Incline Bench Press Strength Standards

Enter one set: we'll estimate your 1RM and rank it against real incline bench press lifts logged on Gravitus, by bodyweight and gender.

What Is a Good Incline Bench Press?

A good incline bench press for a 180 lb man is about 185 lb, the intermediate standard; for a 140 lb woman it is about 80 lb. Good is relative to bodyweight and sex, and the calculator below ranks your lift against real incline bench press sets logged by lifters in the Gravitus app. The benchmark tables use allometric bodyweight scaling so you can compare fairly at any size.

What's the average incline bench press? See the real numbers →

Learn proper incline bench press form, muscles worked, and programming →

Calculate Your Incline Bench Press Strength Level

1RM estimated from your weight and reps with the Brzycki formula

How Men's Incline Bench Press 1RMs Are Distributed

Estimated one-rep max

Men: 25th percentile 146 lb · median 176 lb · 75th percentile 207 lb

Women: 25th percentile 60 lb · median 76 lb · 75th percentile 93 lb

The incline bench press targets the upper chest (clavicular pectoralis) and front deltoids more than the flat bench press. It's a key exercise for building a complete, well-developed chest. These standards help you evaluate your incline pressing strength compared to other lifters.

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Incline Bench Press Standards for Men (lbs)

Bodyweight (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate median Advanced Elite
120* 70 105 135 165 195
130* 75 110 140 175 205
140 80 120 150 185 220
150 90 130 165 200 235
160 105 140 175 205 240
170 110 145 180 210 250
180 110 150 185 220 255
190 115 155 190 235 265
200 115 160 195 235 275
210 115 160 200 240 285
220 115 160 205 245 290
230 115 160 205 255 300
240 115 160 205 255 300
250 115 160 205 265 305
260 115 160 205 275 310
270* 120 165 210 285 320
280* 125 170 220 290 330
290* 125 175 225 300 335
300* 130 175 230 305 345

Unmarked rows are computed from real Gravitus lifter data. * Estimated with allometric scaling, outside the bodyweight range with enough logged lifters.

Incline Bench Press Standards for Women (lbs)

Bodyweight (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate median Advanced Elite
100* 30 45 60 90 115
110* 35 50 65 90 120
120* 35 55 70 90 120
130 50 60 75 90 120
140 50 60 80 100 120
150 50 60 80 110 125
160* 50 65 90 125 165
170* 50 70 95 135 175
180* 50 70 95 140 180
190* 50 75 100 145 190
200* 50 80 105 150 195

Unmarked rows are computed from real Gravitus lifter data. * Estimated with allometric scaling, outside the bodyweight range with enough logged lifters.

How These Standards Are Calculated

These standards are computed directly from workouts logged in the Gravitus app: the all-time best incline bench press efforts of real lifters, converted to estimated one-rep max (1RM). Each level corresponds to a percentile among lifters in your bodyweight bracket: Beginner (5th), Novice (20th), Intermediate (50th), Advanced (80th), and Elite (95th). Brackets with fewer than 50 lifters are estimated with allometric scaling and marked as interpolated. Figures reflect lifters who share workouts publicly; extreme outliers are excluded.

Tips for Improving Your Incline Bench Press

To improve your incline bench press: set the bench to 30 degrees for optimal upper chest activation, focus on a controlled eccentric and explosive press, strengthen your front delts and upper chest with incline flyes and landmine presses, ensure your shoulder blades are retracted and depressed, and warm up your rotator cuffs before heavy pressing.

Strength Levels Explained

  • Beginner

    The strength level of someone who has recently started training. Achievable within the first few months of proper training.

  • Novice

    Represents early progress with consistent training. Most dedicated lifters reach this level within their first year.

  • Intermediate

    Above-average strength that represents consistent, dedicated training over multiple years.

  • Advanced

    Exceptional strength that far exceeds the average lifter. Requires years of dedicated programming and nutrition.

  • Elite

    Competitive-level strength representing the top 1% of lifters. May require favorable genetics to achieve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most lifters incline bench about 75-85% of their flat bench press. So if you flat bench 200 lbs, an incline bench of 150-170 lbs is typical. The incline puts more demand on the upper chest and front deltoids.

A 30-degree incline is generally considered optimal for upper chest development. Steeper angles (45+ degrees) shift more work to the front deltoids. These standards assume a 30-45 degree bench angle.

If upper chest development is a priority, do incline first when you're freshest. Otherwise, most lifters do flat bench first since it allows the heaviest weight. Alternating which you do first each session is also effective.

More Strength Standards

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