Why You Should Be Doing More Incline Presses (And how to correctly do them!)

If you were to ask 10 people to name three exercises that worked your chest, which exercises do you think they’d say? They’d probably start off with flat barbell bench press, next they’d say push-ups maybe, and finally they’d probably go with something like chest press machine, or possibly even the pec-deck.

Instructions on how to do the incline bench press are listed at the bottom of this post!

When it comes to chest exercises, many people often overlook the benefits and the sheer importance of the incline press, whether it be via barbells or dumbbells.

If your chest is lacking, or if you’re simply looking to put together a new chest routine, then why not do more incline presses? Here are a few reasons why incline presses could be so beneficial.

They help to work the upper pecs

The pectoral muscles actually have three parts: Upper, middle, and lower. Many people often focus on the middle part of the muscle group, due to the fact that around 80% of all chest exercises actually work the middle portion of the pectoral muscles. To work the upper chest however, you’d be hard pressed (pardon the pun) to find a more effective exercise than the incline press.

It will also work the front deltoids

Much like flat bench barbell pressing also works the triceps as well as the chest, incline presses also work the front deltoids due to the fact that you’re positioned naturally in a more upright position, meaning your deltoids have to do some of the work. This means that your shoulders will also benefit from incline pressing, as well as your chest.

It’s a nice change of pace

If you’re fed up of flat bench pressing, then incline pressing is ideal because the exercise is a whole different kettle of fish entirely. You’ll feel different muscles being worked, you’ll feel like you’re doing an entirely different exercise, and you’ll be surprised by just how much less you’ll be pressing than if you were on a flat bench.

How To Do The Incline Bench Press:

If you can do a normal bench press (read our instructions on how to do a bench press here), it is very easy to do an incline bench press.

• You should use a bench that is on an incline. The higher the incline, the more it will work the shoulder area (higher part of your pecs). Normally you should use an incline of around 30-40 degrees.
• Grip the barbell like you would when doing the normal bench press
• Lift the bar from the rack, and extend your arms.
• Breathe in as you slowly bring the barbell down to your upper chest (depending on who is instructing depends on if you should go just above the chest, or touch it)

You should always be safe when doing this exercise – and have a spotter with you.

Please note that the photo at the top is showing a dumbbell incline bench press and not the barbell.