press de banca
/pɾess de banka/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the term for the weightlifting exercise benching is press de banca.
press de banca refers to the act of performing a weightlifting exercise where a person pushes a barbell upward while lying on a bench. To express the action of 'benching' as a verb, Spanish speakers typically use the verb hacer followed by the noun phrase press de banca. While press de banca is the standard Spanish equivalent, you may find that in many gym settings, the English term 'bench press' is used directly without translation.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a direct loan translation where press refers to the movement and de banca means 'of bench'.
Did you know?
- While banca refers to the weightlifting bench here, the word also has a completely different meaning as a loanword from Tagalog for a traditional Philippine boat.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, if you ask for a banca in a park, you will get a seat, but in a gym, it refers specifically to the equipment used for this lift.
Examples in context
- El press de banca es mi ejercicio favorito.The bench press is my favorite exercise.
- Ella está practicando su press de banca hoy.She is practicing her bench press today.
- Necesito mejorar mi peso en el press de banca.I need to improve my weight in the bench press.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are exercising at the gym.
- LucíaDaniel, ¿me ayudas con el press de banca?Daniel, can you help me with the benching?
- DanielClaro, Lucía. ¿Cuántas repeticiones vas a hacer?Sure, Lucía. How many reps are you going to do?
- LucíaVoy a intentar hacer diez repeticiones.I'm going to try to do ten reps.
- DanielPerfecto, yo te cuido mientras levantas.Perfect, I'll spot you while you lift.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry press de banca, 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, de, press, CC BY-SA 4.0.
