The Cable Incline Bench Press is a beginner-friendly cable strength exercise that targets the chest, with the triceps working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesChest
Secondary musclesTriceps
EquipmentCable
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Cable Incline Bench Press
Set an incline bench to about 30 to 45 degrees between two cable stations with low pulleys and single handles.
Sit back into the bench and press both handles up so the arms are extended over the upper chest.
Lower the handles to upper-chest level with the elbows tracking at about 60 to 75 degrees from your torso.
Pause at the bottom with a deep stretch across the upper chest and a tight upper back.
Press the handles back up in a slight arc until they meet above the upper chest at full arm extension.
Squeeze the upper chest at the top and repeat for 8 to 12 controlled reps.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds the upper chest with constant cable tension.
Develops the upper-chest shelf for a fuller, more balanced chest.
Removes the lockout dead spot found in barbell incline pressing.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Setting the bench too steep, which turns the press into a shoulder-dominant lift.
Letting the elbows flare wide, straining the front shoulders and reducing upper-chest engagement.
Pressing too fast and skipping the stretch, missing the highest-tension portion of the rep.
Lifting the hips off the bench for leverage, which destabilizes the press.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Cable Incline Bench Press, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
