The incline dumbbell bench press is a movement that places greater emphasis on the upper part of the chest. It’s important you don’t get this confused with working another muscle group entirely. An incline position places more stress on the upper part of the chest but does not develop your upper chest muscles. There are no such thing. When the chest is worked, the whole chest contracts. However, depending on the exercise, you can place greater emphasis on the upper or lower area of the chest by switching between incline, flat and decline positions on the bench. Here’s how to perform the incline dumbbell bench press:
How To Do Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses
Change Bench To Incline Position. You will need a bench for this exercise. Position the bench in an incline position. This is slightly higher than the flat bench position. However, be careful not to place the incline too high as your shoulder muscles will be worked a lot more.
Grab a Pair of Dumbbells. Unless your current training schedule calls for heavy weight and low reps try and choose a weight where you can get 8-12 challenging reps. These rep ranges are just guidelines. You should customize your own routine and switch between rep ranges to help prolong progress and muscle gains.
Rest Dumbbells on Thighs. With dumbbells in hands, sit down on the bench in an upright position and rest dumbbells on lower thighs so that they are positioned upwards (bottom flat part of the dumbbell on your thighs). Dumbbells should be close to the knee.
Lay Back on The Bench. This is the tricky part. You now need to get the dumbbells into position. Start by laying back on the bench while simultaneously kicking the dumbbells up to shoulder height and extending your arms up above your chest. When I say kick the dumbbells up you need to spring off your toes slightly in order to lift your legs up while laying back on the bench. Ideally you want your arms to be straight (or straightish) before attempting to kick the dumbbells up.
You can try kicking both dumbbells up at the same time or kicking one up at a time. This becomes more of an issue once you start lifting heavier weight. If it becomes too difficult try and get yourself a workout partner or spotter who can place the dumbbells in your hands for you or help raise your arms up when your attempting to kick the dumbbells into position.
Lowering The Dumbbells. Once you have kicked the dumbbells up, they should now be in the top position with arms extended and dumbbells above your chest. To lower the dumbbells correctly ensure you pin your shoulder blades down on the bench. This should create a slight ark in your lower back. Lower the dumbbells down by ensuring shoulder blades do not move from the bench and remain pinned down. Dumbbells are lowered down to the sides of the upper chest. Squeeze the dumbbells while lowering to get a greater sense of control and strength.
Push Dumbbells Back Up! Once Dumbbells reach upper chest level you will need to keep your upper back and shoulders pinned back against the bench, puff out your chest slightly and drive the dumbbells back up. When lifting the dumbbells back up you can either go up in a straight line or lift them up and inwards slightly. Lifting them up and inwards slightly in my opinion is the best way as it keeps more tension on the targetted muscle area and feels far more natural and comfortable.
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press – Things To Think About
Foot Position. Feet should be planted firmly on the floor throughout the movement. Do not place them to far forward as you will lose stability. Placing them inline or slightly behind the knees is best. Do not move them when lifting, keep them planted in one position.
Incline Height. As mentioned earlier, placing the incline too high can place more stress on the shoulder muscles. The chest wont get worked as hard and the exercise is in danger of getting turned into a shoulder exercise.
Keeping Shoulder Blades on Bench. This is important in order to maintain stability and form throughout the lift while helping to really isolate the chest muscle. Focus on maintaining contact with the bench through your upper back/shoulder blades at all times. Especially when you push the dumbbells up! This is often when they shift a little, making the lift feel awkward and uncomfortable.
Up and In Motion. When raising the dumbbells it can help to focus on lifting them upwards and in slightly. Dumbbells dont have to touch at the top but by raising them upwards and inwards slightly you can maintain more tension on the chest and make the lift feel a lot smoother and under control.
Pulling Dumbbells Down. When lowering dumbbells you can make the motion feel more natural by focusing on pulling the dumbbells down instead of just letting them drop down.
Squeeze Hard. Squeeze the dumbbells hard throughout the lift to feel stronger and in better control.
