Incline Bench Pull
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the upper back, using a barbell.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Incline Bench Pull
- 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.
- Let the arms hang to your sides fully extended as they point to the floor.
- Turn the wrists until your hands have a pronated (palms down) grip.
- Now flare the elbows out. This will be your starting position.
- 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.
- Slowly go back down to the starting position as you breathe in.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Incline Bench Pull
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Dumbbell Incline Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using dumbbells.
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2
Band Assisted Pull-Up
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back.
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3
Cable Incline Pushdown
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
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4
Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the upper back.
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5
Straight Bar Bench Mid Rows
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a barbell.
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6
Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the upper back, needing no equipment.
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7
Weighted Pull Ups
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the upper back.
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8
Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using dumbbells.
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9
Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
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10
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using dumbbells.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do incline bench pull work?
Incline Bench Pull primarily works the upper back. The shoulders assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for incline bench pull?
Incline Bench Pull uses barbell.
Incline Bench Pull: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Incline Bench Pull is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of incline bench pull?
Dumbbell Incline Row, Band Assisted Pull-Up, Cable Incline Pushdown train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my incline bench pull reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; incline bench pull can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Incline Bench Pull with AI
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