Incline bench press (barbell)

The incline press is the bench press's neighbour, not a lighter version. The angle moves work to the upper chest, and most people lift ten to twenty percent less than on flat.

The trap is setting the bench too steep. Past forty-five degrees it stops being a chest exercise and becomes a shoulder press with a backrest.

Sets, reps and RIR

A heavy multi-joint lift with free weights. Keep a rep or two in reserve on most sets so technique holds.

RIR means reps in reserve: how many you could still have done when you racked it. RIR 2 is two short of failure.

How to do it

1. Set the bench to thirty or forty degrees. Steeper moves the work to the shoulder.
2. Lie back with your feet planted and pull the shoulder blades together and down.
3. Grip slightly wider than shoulder width, wrist stacked over the elbow.
4. Lower the bar to the upper chest, just below the collarbone.
5. Touch without bouncing and press up in a slight arc towards the shoulder.
6. Lock out without letting the rib cage collapse between reps.

Common mistakes

Bench too steep

Past forty-five degrees you are doing a shoulder press. If you only feel it in the front delt, this is usually why.

Lowering too low on the chest

On an incline the bar should meet the upper chest, not the sternum. Too low a path puts the shoulder at a bad angle.

Using your flat bench weight

You are supposed to lift less here. Forcing the flat weight up gives short reps and a tired shoulder.

Hips sliding up

Driving with the hips flattens the bench you set. Move your feet in.

How it differs from the neighbouring variants

The flat bench press lets you go heaviest and trains the chest as a whole. The incline is the addition that reaches the upper portion, not the replacement.

The incline dumbbell press gives a longer range and lets each arm work separately, and is usually kinder on the shoulder than a bar at the same angle. Incline flyes remove the triceps and isolate the upper chest further. Low-to-high cable flyes reach the same area with even resistance throughout.

What it suits

The incline goes first if upper chest is your priority, otherwise straight after the flat bench. Six to ten reps works well. If you only have room for one chest exercise a week, do flat. If you have two, do one of each.

Muscles worked

Primary: Upper chest.

Secondary: Chest, Front delts, Triceps, Rotator cuff.

Estimate your one-rep max

Epley's formula, from a set you have actually done. It is an estimate, and it drifts above eight reps, so keep the input between one and twelve.

What it is called elsewhere

• Norsk Skråbenk (stang)
• Svenska Lutande bänkpress (skivstång)
• Dansk Skrå bænkpres (vægtstang)
• Deutsch Schrägbankdrücken (Langhantel)
• Español Press inclinado (barra)
• Italiano Panca inclinata (bilanciere)
• Português Supino inclinado (barra)
• Русский Жим штанги на наклонной скамье
• Français Développé incliné (barre)

Related chest exercises

• Flat dumbbell press
• Incline dumbbell press
• Dumbbell flyes
• Incline dumbbell flyes
• Dumbbell pullover (chest)
• Decline dumbbell press

athlate logs this exercise, keeps the numbers, and tells you what you lifted last time.