Incline Dumbbell PressMuscles Worked
The incline dumbbell press works your chest, with emphasis on the upper chest, while your front delts and triceps help drive the weight up. Each arm moves on its own, giving you a longer range of motion and a clear read on a weaker side.
How to do it
- Set a bench to a low or moderate incline and sit back with a dumbbell standing upright on each thigh.
- Lie back and use a knee drive to bring each dumbbell up to the sides of your upper chest.
- Turn your palms forward, pull your shoulder blades back and plant your feet.
- Press the dumbbells up over your upper chest until your arms are straight.
- Lower them slowly to the outside of your upper chest, stopping at a comfortable stretch.
- After the last rep, return the dumbbells to your thighs, sit up, then set them down.
Form tips
- Press in a slight arc toward the middle so the dumbbells finish over your upper chest, not over your face.
- Keep your elbows a little below and in front of your shoulders instead of flaring them straight out.
Why it made the list
No. 8 of 13
Best Chest Exercises
Dumbbell version of incline press. Greater range of motion and independent arm work for upper chest development.
More chest exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Incline Dumbbell Press sets in KasMaker and watch your chest, shoulders, and triceps fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
