing in Spanish, resulting in press de banca rather than a fully translated Spanish term.
- While the exercise is often called press de banca, the word banca can also refer to a group of people or a guild in certain historical contexts.
Examples in context
- El press de banca es muy efectivo.The bench press is very effective.
- Hoy voy a mejorar mi press de banca.Today I am going to improve my bench press.
- No olvides calentar antes del press de banca.Don't forget to warm up before the bench press.
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are training together at the gym.
- LucíaAlejandro, ¿me ayudas con el press de banca?Alejandro, can you help me with the bench press?
- AlejandroClaro, Lucía. ¿Cuánto peso vas a usar?Sure, Lucía. How much weight are you going to use?
- LucíaVoy a intentar hacer diez repeticiones.I am going to try to do ten repetitions.
- AlejandroPerfecto, yo te cuido la espalda.Perfect, I will spot you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bench press” translations and entries press de banca, banco de prensa, press de banco, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries banca, banco, de, prensa, press, CC BY-SA 4.0.
