Overview
The barbell incline bench press is a variation of the Barbell bench press which works the upper part of the chest muscle. As a basic multi-joint exercise it is a great choice for developing the size and the power of the chest muscles. It is preferable to perform the exercise at the beginning of your workout because it requires maximum power and concentration.
Preparation
Lie back on incline bench. Put your feet firm on the floor and grasp the bar with overhand grip (palms facing your feet) with your hands at wider than shoulder width (the right grip is those who creates a 90-degree angle between your forearms and upper arms in the middle portion of the movement). Lift the bar from the rack and hold it above the chest. This will be your starting position.
Execution
As you inhale start lower the weight slowly, until you feel the bar on your upper chest. Keep the elbows pointed outward in order to fully involve the chest. Bring the bar up to the starting position as you exhale and push the bar using you chest muscles. Contract the pecs at the top, hold for a second and repeat the movement for desire reps.
Recommendations
- For best results and maximum upper chest development use a bench with angle between 20 and 30 degrees. If you perform the Barbell Incline Bench Press with higher inclination you will use your shoulder muscles too much and the chest will execute a smaller amount of work.
- Grip the bar with your thumbs around the front, to prevent it from slipping.
- Keep your legs firm on the floor and don’t lift your head and glutes from the bench.
- Don’t lock your arms at the top of the movement, this would help you to keep the tension in the chest muscles.
- Don’t bounce the weight of your chest, to perform the exercise safe and correct the negative phase of the movement should be twice long than the positive.
- Use a spotter to helps you to un-rack and rack the bar.