Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Set the bench to a 30-45 degree incline and position yourself with eyes under the bar, feet flat, and scapulae retracted and depressed.

2. 2

   Grip the bar at a width similar to or slightly narrower than your flat bench grip, and unrack to a position over your upper chest.

3. 3

   Lower the bar in a controlled arc to your upper chest, just below the clavicle, with elbows at 45-60 degrees of abduction.

4. 4

   Lightly touch the chest without bouncing, maintaining full-body tension through leg drive and scapular stability.

5. 5

   Press the bar back to the start by driving through the upper pectorals and deltoids, keeping the bar path slightly angled back toward the rack.

6. 6

   Lock out at the top without losing scapular retraction, and repeat for the target rep range.

Common Mistakes

• Setting the incline too steep (above 45 degrees), which turns the movement into a seated overhead press and reduces upper chest involvement.

• Allowing the bar to drift too far forward over the face, creating a longer moment arm and compromising shoulder joint integrity.

• Losing the arch and scapular position due to the incline angle, causing the upper back to round against the bench.

• Flaring the elbows excessively, which increases anterior shoulder capsule stress under load.

About This Exercise

The barbell incline bench press shifts the pressing vector to approximately 30-45 degrees from horizontal, increasing recruitment of the clavicular (upper) head of the pectoralis major and the anterior deltoid relative to the flat bench press. The triceps brachii remain heavily involved as elbow extensors. This variation is essential for balanced chest development and translates directly to overhead pressing performance and shoulder stability.