What equipment do you need for the barbell incline bench press?

You need barbell and incline bench to do the barbell incline bench press.

What is a good barbell incline bench press?

For men, a good barbell incline bench press is about a 210 lb estimated one-rep max, the Gold (intermediate) standard in Kovo. Beginners start near 107.5 lb and elite lifters pass 330 lb. For women, the standards run from about 35 lb to 205 lb. The tier table above lists every rank from Bronze to Champion.

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

Find more:Chest exercises Barbell exercises

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

Barbell Incline Bench Press strength standards

See how your barbell incline bench press ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.

Bronzee1RM107.5 lb
Silvere1RM155 lb
Golde1RM210 lb
Platinume1RM267.5 lb
Diamonde1RM300 lb
Champione1RM330 lb

Find your rank

Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.

Weight (lb)Reps

Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.

Kovo programs the barbell incline bench press for you and tracks it every session.

We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.

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More chest exercises

See all chest exercises →

Last reviewed April 2026.