The Difference Between The Shoulder Press & Incline Press

Both the shoulder and incline press work many of the same muscles of your upper body. The recruitment of your chest and upper back differs between exercises, and you can use more weight performing an incline press. Both lifts can be done with a barbell or dumbbells. Consult a health-care practitioner before beginning any new strength-training program.

Incline Press

To perform an incline press, lie back on a incline bench and take the bar out of the rack with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. From full extension, lower the bar to your upper chest, not your neck. Pause the bar on your chest, then press it to full extension. Keep your feet flat on the floor and your hips, shoulders and head on the bench at all times. The lift is performed with dumbbells in the same manner, but you can rotate your palms in slightly to place a little less stress on your shoulders.

Shoulder Press

To perform a shoulder press, rest a barbell on the front of your shoulders -- not your collar bones. Grip the bar with an overhand grip, with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Tilt your head back slightly -- this allows you to press the bar up in a straight line. Do not press the bar around your head. Do not lean back. Press the bar to full extension and lower under control. When performing this exercise with dumbbells, hold them slightly above the level of your shoulders on either side of your head.

Muscles

Both exercises heavily work the front of your shoulders and your triceps -- the muscles on the back of your upper arms. Both recruit your latissimus dorsi, the wide muscles of your back, for support and stabilization. The incline press works your pectoralis major -- the large muscles of your chest -- more than the overhead press, according to a 1995 study published in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research." If you perform the overhead press standing, it recruits your core to stabilize you during the performance of the lift.

Application

Both exercises fit well into many programs. If you plan on competing in weight-lifting or strongman competitions, you must practice overhead pressing. Both sports feature extensive overhead work. If you plan on bodybuilding, the incline press develops your chest more than the overhead press. For general health and fitness purposes, you can rotate both lifts in and out of your program. If you compete in powerlifting, if your bench is weaker out of the bottom, you may wish to perform the incline press to help. If your bench press sticks in the middle or top portions, you may get better results from the overhead press.