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Incline Dumbbell Press
An inclined press with independent loads, biasing the upper chest and demanding more shoulder control than a bar. A staple hypertrophy press for sets of 8-12.
- 01Set the bench to roughly thirty degrees and sit with a dumbbell on each thigh.
- 02Kick the dumbbells up one at a time as you lie back.
- 03Set the shoulder blades down and back against the bench.
- 04Lower the bells to the sides of the upper chest with the elbows under the wrists.
- 05Press up and slightly together without clashing the dumbbells at the top.
- 01Wrists stacked over the elbows.
- 02Shoulders down, ribs down.
- 03Press up and in, not out.
- 01Setting the bench too steep — it becomes an overhead press and the chest stops being the target.
- 02Letting the elbows drift behind the torso — the shoulder capsule takes a stretch under load it is not built for.
- 03Ribs flaring off the bench to move heavier bells — the lower back arches hard and the range gets shorter, not better.
Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.