Incline Barbell Bench Press
Incline barbell press for the upper chest and front delts. It works mainly the chest and front deltoid, with help from the triceps.
In Flawless, a man aged 23–39 reaches Gold, the third of eight ranks, at 1.1× bodyweight (87.5 kg at 80 kg). For a woman it is 0.75× (45 kg at 60 kg).
How to do Incline Barbell Bench Press
- Set the bench to about 30 degrees, lie back with the eyes under the bar, shoulder blades pulled together and down, feet flat.
- Grip a little wider than shoulder width, unrack the bar and hold it over your upper chest with straight arms.
- Lower the bar with control to the top of your chest, just below the collarbones, elbows about 45 degrees from the body.
- Press it back up while exhaling. A steeper bench shifts the work to the shoulders, so keep it low.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Chest | Pectoralis major |
| Primary | Front deltoid | Deltoideus anterior |
| Secondary | Triceps | Triceps brachii |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- Upper chest — the part that fills a shirt
- Stronger front delts as a side effect
- Better chest shape from the collarbone down
Strength standards for Incline Barbell Bench Press
| Rank | Men | Women | Man, 80 kg | Woman, 60 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start | – | – |
| Silver | 0.7× | 0.5× | 55 kg | 30 kg |
| Gold | 1.1× | 0.75× | 87.5 kg | 45 kg |
| Platinum | 1.45× | 1× | 115 kg | 60 kg |
| Diamond | 1.8× | 1.25× | 145 kg | 75 kg |
| Obsidian | 2.25× | 1.6× | 180 kg | 95 kg |
| Painite | 2.7× | 1.9× | 215 kg | 115 kg |
| Antimatter | 3.6× | 2.5× | 287.5 kg | 150 kg |
Ratios are one-rep max ÷ bodyweight for ages 23–39; kilograms are rounded to 2.5 kg.
Flawless takes your best set of Incline Barbell Bench Press, estimates your one-rep max with the Brzycki formula (reps are capped at 12) and divides it by the bodyweight in your profile, so you never have to test a true max. Women’s limits are 30 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
See also: strength rank calculator.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Incline Barbell Bench Press work?
It works mainly the chest and front deltoid, with help from the triceps.
How do you do Incline Barbell Bench Press?
Set the bench to about 30 degrees, lie back with the eyes under the bar, shoulder blades pulled together and down, feet flat. Grip a little wider than shoulder width, unrack the bar and hold it over your upper chest with straight arms. Lower the bar with control to the top of your chest, just below the collarbones, elbows about 45 degrees from the body. Press it back up while exhaling. A steeper bench shifts the work to the shoulders, so keep it low.
What is a good Incline Barbell Bench Press for my bodyweight?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 1.1× bodyweight for men aged 23–39 and 0.75× for women, Diamond at 1.8× and 1.25×. For an 80 kg man that is a 87.5 kg and a 145 kg one-rep max.
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