10 Best Cable Incline Bench Press Alternatives for Upper Chest Strength

The Cable Incline Bench Press is done lying on your back with a cable machine. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Barbell Incline Bench Press, the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip and the Smith Incline Bench Press.

The Cable Incline Bench Press has you sit on a raised bench and push two high pulley handles up and away until your arms lock out. The Barbell Incline Bench Press is the closest swap: you lie on a bench set to 45 degrees, lower a barbell toward your chest with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width, then push it back up. If you want to stay on cable, the Cable Bench Press drops the bench for a standing press straight out in front of you.

Cable Incline Bench PressWatch the Cable 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 Cable Incline Bench Press

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

Pectorals, with deltoids, triceps · Cable · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Adjust the bench to a 45-degree incline.
  2. Attach the cable handles to the high pulleys.
  3. Sit on the bench facing the cable machine with your feet flat on the ground.
  4. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip and bring them to shoulder height.
  5. Push the handles forward and upward until your arms are fully extended.
  6. Pause for a moment, then slowly lower the handles back to the starting position.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Cable Incline Bench Press Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Cable 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.

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 PressPlay demonstration

    1. Barbell Incline Bench Press

    89% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

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

    • 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 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.

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

    Why this matches
    • Movement: incline press, the same as the Cable Incline Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Incline Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, not a cable
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Cable Incline Bench Press
  3. Smith Incline Bench PressPlay demonstration

    3. Smith Incline Bench Press

    87% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

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

    • Smith-machine
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the bench to a 30-45 degree incline.
    2. Sit on the bench with your back flat against the pad and feet firmly 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 upper chest, keeping your elbows slightly tucked in.
    5. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
    6. 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 Cable Incline Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Incline Bench Press
    • Equipment: a machine, not a cable
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Cable Incline Bench Press
    • Balance: easier to stay steady on than the Cable Incline Bench Press
  4. Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

    4. Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

    87% match

    Pectorals · Intermediate · Compound

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

    • Machine
    How to perform it
    1. Place an incline bench underneath the smith machine. Place the barbell at a height that you can reach when lying down and your arms are almost fully extended. Once the weight you need is selected, lie down on the incline bench and make sure your upper chest is aligned with the barbell. Using a pronated grip (palms facing forward) that is wider than shoulder width, unlock 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 your 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, 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 Cable Incline Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Incline Bench Press
    • Equipment: a machine, not a cable
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Cable Incline Bench Press
    • Balance: easier to stay steady on than the Cable Incline Bench Press
  5. Dumbbell Incline BreedingPlay demonstration

    5. Dumbbell Incline Breeding

    86% 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 back against the pad and feet flat on the ground.
    3. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing forward.
    4. Start with your arms fully extended, perpendicular to the ground.
    5. Lower the dumbbells slowly to the sides of your chest, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
    6. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the dumbbells back up to the starting position.
    7. 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 Cable Incline Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: pectorals, the same as the Cable Incline Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, not a cable
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Cable Incline Bench Press

Why You Might Need a Cable Incline Bench Press Alternative

A busy cable stack is the main reason to look past the Cable Incline Bench Press: the incline station often fits one lifter at a time, and some gyms have only one dual pulley tower for chest work. Others train at home with no cable at all. Several alternatives keep the raised bench and the push to full arm extension while changing what you push against: the Barbell Incline Bench Press and the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press swap the cable for free weight on the same angled bench, and the Smith Incline Bench Press and the Smith Machine Incline Bench Press keep a fixed bar path instead. The Cable Bench Press drops the bench for a standing press, and the Flat Bench Cable Flyes trade the incline for a flat bench and an arcing squeeze.

How to Choose the Right Cable Incline Bench Press Substitute

If the cable towers are busy but a bench and a bar are free, the Barbell Incline Bench Press lets you load more weight than a cable stack allows while keeping the same raised bench. The Dumbbell Incline Bench Press lets each arm press on its own path, which suits a lifter working around uneven strength side to side. The Smith Incline Bench Press and the Smith Machine Incline Bench Press both run the bar on a fixed rail, so you press without balancing a free bar over your chest. The Dumbbell Palms In Incline Bench Press keeps the 45-degree bench but turns your palms inwards and keeps your elbows close to your body as the dumbbells lower. If you want to stay on cable, the Cable Bench Press has you stand and press the handles straight out.

Cable Incline Bench Press FAQ

Can I do the Cable Incline Bench Press at home?

Only if you own a cable stack or a functional trainer, and most home setups do not. The Dumbbell Incline Bench Press or Dumbbell Incline Breeding are the practical swap: both use the same raised bench, and a pair of dumbbells with an adjustable bench cover either one without a cable in sight.

Which of these swaps needs no machine?

The Barbell Incline Bench Press, the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip, the Dumbbell Incline Breeding, the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press and the Barbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench Press all use a bench and free weight, with no cable stack, Smith rail or plate-loaded track between you and the bar.

Which alternative suits a beginner?

The Smith Incline Bench Press or the Smith Machine Incline Bench Press. Both run the bar on a fixed rail, so you press through the same range without balancing a free bar over your chest, which makes either one an easier first step than a barbell or dumbbell version while you learn the motion.

Do the incline alternatives all use the same bench angle?

No. The Barbell Incline Bench Press sets the bench to 45 degrees and the Smith Incline Bench Press runs a 30 to 45 degree range, while the Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip and the Smith Machine Incline Bench Press call for an incline bench without fixing the angle. The Flat Bench Cable Flyes use a flat bench with no incline, and the Cable Bench Press drops the bench altogether for a standing press.

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