The incline barbell bench press exercise is a variation of bench press. It’s used to develop chest muscles, especially the upper segment of the chest & increase shoulder strength. It also works indirectly on the tricep muscles.
Use of an incline allows you to focus on the upper region of the chest, a common lagging part in the lifters.
Read here to learn how to do Incline Barbell Bench Press perfectly with tips & VIDEO demonstrating it’s correct form, technique & proper movements.
How To Do Incline Bench Barbell Press Correctly -Form and Technique
Start Position:
(i) Set an adjustable bench within a rack holding a bar at an incline of roughly 15-30 degrees vertical
Note: The higher the incline of the bench, the greater will be involvement of the anterior deltoids (shoulders).
(ii) Lie back on an incline bench under the rack that holds the bar. Keep back of your head, shoulders, upper back and the butt flat on the incline bench with a slight (neutral) bend in the spine. Feet should be flat on the floor & relatively wide apart.
(iii) Grip the bar using overhand grip (your palms facing away from you). Wrap your fingers around the bar, thumbs placed under the bar and across top of the fingers. Your arms (hands) should be just slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Squeeze the bar, retract your shoulders and lift the bar up from the rack and hold it straight above the upper chest with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
Movements:
(i) Inhale and allow the bar to come down slowly in a straight line down to the base of the sternum (breastbone).
(ii) As you breath out, push the bar back up in a straight line to the start position. This completes one rep. Do desired number of reps.
(iii) When you are done with the desired number of reps, place the bar back in the rack. This completes one set. Do the desired number of sets.
Tips:
(i) Grip width can vary, but generally the hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width. A good thumb rule is that at the bottom of the movement, the forearms should be perpendicular to the floor. Too narrow grip width will result in the forearms angling inwards and too wide grip width angling outwards.
(ii) Squeeze the bar as hard as you can before taking it out of the rack.
(iii) Maintain the bar in line with your wrist & elbows. Make sure the bar travels in a straight line. In order to maintain the wrist straight, position the bar as low in the palm as you can while still being able to wrap the thumb over the fingers.
(iv) Keep your shoulder blades retracted and in contact with the bench. Don’t let them change position as you press.
(v) Keep your buttocks flat on the bench throughout the entire movement.
(vi) Lower the bar under slow & controlled movement. Ideally, lowering the weight should take at least twice the time of raising it.
(vii) Gripping the bar hard, push the it back in a straight line up as you breathe out – without using any momentum or bounce.
(viii) Keep watching consistently a spot on the ceiling rather than the bar, so as to make sure the bar travels the same path every time.
(ix) In order to keep more tension through the triceps and chest, stop each rep just short of locking out your elbows at the top.
Watch This Video To Learn Incline Bench Chest Press Correct Form & Right Technique:
