Upper chestBarbellIntermediate

How to Do the Incline Bench Press

By Bryan Alger, Co-Founder of Gravitus

· Updated Sep 30, 2026

An incline bench press is a barbell bench press on a 15 to 45 degree bench. Lower the bar to your upper chest, just below your collarbones, with your forearms vertical, then press it back up over your shoulders. It trains the upper chest, front delts and triceps. Most lifters do 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

Sets x reps 3-4 x 6-10

Median 10-rep weight 13560 lbkg men 5525 lbkg women

Muscles Upper chest, front delts, triceps

Vs flat bench 80% of your flat bench max

Incline Bench Press bottom and top positions

1Bottom. The bar touches the upper chest, just below the collarbones, with the forearms vertical and the shoulder blades pinned to the bench.
2Top. Press up and slightly back until the bar sits over your shoulders, then lower over 2 to 3 seconds.

Watch 3 video demonstrations

Video 1 of 3

Find more video demonstrations in the Gravitus app

Technique

How to do an incline bench press

Set the bench to 30 degrees, or use a fixed incline bench. Sit so the racked bar is above your eyes or forehead, then plant your feet flat.
Grip the bar slightly wider than your shoulders. Pull your shoulder blades back and down, and keep your head, upper back and glutes on the bench.
Straighten your arms to lift the bar off the hooks and bring it forward until it sits over your shoulders, arms vertical.
Lower over 2 to 3 seconds until the bar touches your upper chest, just below your collarbones. Your elbows stay 45 to 60 degrees out from your sides, with your forearms vertical.
Press up and slightly back until your arms are straight and the bar is over your shoulders again. After the last rep, press to lockout and move the bar back onto the hooks.

Setup

Where the bar touches, grip width and arch

Touch pointJust below your collarbonesHigher than on a flat bench, where the bar lands on the lower chest. The steeper the bench, the higher it lands.

Grip widthForearms vertical at the bottomFor most lifters that is slightly wider than the shoulders. Viewed from the front and the side, your wrists should stack over your elbows when the bar touches.

ArchSmall, from the shoulder bladesPull the shoulder blades back and lift the chest a little. Keep your glutes and upper back on the bench, or the incline you set gets flatter.

Bar pathDown and forward, up and backStart with the bar over your shoulders, lower it slightly toward your feet to the upper chest, and press it back up the same line.

A barbell makes you steer the bar yourself, so where it lands depends on your setup, not on a track. On a Smith machine incline press the bench position under the bar sets the touch point; with a free bar you set it by grip width and by keeping your forearms vertical. Grip width changes less than most lifters think: in flat bench studies, chest activity was the same with narrow, medium and wide grips (Saeterbakken 2017), and wide and medium grips lifted about 5% more than a narrow one (Larsen 2021). Pick the width that puts your forearms vertical and keep it the same every session. For the bench itself, 30 degrees is a good default and anything from 15 to 45 degrees trains the upper chest; the incline dumbbell press guide shows what each angle changes.

Gravitus data

How much weight should you incline bench press?

On Gravitus, the median man lifts 135 lb (60 kg) for 10 reps on the incline bench press, and the median woman 55 lb (25 kg).

Men, typical 135 lb for 10 reps

Most lift: 110 to 155 lb
Top 10% lift: 180 lb or more
Starting out: under 110 lb

Women, typical 55 lb for 10 reps

Most lift: 45 to 70 lb
Top 10% lift: 85 lb or more
Starting out: under 45 lb

Men, typical 60 kg for 10 reps

Most lift: 50 to 70 kg
Top 10% lift: 82.5 kg or more
Starting out: under 50 kg

Women, typical 25 kg for 10 reps

Most lift: 20 to 32.5 kg
Top 10% lift: 37.5 kg or more
Starting out: under 20 kg

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 5 lb (2.5 under 40). From 18,811 men and 2,020 women who log the incline bench press on Gravitus, computed Oct 4, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	145 / 110 lb	60 / 45 lb
Median	175 / 135 lb	75 / 55 lb
75th	205 / 155 lb	95 / 70 lb
90th	240 / 180 lb	115 / 85 lb

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 2.5 kg (1 under 20). From 18,811 men and 2,020 women who log the incline bench press on Gravitus, computed Oct 4, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	67.5 / 50 kg	27.5 / 20 kg
Median	80 / 60 kg	35 / 25 kg
75th	95 / 70 kg	42.5 / 32.5 kg
90th	110 / 82.5 kg	50 / 37.5 kg

Weights include the bar, usually 45 lb (20 kg). Gravitus logs do not record the bench angle, and a steeper bench lowers the number, so compare yourself to your own log on the same bench.

Gravitus data

Incline vs flat bench: how much less can you lift?

80%Incline max, of your flat bench max

73-87%Middle half of lifters

17,000+Men who log both lifts

Most lifters incline bench about 80% of their flat bench. We compared the best estimated max of 17,000+ men and 1,700+ women who log both lifts in Gravitus (Sep 2026). The median man's incline max was 80% of his flat max, and the median woman's was 79%. A 225 lb (100 kg) flat bench predicts about 180 lb (80 kg) on the incline for one rep.

Lab studies with a set bench angle agree. At 30 degrees, trained lifters' max was 22% below flat, and at 45 degrees 29% below (Rodríguez-Ridao 2020). National and international bench press athletes lifted 18% less for 6 reps on a 25 degree incline than on a flat bench (Saeterbakken 2017). A steeper bench widens the gap, so if your ratio is well under 73%, check your bench angle before your upper chest.

Anatomy

Incline bench press muscles worked

Chest, upper (clavicular) head mostPushes the arms up and together. Over 8 weeks, incline pressing grew the upper chest more than flat pressing (Chaves 2020).

