
How to do the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip
- 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.
- As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on you upper chest.
- 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.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscles |
|---|---|
| Primary | chest |
| Secondary | shoulders, triceps |
| Equipment | barbell |
| Difficulty | beginner |
| Type | compound |
No barbell? Train the same muscles with these
Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.
Harder than the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip
Superset the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip with
Opposing middle back work — alternate sets without extra rest.
Common questions
What muscles does the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip work?
The Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip primarily works the chest, with the shoulders and triceps as secondary movers. Alternating Floor Press, Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip, and Barbell Guillotine Bench Press train the same muscle, across 11 equipment types.
What equipment do you need for the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip?
A Barbell. Without a barbell, Clock Push-Up, Decline Push-Up, and Incline Push-Up train the same muscle, and 17 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.
Is the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip suitable for beginners?
Yes, the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip is rated beginner. Plyo Kettlebell Pushups, Flat Bench Cable Flyes, and Incline Cable Flye are the progressions from here.
Where should the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip go in a workout?
Early — the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip is compound, working 3 muscle groups, so run it first or second while you are fresh, then superset Bent Over Barbell Row and Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row later.
Similar exercises
Build a full chest session around this
The free generator picks the sets, reps and supporting exercises for you — using only the equipment you actually have.
Build a free workout