Muscles worked
What the incline bench press trains
Tap a muscle to see just that one and what it does in the lift.
Before the first rep
How to set up
- 01
Set the angle. Set the bench to about 30 degrees, and no steeper than 45. Steeper than that and the lift turns into a shoulder press.
- 02
Set the rack. In a power rack, put the hooks where you can unrack with arms almost straight, and set the safeties just below chest height, under where the bar touches. On a fixed incline station with no safeties, have a spotter behind you.
- 03
Sit back and down. Slide your hips all the way back into the seat so your upper back and head are flat on the pad and your eyes are about under the bar.
- 04
Grip. Hands a little wider than shoulder width, thumbs wrapped, so your forearms are close to vertical when the bar touches your upper chest.
- 05
Shoulder blades back. Pull your shoulder blades together and down into the pad, and keep your chest up toward the bar.
- 06
Feet down. Plant your feet flat on the floor, about under your knees or a little behind, so you can push into the floor without sliding down the bench.
Step by step
How to do the incline bench press
- 01
Unrack. Take a breath, lift the bar off the hooks and move it out until it sits straight over your shoulders with your arms locked.
- 02
Lower. Bring the bar down under control to your upper chest, just below your collarbone, with your elbows tucked to about 45 degrees from your body.
- 03
Touch. Touch your upper chest lightly with your wrists stacked over your elbows. Do not bounce the bar or let your chest sink.
- 04
Press. Push your feet into the floor and press the bar up and slightly back so it finishes over your shoulders, keeping your back and hips on the bench.
- 05
Rack. After the last rep, lock your arms out and guide the bar back into the hooks before you bend your elbows.
Cues to say in your head
- Hips back in the seat
- Touch below the collarbone
- Chest up to the bar
- Shoulders down and back
- Press back over shoulders
- Push the floor away
Fix these first
Common mistakes
Bench set too steep
Keep it around 30 degrees and no higher than 45. A steeper bench shifts most of the work to the shoulders.
Bar touching too low, near the nipples
Aim for the upper chest just below the collarbone. Touching low pulls your forearms off vertical and the bar off its path back over your shoulders.
Hips sliding down or lifting off the seat
Sit all the way back before you unrack and push your feet down, not up. If your hips still rise, the weight is too heavy.
Elbows flared straight out
Tuck them to roughly 45 degrees so they sit under the bar at the bottom. Flared elbows put the strain on the front of the shoulder instead of the chest.
Shoulders shrugging up toward the ears
Pull your shoulder blades down and back before the first rep and keep them pinned to the pad.
Bouncing the bar off your chest
Lower with control and touch lightly. A bounce hides a weak bottom and stresses the shoulders.
Stay safe
Press in a rack with the safeties set just below your chest, or with a spotter standing behind the bench, any time a set gets close to failure. Many fixed incline stations have no safeties, so do not grind out heavy reps on one alone. Always wrap your thumbs around the bar. If a rep stalls, lower it under control onto the safeties or let your spotter take it. Stop and get the shoulder checked if you feel sharp pain in the front of it rather than muscle effort.
Programming
Sets, reps and how much weight
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3 to 5 | 4 to 6 | 80–87% 1RM | 2 to 4 min |
| Muscle | 3 to 4 | 6 to 12 | 67–80% 1RM | 1.5 to 3 min |
| Technique | 3 | 8 to 10 | 50–65% 1RM | 1 to 2 min |
Plan your next session
Put in a recent set. You get working weights for your goal, a warm-up and the plates to load.
Estimated 1RM 216 lb
Muscle sets
145–175lb
3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps, 1.5 to 3 min rest. Where most people should train it. Take sets close to failure with a clean touch every rep.
Warm up to 160 lb
Tap a set to see its plates.
45 + 10 + 2.5
Estimates use the Epley formula and work best from sets of 3 to 8 reps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust by how the first working set moves.
Questions
Incline Bench Press questions
What muscles does the incline bench press work?
Mainly the upper chest, with the front of the shoulders and the triceps as the other prime movers. The rest of the chest helps, and your upper back and lats hold the bar steady.
Where should the bar touch on an incline bench press?
On your upper chest, just below the collarbone. Touching lower, near the nipples, pulls your forearms off vertical and makes the bar harder to press back over your shoulders.
Is the Smith machine incline press as good as the barbell version?
It trains the same muscles and is a good choice when you lift alone, since you can rack the bar at any point. The barbell makes you balance the bar yourself, so many programs use it as the main lift and the Smith version for extra volume.
How do you use the incline chest press machine?
Set the seat so the handles line up with your upper chest, sit with your back flat on the pad and press the handles out until your arms are straight, then lower slowly. Keep your shoulder blades back and your shoulders down, the same as on the barbell.
Should I do incline or flat bench first?
Do first whichever matters most to your goal. Most programs put the flat bench first for overall pressing strength and the incline second, but leading with the incline is a sensible choice if the upper chest is your priority.
How many sets and reps of incline bench press should I do?
For muscle, 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps works well for most people, done once or twice a week. For strength, 3 to 5 sets of 4 to 6 reps with longer rests.
Train in Protocol
Log your incline bench press by voice. Protocol tracks the rest.
Your last session shows up before every set, warm-ups and plates are worked out for you, and your coach sees every lift next to your sleep and recovery.