The **Incline Bench Press** is one of the best compound exercises for building the **upper chest** (clavicular head of the pectoralis major), while also heavily involving the front delts and triceps and anterior deltoids.
### Key Benefits - Prioritizes the **upper chest** more than flat bench press - Improves shoulder strength and stability - Carries over well to overhead pressing - Creates a more aesthetic, “shelf-like” chest development
### Proper Setup & Execution 1. **Angle**: Set the bench to **30–45°** - 30° → more upper chest emphasis - 45° → shifts more work to front delts (still good, but less chest-dominant) 2. **Grip**: Slightly wider than shoulder-width (same as flat bench for most people) 3. **Arch & Positioning**: - Plant feet flat on the floor - Maintain a moderate arch in your lower back - Retract and depress your shoulder blades (think “proud chest”) - Chest should be directly under or slightly in front of the bar at the start 4. **Unrack**: Take a big breath, brace core, unrack with straight arms 5. **Lowering Phase** (Eccentric): - Tuck elbows ~45–60° from torso (not flared 90°) - Lower the bar to **upper chest / just below the clavicles** (not the neck) - Keep forearms vertical at the bottom 6. **Pressing Phase**: - Drive the bar up and slightly back in a straight line (think “toward your face”) - Lock out hard, but don’t overextend - Keep shoulder blades pinched the entire time
### Common Mistakes to Avoid - Too steep an angle (>45–50°) → turns it into a shoulder press - Bouncing the bar off the chest - Lifting hips off the bench - Flaring elbows out 90° (increases shoulder stress) - Pressing the bar straight up instead of in a slight arc
### Programming Tips - Usually performed early in chest or push workouts - Typical rep ranges: 6–12 for hypertrophy, 3–6 for strength - Often paired with flat bench (e.g., flat as main lift, incline as accessory)
If you want a custom incline bench workout, form check tips from video
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