Cable Incline Bench Press

How to do the Cable Incline Bench Press

1. 1Set an adjustable bench to a 30–45° incline and position it centered between two low cable pulleys with a single handle on each side.
2. 2Sit down, grab one handle in each hand, then lie back with your shoulder blades pulled down and together against the pad.
3. 3Plant your feet on the floor and start with your hands at upper-chest height, elbows bent and tucked at roughly a 45° angle to your torso.
4. 4Press both handles up and slightly inward until your arms are nearly extended and the handles meet above your upper chest.
5. 5Squeeze your chest briefly at the top without locking your elbows hard.
6. 6Lower the handles under control back to upper-chest height, feeling a stretch across the chest while keeping tension on the cables.
7. 7Complete your reps, then set one handle down at a time and stand up with control.

Form tips

• Keep your shoulder blades retracted and your chest tall throughout the set to keep the work on the upper chest, not the front delts.
• Drive the handles up and together so the pecs do the squeezing at the top, not just the triceps.
• Use a steady tempo — about two seconds down — to make the most of the cable's constant tension.
• Match the handle heights and start position on both sides so you press evenly and don't favor one arm.

Common mistakes

• Setting the bench too upright (above ~45°), which shifts the load onto the front shoulders and away from the upper chest you're trying to hit.
• Letting the handles drift too low at the bottom, which strains the shoulder joint and dumps tension off the chest.
• Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides, placing excess stress on the shoulders instead of keeping them tucked at about 45°.
• Rushing the reps and using momentum, which lets the cables yank the weight up and removes the muscular tension that makes this lift effective.

Frequently asked questions