Thanks to the inclination of the bench, many experience this exercise as easy on their shoulders and that they can get a nice, long range of motion. You can also do the incline press with a barbell see incline bench press. There are three main differences between using dumbbells compared to a barbell like in the incline bench press :.
All in all, the incline dumbbell press is a great exercise for developing your chest , front delts , and triceps , while simultaneously feeling easier on your shoulders than many other pressing exercises.
Text and graphics from the StrengthLog app. As mentioned, the pectoralis major is comprised of the upper and lower pec. When flat benching, both heads are stressed evenly, which makes this exercise best for overall pec development. The flat bench press is a much more natural fluid movement, compared to your everyday activities. However, just like the incline chest press, there are some cons. Also, the angle of the flat bench press puts the pec tendons in a vulnerable position. Most shoulder injuries and overuse injuries can be stemmed from flat benching.
Many torn pecs in bodybuilding have been the result of heavy flat bench presses. As a personal trainer, I see shoulder injuries among men as the most common injuries. Common mistakes are:. As with any kind of press, you really need to warm up your chest and shoulders properly by using resistance bands and by stretching.
With flat benching, you need to make sure you have full shoulder mobility and scapular stability to reduce the potential for injury. If you find discomfort at all during the flat bench exercise, you should really consider the incline bench exercise or use dumbbells instead. The flat bench press does a better job of developing your pecs. Many trainers agree that the incline press is safer on your pecs, shoulders, and rotator cuffs. With so many exercises to strengthen your chest, the chest press with either bench will be effective.
This is dangerous to your rotator cuff and to people around you. Then lower the dumbbells to your thighs and then down to the floor. If no spotter is available, then be cautious with the amount of weight you use. The degree angle will hit more of your shoulders, while the degree angle will target the pecs to a greater degree.
Lowering the weights quickly and "bouncing" them up off the top of your chest is ineffective. Using a bouncing movement to gain momentum to help propel the weight up again is essentially cheating. If you find yourself doing this or if you are tempted to do so , that's a good indication you're lifting more weight than you should be.
When you speed through a movement like this, you end up losing the target focus for the exercise, allowing other muscle groups and momentum to help you complete the move. This may not seem like a big deal, but it ends up reducing the effectiveness of your workout, making it harder to see the improvements you want to see.
Instead of overlifting, reduce the weight you are lifting until you can complete the exercise without any bouncing. When you are fatigued toward the end of a set or if you're trying to lift more weight than you should, you may find yourself straining and over-arching your back to try to force the dumbbells upward. This can open you up to the possibility of a back strain. Also, your efforts will be shortchanged. You'll end up recruiting muscle groups other than the specific muscles intended to be targeted by the exercise.
There is a natural arch in your back that should be there while performing this press exercise. You don't want to eliminate this natural curve. When you try hard to push your back into the bench, your shoulders will naturally roll forward. Try to maintain the natural arch without increasing it. If you find yourself straining toward the end of a set, ask a friend to spot you as you lift. This will allow you to finish your set without altering the movement. If you find yourself over-arching your back from the get-go, choose a lighter set of dumbbells.
The incline dumbbell press can be modified in various ways or made more challenging to suit individual needs and fitness goals. If using dumbbells or isolating each shoulder independently doesn't work for you, you can modify the exercise and still get similar results. Instead of the dumbbell incline press, opt for the barbell incline press. The barbell exercise targets the same muscle groups in the same way but doesn't require the unilateral control that the dumbbell press requires.
This exercise will help you develop the baseline strength required for the movement while also starting to engage the stabilizing muscles of the shoulders without isolating each shoulder independently.
Perform the exercise in the exact same way as the dumbbell press, except use a barbell gripped with both arms instead of individual dumbbells. Make the exercise harder by switching out your dumbbells for a set of kettlebells. Due to the uneven weight distribution of kettlebells the "bell" portion weighs more than the handle of the equipment , it requires more stability and control to perform the exercise correctly. This exercise is otherwise performed in the same way as the incline dumbbell press, but you're pressing kettlebells with each hand, rather than dumbbells.
You can also engage your core more substantially by performing the exercise as a single-arm kettlebell incline press. Use only one kettlebell at a time, performing a full set with your right arm before switching to your left arm.
This type of single-sided exercise requires your core to engage to prevent your non-working side from rotating toward the side you're working. In other words, if you're doing a right arm kettlebell press, your core has to engage to prevent your left shoulder and hip from rotating to the right as you perform the movement.
The most important thing to remember when performing the incline dumbbell press is to select an appropriate weight for your strength level, which is probably less than you think.
You should be able to complete between 8 and 12 repetitions with the weight you select for a typical workout routine. The dumbbell incline press is generally a safe exercise, but it does require a baseline level of strength, and it shouldn't be attempted if you're brand-new to strength training. In that case, start with machine weights or a barbell incline press to grow accustomed to the movement, then move on to the incline dumbbell press once your ready.
The incline press can be problematic for those who experience shoulder pain. If you have ongoing shoulder pain, attempt the exercise on a machine or with a barbell before trying it with dumbbells.
If you experience sharp or shooting pain at any point during the exercise, stop and opt for exercises that don't cause pain. Incorporate this move into one of these popular workouts:.
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