Incline Dumbbell Press

The bench press is one of the most popular exercises in strength training. It is a compound exercise that engages several large muscle groups. The chest muscles and the front of the shoulder muscles are engaged to pull the upper arm forward and inward. The triceps are engaged to extend the arms. Muscles in the shoulders, back, and lower back help stabilize your body.

The bench press can be performed in various ways to emphasize the different muscles involved. For example, the bench can be flat or inclined. In an inclined position with the head higher, it is called incline, while decline refers to a position where the head is oriented toward the legs. In this incline position, more emphasis is placed on the upper fibers of the pectoralis major than in the flat version.

Bench press generally refers to the most classic version with a barbell. In this version, the resistance is provided by dumbbells.

Incline dumbbell press execution

1
Drive explosively upward by pulling your shoulders and upper arms upward and (almost) extending your arms.
2
Lower the dumbbells in a controlled manner. Depending on shoulder mobility, lower your elbows until they are beside your torso, or lower them slightly farther.

Incline dumbbell press

Active muscles:

Pectoralis major (large chest muscle)
Pectoralis minor (depending on execution)
Anterior deltoid (front fibers of the shoulder muscle)
Triceps brachii
Serratus anterior
Coracobrachialis (coracobrachialis muscle)

Stabilizing muscles:

Rotator cuff (stabilizing shoulder muscles: supraspinatus, subscapularis, teres major, teres minor)
Serratus
Trapezius
Biceps brachii
Latissimus dorsi
Core muscles

Incline dumbbell press preparation

Choose the appropriate dumbbell weight for the desired number of repetitions.
Sit on the incline bench with the dumbbells upright on your knees.
Lie back and, in the same movement, bring the dumbbells one at a time toward your chest with your knees. Place your feet back on the floor.
Rotate your hands into a pronated position (thumbs facing inward) and position your elbows outward. This is your starting position.

Incline dumbbell press technique

Many studies have examined the effect of different bench angles.

Because they are conducted under different conditions, they sometimes show different results. Nevertheless, we can identify a general trend in these studies and point out possible exceptions.

Flat vs incline & decline

An incline bench increases activation of the fibers of the chest muscles that run from the clavicle to the upper arm. The involvement of the fibers of the chest muscles that run from the sternum to the arm is lower. This therefore primarily trains the upper part of the chest. In terms of surface area, this is approximately one-third of the chest muscle.

A decline bench increases the involvement of the lower fibers of the chest muscles, while the upper part has to work less. These lower fibers make up approximately two-thirds of the surface area of the chest.

Although this is supported by multiple studies, some studies show different effects.

Dumbbells vs barbells:

The dumbbell bench press has advantages and disadvantages compared with the barbell, depending on the goal. For example, the shoulder muscles may have to work harder to stabilize the weight. Unlike with a barbell, you must not only prevent the weight from tilting forward or backward. With dumbbells, you must also prevent inward and outward tilting.

According to some studies, dumbbells require greater involvement of the pectoralis major and biceps and less involvement of the triceps compared with the barbell bench press.