How to Do Barbell Incline Bench Press

Form Cues

1. 1

   Set bench 30-45 degrees, lower bar to upper chest

2. 2

   Keep elbows at 45 degrees not flared

3. 3

   Retract your shoulder blades before unracking, the same setup as a flat bench

4. 4

   Keep wrists stacked directly over your elbows through the press

Common Mistakes

• ●

  Setting the bench too steep — above 45 degrees shifts all load to shoulders and away from upper chest

• ●

  Lowering the bar to the neck instead of the upper chest — this stresses the shoulder joint unnecessarily

• ●

  Letting the hips rise off the bench to generate extra leg drive