The Incline Machine Chest Press is a beginner-friendly machine strength exercise that targets the chest, with the shoulders and triceps working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesChest
Secondary musclesShoulders, Triceps
EquipmentMachine
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Incline Machine Chest Press
Adjust the seat so the handles sit just below shoulder height and load the machine.
Sit back against the pad with your feet planted and your hips square in the seat.
Grip the handles with palms facing forward and set your shoulder blades down and back.
Exhale and press the handles up and forward until your elbows are nearly straight.
Hold the top position briefly without locking the elbows out hard.
Lower the handles under control until your chest feels a stretch, then repeat.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Loads the upper chest without balancing a bar or dumbbells overhead.
Guided arc makes it a safe way to train close to failure without a spotter.
Seat adjustment lets the same machine serve very different body proportions.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Starting with the handles above shoulder height turns the exercise into a shoulder press and loads the deltoids instead.
Letting the shoulder blades slide forward as you press puts the front of the shoulder under avoidable strain.
Pushing the head and upper back off the pad to move more weight shortens the range and stresses the neck.
Dropping the handles back quickly wastes the eccentric, which is where much of the chest stimulus comes from.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Incline Machine Chest Press, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
