thats right man, jerome is right. Squats is good too, but it really depends on what your working on right? Squats are more specific to your quats/hamstrings, lats, but bench press is specific to pac major and pac minor, biceps

ppathlete is so right.

If you want bigger pecs then the bench press is ok...However, in my opinion, if you're not a bodybuilder and just want to improve strength and appearance (to a limited degree) then there are other exercises that you can do, for example the press-up is just as effective. Especially if you vary the position of your hands and take more time on the up portion of the exercise...1 sec down and 6 secs up...or combine it with a medicine ball or swiss ball.

Also, not trying to be controversial but, there are a lot of people who go to the gym with the sole purpose of seeing how much they can lift and using that as a measure of fitness. Those people get to the bench, loaded up with as many plates as they can fit on the bar and huff and puff to get 1 or 2 reps out...not the best way but does make the exercise 'popular'.

So there you have it, to follow a good weight lifting for beginners workout program and exercises will lead you to have and amazing body, keep up to date with and exercise chart and wear your wrist and belt protectors for safety. Feel better about yourself, and to better your overall body both physical and mentally, there is no better than making at least for beginners some great work out, trust me, you are going to be loving the new you, and you are going to be feeling with lots and lots of strength, so start your weight lifting for beginners right now!
Visit us at: http://weightliftingforbeginners.com/