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Incline machine press

Also called incline press machine, machine incline press, incline chest press machine, incline machine chest press.

What is an incline machine press?

The incline machine press is a chest press performed on a reclined seat against guided levers. It trains the pectoralis major with help from the anterior deltoids and triceps, while the machine fixes the resistance path.

Anatomical illustration of a man performing an incline lever chest press, with the chest, front shoulders and triceps highlighted.

How do you perform an incline machine press?

Set up

  1. Adjust the seat so the handles begin around upper-chest height and your forearms can line up with the machine's press path.
  2. Sit with your head and back against the pad, plant your feet and take the handles with your wrists straight.

Execution

  1. Press the handles away until your arms are straight without lifting your shoulders from the pad.
  2. Lower the levers under control until the handles return beside your upper chest and you feel a comfortable stretch.
  3. Keep your feet, hips and back supported as you repeat, then let the machine settle before releasing the handles.

Common mistakes

  • Setting the seat too high or low

    A poor seat height puts the handles outside a comfortable press line. Adjust until the start is around the upper chest and the wrists can stay stacked.

  • Lifting the shoulders from the pad

    Reaching after the handles changes the supported position. Keep the upper back in contact and stop the return before it pulls you forward.

  • Letting the stack or levers crash

    The guided return still needs control. Slow the final part so the next repetition starts from the same position.

Where it fits in a session

Use it as a main press when a stable machine setup suits the session, or after free-weight pressing for additional chest work.

Record the same seat position and handle depth. Different machines use different lever arms, so their stack or plate numbers are not directly comparable.

Muscles worked

Front
Front — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Back
Back — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The pectoralis major performs the press, while the anterior deltoid assists at the shoulder and the triceps extends the elbow. The guide does not turn the incline into a claim that the upper chest works alone.

Variations

  • Anatomical illustration of a barbell incline bench press in two frames, side by side. The lifter lies on a bench set to roughly 30 to 45 degrees inside a squat-style rack with the barbell taken from the rack hooks. In the left frame the bar is at the upper chest with the elbows bent and tucked, and a band of the upper chest below the collarbone is highlighted. In the right frame the arms are locked out overhead and the back of both upper arms is highlighted instead.
    Incline barbell bench pressUses a free bar and rack, so the lifter controls the bar path.
  • Anatomical illustration of a man pressing two dumbbells while lying back on a bench inclined at roughly forty-five degrees, shown twice side by side on a white background. In the left frame his arms are straight overhead and the two dumbbells are almost touching. In the right frame he is at the bottom of the rep, the dumbbells level with his chest and his elbows out from his torso, palms facing forward. The muscles of the chest and the front of the shoulder are shaded red in both frames, most strongly in the upper chest running from the collarbone out to the shoulder; the rest of the body is drawn in plain white. The back of the upper arm is not highlighted. The bench angle, the elbow position and the palms-forward grip shown are one option among several, not the required way to do the movement.
    Incline dumbbell pressEach hand controls a separate dumbbell instead of following machine levers.
  • Flat machine chest press — Uses a more horizontal seat and press path.

Related tools

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the incline machine press work?

The pectoralis major is the main target. The anterior deltoids assist at the shoulders and the triceps straighten the elbows.

How high should the seat be?

Set it so the handles begin around your upper chest and your wrists stay in line with the machine's press path. Use the machine's geometry and your arm length rather than copying one numbered setting.

Is an incline machine press the same as an incline bench press?

No. They train the same pressing muscle group, but the machine guides the levers while a barbell bench press requires you to control the bar path.

How far should you lower the handles?

Return until the handles are beside the upper chest and the shoulders remain comfortable and supported. Do not force extra depth by letting the upper back peel from the pad.

Sources

  1. Solari F, Burns B. Anatomy, Thorax, Pectoralis Major. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525991/
  2. Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536996/

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