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Incline dumbbell press
It's the press that works the upper chest, the part that shows above a T-shirt. Everything depends on one number: the bench angle. Go too high and the exercise becomes a shoulder press by another name.
What it works
- Upper chest, which is what you're after here
- Front delts, the front of the shoulder
- Triceps, finishing the movement as you straighten your elbows
How to do it
- 1Set the bench between thirty and forty-five degrees
Thirty is enough for most people. From sixty up, the shoulder takes almost everything and the chest barely joins in.
- 2Sit down and bring the dumbbells up
Rest them on your thighs and kick them up with your legs as you lie back. Lifting them off the floor with a straight arm is the usual way to hurt a shoulder.
- 3Pull your shoulder blades together
Shoulder blades squeezed back and down against the bench, chest up. That base is what protects your shoulder in every press.
- 4Lower to chest height
Elbows at about forty-five degrees from your body, not flared out. Lower until the dumbbells are level with your upper chest, feeling the stretch without forcing it.
- 5Press without clashing
Press up on a diagonal, bringing the dumbbells together at the top without banging them. At the top, don't snap your elbows locked.
The mistakes you see most
- Setting the bench too high. Above forty-five degrees the exercise becomes a shoulder press. If you feel it all in your delts, lower the backrest.
- Going too low. With dumbbells you can go much lower than with a barbell, and that isn't always good: past a certain point, the weight hangs off your shoulder. Go as low as your chest keeps pulling.
- Flaring your elbows out. Same as the flat press: ninety degrees is the position where shoulders complain the most.
- Lifting your back off the bench. Arching a lot turns the incline press into an almost flat press. A natural arch in your lower back, yes; a bridge, no.
Variations
- With a barbell. It allows more weight and is easier to measure, but your wrists are fixed and the range is slightly shorter.
- On a machine or Smith machine. Guided, so you can go close to failure without a spotter. You lose the stabilizing work.
- Neutral grip. Palms facing each other. Usually the most comfortable version for sensitive shoulders.
- Decline bench. With the bench angled down, it works the lower chest; it's the complement to the incline.
Frequently asked questions
Which angle is best?
Between thirty and forty-five degrees. Thirty is usually where you feel the upper chest most without the shoulder taking over.
Incline or flat?
The flat press moves more weight and works the whole chest; the incline focuses on the upper part. The usual thing is to do both, one on each push day.
Dumbbells or barbell?
Dumbbells give more range, let each side work on its own and allow your wrists to rotate. A barbell lets you load more and track progress more easily.
Why do I feel it more in my shoulder than my chest?
It's usually a bench set too high, elbows flared out or loose shoulder blades. Try lowering the backrest to thirty degrees and squeezing your shoulder blades before you start.
And to keep track of what you lift
In the Reverfit Workout app every exercise comes with its animation, and you log the weight and reps set by set, with what you did last time right in front of you. Free and with no ads.
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