Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip

What it is

You perform this compound push exercise on an incline bench with a barbell. It effectively builds strength and mass in your upper chest, primarily targeting your pectoral muscles. You will also engage your shoulders and triceps as secondary muscle groups. This is a foundational movement for developing pushing power.

Technique tips

• Maintain a 90-degree angle between your forearms and upper arms.
• Breathe in as you slowly lower the bar to your upper chest.
• Pause briefly at the bottom, then powerfully press the bar up.
• Exhale as you press the bar, squeezing your pectoral muscles.
• Lower the bar at least twice as slowly as you push it up.
• Fully extend your arms and contract your chest at the top.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.