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Exercise guide

Incline Bench Pull

How to do the Incline Bench Pull with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

IsolationBarbellBeginnerPull
Primary muscles

Mid Back

Secondary

Lats, Shoulders

Equipment

Barbell

Step by step

How to do the Incline Bench Pull

  1. 1

    Grab a dumbbell in each hand and lie face down on an incline bench that is set to an incline that is approximately 30 degrees.

  2. 2

    Let the arms hang to your sides fully extended as they point to the floor.

  3. 3

    Turn the wrists until your hands have a pronated (palms down) grip.

  4. 4

    Now flare the elbows out. This will be your starting position.

  5. 5

    As you breathe out, start to pull the dumbbells up as if you are doing a reverse bench press. You will do this by bending at the elbows and bringing the upper arms up as you let the forearms hang. Continue this motion until the upper arms are at the same level as your back. Tip: The elbows will come out to the side and your upper arms and torso should make the letter "T" at the top of the movement. Hold the contraction at the top for a second.

  6. 6

    Slowly go back down to the starting position as you breathe in.

  7. 7

    Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Incline Bench Pull set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap — so your mid back volume is visible at a glance — and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Related

More mid back exercises

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