Incline Bench Press (Barbell)
A bench press on an angle. More upper chest and front shoulder, less weight on the bar.
- Chest
- Barbell
- Weight and reps
What it works
The upper portion of the chest and the front shoulders take more of the load than on a flat press, with the triceps still heavily involved. The steeper the bench, the more it becomes a shoulder exercise.
Setup
- Set the bench to somewhere between 15 and 30 degrees. Much steeper than that and you are effectively doing a seated shoulder press.
- Lie back with your eyes under the bar, or slightly behind it depending on the rack.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down and hold them, exactly as on a flat press.
- Plant your feet and keep your backside on the bench.
- Grip slightly narrower than your flat bench grip, so your forearms are vertical at the bottom.
The movement
- Breathe in, brace, and unrack by pulling the bar out.
- Lower under control to the upper chest, around the collarbone or just below it. The touch point is higher than on a flat bench.
- Keep your elbows tucked at roughly 45 to 60 degrees.
- Press up and slightly back so the bar finishes over your shoulders.
- Lock out, breathe, reset.
Common mistakes
- Setting the bench too steep: at 45 degrees or more this stops being a chest exercise. Lower is usually better.
- Touching too low: bringing the bar to the middle of the chest on an incline puts the shoulder in an awkward position. Aim higher.
- Expecting flat bench numbers: most people press meaningfully less on an incline. That is normal and not a sign anything is wrong.
- Losing the arch and the shoulder blades: the incline makes it easier to let your shoulders roll forward. Keep them set.
Variations and alternatives
The flat bench press allows more weight and shares the load across the whole chest. The overhead press is the logical continuation if you keep raising the angle. Dumbbell inclines let each arm work independently and are easier on the shoulders.
If a movement causes pain rather than ordinary training effort, stop and speak to a qualified professional. Programming context for this lift is in how training programs are built.