Barbell Incline Bench Press
Horizontal push, barbell, chest and front delts
The barbell incline bench press is a bench press on a bench raised to an angle. The incline moves more of the work to the upper chest and the front delts, with the triceps helping. It suits anyone who already benches and wants a fuller, stronger upper chest.
Setting up
- Set an adjustable bench to about 30 to 45 degrees under a rack, or use an incline bench station.
- Lie back with the eyes under the bar and the feet flat on the floor.
- Grip the bar a little wider than the shoulders and squeeze the shoulder blades back and down.
- Start with an empty bar or a light load, with a spotter for heavier sets.
How to do a barbell incline bench press
- Lift the bar out of the rack and hold it over the shoulders with straight arms.
- Lower the bar under control to the upper chest, just below the collarbones.
- Keep the elbows tucked at about 45 degrees from the body.
- Press the bar back up until the arms are straight over the shoulders.
- Rack the bar after the last rep.
Breathing. Breathe in as you lower the bar and breathe out as you press it up.
Muscles worked
- Mainly
- Chest and front delts
- Also
- Triceps
Common mistakes
- Setting the bench too steep. A steep angle turns it into a shoulder press, so set the bench at about 30 to 45 degrees.
- Bouncing the bar off the chest. That uses momentum and skips the hardest part, so touch the chest lightly and press from a brief pause.
- Hips lifting off the bench. Then the press turns into a flat bench press, so keep the glutes on the bench and the feet flat.
- Elbows flaring straight out. Wide elbows move the work from the chest to the shoulders, so keep them at about 45 degrees from the body.
Guide
Guide
Guide