Primary

Front deltsRaise the arms forward. They work in every press and do more as the bench rises (Rodríguez-Ridao 2020).

Primary

TricepsStraighten the elbows. In elite bench pressers, triceps activity on a 25 degree incline was about a third lower than on a flat bench (Saeterbakken 2017).

Secondary

Biceps, rotator cuff, serratus anteriorSteady the shoulder and the bar. Biceps activity was 48.3% higher on the incline than on a flat bench (Saeterbakken 2017).

Stabilizer

Research

Incline bench claims the research does not back

"Arch as hard as you can." A big arch lifts your chest toward the ceiling and flattens the incline you set. On a flat bench, arching raised trained lifters' max by 4.2 kg (about 9 lb) but shortened how far the bar traveled at every load, with the same upper and lower chest activity (Bartolomei 2024). Keep the arch small and your glutes on the seat.
"A wide grip works the chest harder." Chest activity was the same with narrow, medium and wide grips (Saeterbakken 2017). A narrow grip lifted about 5% less than wide or medium (Larsen 2021). Grip width changes how much you lift, not which part of the chest works.
"Lower the bar to your neck for more upper chest." The guillotine press flares the elbows to 90 degrees and puts the load on the front of the shoulder, with nowhere to go if you miss. Stop just below your collarbones.
"Incline pressing trains the triceps like a flat bench." It trains them less. Triceps activity was about a third lower on a 25 degree incline, and lifters used 18% less weight (Saeterbakken 2017). Keep a flat press or a triceps exercise in the week.

Compare

Incline bench press vs flat bench press vs incline dumbbell press

Attribute	Incline bench press	Flat bench press	Incline dumbbell press
Weight you can lift	80% of your flat bench	Most	Less than a bar
Upper chest growth	More	Less	More
Triceps	Less than flat	Most	Less than a bar
Bar touches	Just below the collarbones	Lower chest	Dumbbells beside the upper chest
Best for	Heaviest upper chest loads, small jumps	Whole chest, heaviest loads	One arm at a time, free wrists

Verdict

Do an incline press and a flat press in the same week. Over 8 weeks, incline pressing grew the upper chest more than flat pressing (Chaves 2020). Between a barbell and dumbbells on the incline, pick the one you can keep adding weight to. The incline vs flat bench comparison covers programming both.

Programming

Sets, reps and progression

3-4Sets

6-10Reps

1-2Reps left

Do incline bench presses once or twice a week, first or second in a chest, push or upper-body workout. Stop each set 1 to 2 reps short of failure, closer only with safety pins set or a spotter behind you.

A barbell lets you add small amounts. Add reps first: when every set reaches 10, add 5 lb (2.5 kg), which is 2.5 lb (1.25 kg) per side, and drop back to 6 reps. Keep the bench on the same notch, or the new number means nothing.

Form

Common mistakes

Bar landing on your neckThe front of the shoulder takes the load. Bring the bar down to just below your collarbones.
Bar drifting down the chestLower chest is where a flat bench lands. On an incline your forearms slant and the shoulders take the strain. Keep your forearms vertical and aim just below your collarbones.
Hips lifting off the seatIt flattens the angle you set and turns the lift into a flat press. Keep your glutes on the seat and your feet flat.
Grip too narrow or too wideYour forearms should be vertical when the bar touches. Move your hands until they are, and use the same ring marks every set.
No safeties and no spotterMany fixed incline benches have no safety arms. Press in a power rack with the pins set just below your touch point, or have a spotter stand behind you.

Variations

Incline bench press variations

Close-grip incline bench pressHands at shoulder width or closer, elbows tucked. More triceps.

Paused incline bench pressHold the bar still on your chest for 1 to 2 seconds. Takes the bounce out and builds the bottom of the press.

Smith machine incline pressThe bar runs in a track, so the bench position sets the touch point. Easier to train close to failure alone.

Incline dumbbell pressOne dumbbell per hand. Each arm presses on its own and your wrists can turn.

Flat barbell bench pressThe flat version. Heavier loads and more middle and lower chest.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What muscles does incline bench press work?

The chest, most of all its upper (clavicular) head, and the front delts, with the triceps straightening the elbows. The biceps, rotator cuff and serratus anterior steady the shoulder.

Does incline bench work shoulders?

Yes, the front delts. They help at every bench angle and do more as the bench rises. Their activity peaked at 60 degrees (Rodríguez-Ridao 2020). Keep the bench at 45 degrees or lower to keep the chest doing most of the work.

How much incline for incline bench press?

15 to 45 degrees, with 30 a good default. Upper chest activity was highest at 30 degrees in one study, and at 60 degrees the front delts took over (Rodríguez-Ridao 2020). Use the same notch every session so your log compares like with like.

Where should the bar touch on incline bench press?

On your upper chest, just below your collarbones, with your forearms vertical. That is higher than on a flat bench, and it moves higher still as the bench gets steeper.

Should you arch your back on incline bench press?

A little. Pull your shoulder blades back and lift your chest, but keep your glutes and upper back on the bench. A big arch flattens the incline and shortens the press (Bartolomei 2024).

How much less can you incline bench than flat bench?

About 20% less. For the median Gravitus lifter who logs both, the incline max was 80% of the flat max, and the middle half of lifters fell between 73% and 87%. A steeper bench widens the gap.

How much weight should I incline bench press?

For 10 reps, the median on Gravitus is 135 lb (60 kg) for men and 55 lb (25 kg) for women. The strongest quarter lifts 155 lb (70 kg) and 70 lb (32.5 kg) or more.

Gravitus See where your incline bench press ranks

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References