A Beginner's Guide to Incline Barbell Bench Press

 Introduction:

The incline barbell bench press, otherwise known as the incline bench press, is a weight training exercise that targets your pectoral muscles, which are in your chest area, and your triceps (a large muscle in the back of your upper arm). This bench press variation allows you to move more weight than the flat barbell bench press. Incline bench presses are also generally easier on your shoulders than flat bench presses and can be used as an alternative if you experience pain with flat benching or if you just prefer incline pressing over flat pressing.

 

Why incline?

The incline bench press is one of my favorite exercises for building upper body strength. By starting out on an incline, you’re able to better target your shoulders and lift more weight than you could when performing a flat barbell bench press. As an added bonus, performing your pressing exercises at an incline helps protect your shoulders from injury by slightly reducing their range of motion and putting less stress on them overall. It’s also great for targeting other muscles such as your chest, back, and triceps (more on that later). When performed properly, it can be one of the most challenging movements in any gym. If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend giving it a shot!

 

Where should you start?

Start by building a solid foundation of strength. The incline bench press is a great exercise for building your chest, shoulders, and triceps; however, if you’re new to weightlifting it can be hard on your joints. Start out with a lighter weight at first. You want to build up your muscles so they are strong enough before you start lifting heavier weights. Once you feel comfortable doing incline barbell bench presses with a lighter weight, then move on to something heavier. Remember that form is key when doing any kind of workout. If you don’t have proper form, you could end up hurting yourself and causing more harm than good. Always remember to focus on your form when exercising. For example, when doing an incline barbell bench press make sure that your back stays straight throughout the entire movement as well as keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body throughout each rep. Doing these two things will help keep tension in your chest muscles rather than having it go towards other parts of your body such as the back or arms which could cause injury over time from not being used to working those muscle groups regularly.

 

Getting it done safely

This is a great move for those who like to bench press but find that it’s hard on their shoulders. If you have shoulder issues, it’s best to avoid doing flat bench presses altogether, and incline barbell bench presses are a fantastic alternative. By raising your upper body at an angle, you’re able to decrease pressure in your shoulder joint by preventing internal rotation of the shoulders. Remember that during normal bench pressing, gravity pulls down directly on your shoulders—this is called internal rotation and can stress your rotator cuff tendons. To do incline barbell bench presses safely, be sure to keep your elbows tucked close to your sides throughout. And don’t worry about using a lot of weight—you’re not trying to build big arms here! Just use enough weight so that when you lower it back down towards your chest, you feel some tension in your pecs (but not too much). You should feel more tension with each rep as long as you’re doing them correctly. To get started: Place two adjustable benches or chairs next to each other with one end up higher than the other (about 2 feet). Lie on top of one chair or bench with its legs pointing up toward the ceiling; place another chair or bench perpendicular under where your head will go.

 

Improving form

The incline barbell bench press is a great exercise that works your chest, shoulders, and triceps. To improve your performance in this exercise and prevent injuries you should do some warm-ups and build up strength gradually. Another tip is to use heavier weights at low reps (2–3) so you can lift more weight with good form and reduce the risk of injury. Another way of improving the incline barbell bench press is by increasing the range of motion for one rep max so using heavier weights with a shorter range of motion will help you increase one rep max more effectively than using lighter weights for a longer range of motion. You should also try to stretch your pectoral muscles before doing any kind of pressing exercises. If you are unable to stretch due to a lack of flexibility then try doing it on an empty stomach as it helps in stretching. You can also perform dumbbell flyes which is another effective exercise for chest muscle development. Dumbbell flies target the upper part of the pectoral muscles and stretch them out making them flexible enough to be stretched during incline barbell bench press.

 

Additional tips

There are three keys to a proper incline bench press: Technique, form, and safety. If you’re struggling with any of these, your form is sure to suffer and so will your results. Here are some helpful pointers: * Use a spotter—it’s not necessary but it’ll help ensure you can safely complete each rep without cheating. * Make sure that your body forms a straight line from shoulders down through hips and knees (no sagging or bending at the waist). * Avoid hyperextending your neck by keeping it in line with your torso. * Keep your elbows tucked at about 45 degrees (you want them out at about 90 degrees for an overhead press). You should be able to see both sides of each hand when looking down at yourself in between reps. * Lower the bar until it touches your chest then push back up until your arms are fully extended. Your elbows should remain slightly bent throughout. * Don’t bounce the weight off your chest—lower it slowly and under control. * Exhale as you lower the weight; inhale as you push it back up. Do not hold your breath!

A Beginner's Guide to Incline Barbell Bench Press