Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip

Performed on an incline bench to bias the upper portion of the muscle, this variation primarily targets your Chest, with support from Shoulders, Triceps. It requires barbell and is best suited to beginner lifters.

Beginner level · Equipment: Barbell · Compound · Push

Primary muscles: Chest Secondary muscles: Shoulders, Triceps

How to perform Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip

Step 1. Lie back on an incline bench. Using a medium-width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
Step 2. As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on you upper chest.
Step 3. After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, squeeze your chest, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: it should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
Step 4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Step 5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Sample sets & reps for Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip

Strength: 4-5 sets × 3-5 reps, 2-3 min rest. 80-90% 1RM, RPE 8-9.
Hypertrophy: 3-4 sets × 6-10 reps, 90s-2 min rest. 70-80% 1RM, RPE 7-8.
Power / explosiveness: 5-6 sets × 2-3 reps, 2-3 min rest. 60-75% 1RM, max bar speed.

Pick the scheme that matches your goal. Beginners should start at the lower end of every range; progress weight only when you hit the upper end of the rep range with one or two reps in reserve.

Related Chest exercises

See all Chest exercises →

Want a workout that includes Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip and 870+ other exercises? Try the AI Planner — 2 weeks free