Essomio™

← All exercise guides

chest

Incline Barbell Bench Press

A bench press on a bench tilted upward, which shifts the work to the upper part of your chest and the front of your shoulders.

intermediatebarbellincline benchplates

Incline Barbell Bench Press, start position
START
Incline Barbell Bench Press, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START3
  1. Set the bench to between 30 and 45 degrees. Steeper than 45 degrees turns it into a shoulder exercise.
  2. Set the hooks so you can unrack the bar with almost straight arms.
  3. Load the same weight on each side and clip the plates on.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Sit back on the bench with your eyes under the bar.
  2. Plant both feet flat on the floor.
  3. Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench.
  4. Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders, palms facing your feet.
  5. Lift the bar off the hooks and hold it above your upper chest, arms straight.

Check: The bar is above your collarbones with your arms straight, and your shoulder blades are pinned to the bench.

Lower the bar

  1. Bend your elbows and lower the bar slowly to your upper chest. Aim for the spot just below your collarbones.
  2. Let the bar touch your chest lightly.

Check: The bar rests lightly on your upper chest and your forearms point straight up.

Press up

  1. Push the bar straight up until your arms are almost straight.

Check: The bar is back above your collarbones in the same spot you started from.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set, then push the bar back onto the hooks with straight arms.

Breathe in as you lower for 2 to 3 seconds; breathe out as you press up in about 1 second.

MUSCLES WORKED
Incline Barbell Bench Press: muscles worked, front view
Incline Barbell Bench Press: muscles worked, back view

chestfront deltstriceps

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES3
  • Lowering the bar to your lower chest or stomach. On an incline that path strains the shoulders. Fix: Bring it to your upper chest, just below the collarbones.
  • Bench set too steep. The shoulders take over from the chest. Fix: Keep the angle between 30 and 45 degrees.
  • Hips lifting off the bench. Fix: Keep your buttocks down; lower the weight if needed.
SAFETY2
  • Use a spotter or set safety bars for heavy sets.
  • Wrap your thumbs around the bar.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • incline bench · bench angle: 30 to 45 degrees · rack height: bar at arm's length when you lie back
  • plates Same weight on both sides, clipped on.
RELATED EXERCISES

easier: incline dumbbell bench press

variants: barbell bench press, barbell declined bench press

© 2026 Essomio LLC. The illustrations, muscle charts and guide text on this page are works of Essomio LLC, all rights reserved. They are for your personal use and may not be copied, redistributed or used to train models without written permission — see Licensing.