Barbell Incline Bench Press

Starting position:

Choose an appropriate weight matching your fitness level and type of training. Lie down on the inclined bench so that your eyes are right below the bar. Using a medium-width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over your chest with your arms locked. Your feet are pressed against the firm construction.

Exercise:

As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your upper chest and then bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Avoid overarching your lower back throughout the whole exercise. Keep your elbows pointing outwards.

Note:

Start with lighter weight to master the technique well.

Make sure you have the right hand grip and avoid excessive dorsal flexion in your wrists.

Beware of overarching your lower back while overcoming the resistance. Both your chest and entire torso must be straightened throughout.

Recommendation:

It is advised to use a spotter to help you with more challenging weight.

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Barbell incline bench press is the most popular exercise for the development of upper chest. The large chest muscle is called pectoralis major and the upper part is called clavicular head of pectoralis major.

A little known fact is that in order to develop the upper chest muscle you need to hold the barbell with a NARROW grip. This is a scientifically proven fact and you will surely feel the results yourself if you’ll try it.

Narrow grip is usually associated with triceps but in case of incline bench press the involved muscles are different. Wide grip will strengthen mostly the front part of deltoid (and damage your shoulder joint) while narrow grip will strengthen the clavicular head of pectoralis muscle (upper chest).

A variation of this exercise worthy consideration is the incline dumbbell bench press.