10 Best Barbell Incline Bench Press Alternatives for Limited Equipment

The Barbell Incline Bench Press is done lying on your back with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip, the Barbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench Press and the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press. Two harder versions, the Bench Press With Chains and the Bench Press - Powerlifting, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

Barbell Incline Bench PressWatch the Barbell Incline Bench Press

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Barbell Incline Bench Press

The steps for the Barbell Incline Bench Press itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Pectorals, with shoulders, triceps · Barbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
  2. Lie down on the bench with your feet flat on the ground.
  3. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle.
  5. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the barbell back up to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Barbell Incline Bench Press Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Barbell Incline Bench Press on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip

    1. Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip

    99% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the pectorals.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    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.
    2. As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on you upper chest.
    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.
    4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
    5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: incline press, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
  2. Barbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench PressPlay demonstration

    2. Barbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench Press

    95% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, taken with an underhand grip.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
    2. Lie down on the bench with your feet flat on the ground.
    3. Grasp the barbell with a reverse grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    4. Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in.
    5. Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest.
    6. Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: incline press, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
  3. Dumbbell Incline Bench PressPlay demonstration

    3. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press

    90% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have dumbbells to work with, and it still works the pectorals.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
    2. Sit on the bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed firmly against the bench.
    3. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward, and lift them to shoulder height.
    4. Slowly lower the dumbbells to the sides of your chest, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
    5. Push the dumbbells back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: incline press, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
  5. Bench Press With Chains

    Progression

    5. Bench Press With Chains

    90% match

    Pectorals · Advanced · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the pectorals.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the leader chain, shortening it to the desired length.Place the chains on the sleeves of the bar.
    2. Lying on the bench, get your head beyond the bar if possible. Tuck your feet underneath you and arch your back. Using the bar to help support your weight, lift your shoulder off the bench and retract them, squeezing the shoulder blades together. Use your feet to drive your traps into the bench. Maintain this tight body position throughout the movement. However wide your grip, it should cover the ring on the bar.
    3. Pull the bar out of the rack without protracting your shoulders. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart. Lower the bar to your lower chest or upper stomach. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times.
    4. Pause when the barbell touches your torso, and then drive the bar up with as much force as possible. The elbows should be tucked in until lockout.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Incline Bench Press

Barbell Incline Bench Press FAQ

What muscles does Barbell Incline Bench Press work?

The barbell incline bench primarily targets the clavicular head of the pectoralis major (upper chest), with strong secondary activation of the anterior deltoids and triceps. Adjusting bench angle alters muscle emphasis: around 30° favors upper pecs, while higher angles increase deltoid contribution due to changes in the moment arm.

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