Chest · Barbell
Barbell Incline Bench Press
How to do the barbell incline bench press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
See it in motion
How to do it
Lie on an incline bench, feet flat on floor. Grasp barbell with overhand grip. Lower bar to upper chest, then press it back up to starting position.
- 1Feel your upper chest and triceps pressing the barbell up from an incline position
- 2Keep your shoulder blades pulled together and down to engage your pecs
- 3Lower the bar to the upper chest and press straight up
Common mistakes
- Avoid flaring your elbows too wide; keep them at a comfortable angle
- Don't arch your back excessively; maintain contact with the bench
- Avoid bouncing the bar off your chest; control the descent
Muscles worked
The barbell incline bench press mainly works the upper chest and mid chest, with the triceps, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Upper ChestPrimary
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell incline bench press for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the leverage machine bench press
- How to do the cable chest flyes
- How to do the chest dip
- How to do the machine chest press
- How to do the close-grip bench press
Last reviewed April 2026.