Incline Dumbbell Press
How to do the Incline Dumbbell Press
- 1
Lie back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand atop your thighs. The palms of your hands will be facing each other.
- 2
Then, using your thighs to help push the dumbbells up, lift the dumbbells one at a time so that you can hold them at shoulder width.
- 3
Once you have the dumbbells raised to shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. This will be your starting position.
- 4
Be sure to keep full control of the dumbbells at all times. Then breathe out and push the dumbbells up with your chest.
- 5
Lock your arms at the top, hold for a second, and then start slowly lowering the weight. Tip Ideally, lowering the weights should take about twice as long as raising them.
- 6
Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- 7
When you are done, place the dumbbells back on your thighs and then on the floor. This is the safest manner to release the dumbbells.
How to program the Incline Dumbbell Press
Sets and reps
As a compound movement, the Incline Dumbbell Press responds well to heavier loading. For strength, work in the 3–5 sets of 4–8 reps range with 2–3 minutes of rest between sets. For muscle growth, 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps with 90 seconds of rest is the classic hypertrophy zone. Place it early in your session, when you're freshest, and leave 1–3 reps in reserve on most sets.
Progression
The Incline Dumbbell Press is beginner-friendly. Start with a load (or rep count) you can complete with clean form on every set, then add a small amount of weight or 1–2 reps each week. When you hit the top of your rep range on all sets, increase the load and drop back to the bottom of the range — simple double progression.
Secondary muscles worked
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Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Incline Dumbbell Press work?
The Incline Dumbbell Press primarily targets the Chest. It also recruits the Shoulders, Triceps as supporting muscles.
What equipment do I need for the Incline Dumbbell Press?
You need Dumbbell. Difficulty level: Beginner.
How many sets and reps of the Incline Dumbbell Press should I do?
For strength, do 3–5 sets of 4–8 reps with 2–3 minutes rest. For muscle growth, do 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps with about 90 seconds rest.
