10 Best Cable Incline Bench Press Alternatives for Upper Chest Strength

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.

Original Exercise: Cable Incline Bench Press

Cable Incline Bench Press
Primary Muscle
Pectorals
Equipment
Cable
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Deltoids, Triceps
How to Perform Cable Incline Bench Press
  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.

Ranked Cable Incline Bench Press Alternatives

Best Match
Barbell Incline Bench Press

1. Barbell Incline Bench Press

89.2% Match
Pectorals Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip

2. Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip

89.2% Match
Pectorals Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Smith Incline Bench Press

3. Smith Incline Bench Press

87.3% Match
Pectorals Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

4. Smith Machine Incline Bench Press

87.3% Match
Pectorals Machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Dumbbell Incline Breeding

5. Dumbbell Incline Breeding

85.5% Match
Pectorals Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press

6. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press

84.8% Match
Pectorals Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Barbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench Press

7. Barbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench Press

84.7% Match
Pectorals Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Flat Bench Cable Flyes

8. Flat Bench Cable Flyes

81.7% Match
Pectorals Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Position a flat bench between two low pulleys so that when you are laying on it, your chest will be lined up with the cable pulleys.
  2. Lay flat on the bench and keep your feet on the ground.
  3. Have someone hand you the handles on each hand. You will grab each single handle attachment with a palms up grip.
  4. Extend your arms by your side with a slight bend on your elbows. Tip: You will keep this bend constant through the whole movement. Your arms should be parallel to the floor. This is your starting position.
  5. Now start lifting the arms in a semi-circle motion directly in front of you by pulling the cables together until both hands meet at the top of the movement. Squeeze your chest as you perform this motion and breathe out during this movement. Also, hold the contraction for a second at the top. Tip: When performed correctly, at the top position of this movement, your arms should be perpendicular to your torso and the floor touching above your chest.
Cable Bench Press

9. Cable Bench Press

81.4% Match
Pectorals Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the cable machine to chest height and attach the handles.
  2. Stand facing away from the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  3. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip and step forward to create tension in the cables.
  4. Position your feet firmly on the ground and engage your core.
  5. Bend your elbows and bring your hands to shoulder level, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle.
Dumbbell Palms In Incline Bench Press

10. Dumbbell Palms In Incline Bench Press

81% Match
Pectorals Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
  2. Sit on the bench with your back against the backrest and feet flat on the ground.
  3. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing inwards.
  4. Extend your arms straight up above your chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
  5. Lower the dumbbells slowly towards your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your body.

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 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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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