How to do a Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Instructions for Proper Form
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Incline Bench Press. This compound exercise primarily targets the chest, but the incline also places more emphasis on the shoulders. The use of dumbbells makes this exercise more unstable than its barbell counterpart, while also forcing you to address any strength discrepancies between sides.
- Lie your back onto a bench while squeezing your shoulder blades together and placing your heels firmly on the ground underneath your knees.
- The bench should be at 45-60 degrees and in contact with your head, shoulders, and butt at all times..
- Position the dumbbells so that they are just outside shoulder-width apart.
- Keeping your core braced by breathing into your stomach and flexing the abdominal muscles, extend your elbows while keeping them at a 45 degree angle from your torso.
- Once your arms are fully extended over the shoulders, exhale to return the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Common Form Mistakes
Flared Elbows
Flaring your elbows out can sometimes help you lift heavier weights, but it places more tension on your shoulders. The ideal position can vary slightly from person to person, but try to keep your elbows around 45 degrees from your torso, and make small adjustments from there.
Heavy Dumbbells
Dumbbells are less stable than a barbell. This added instability means you won't be able to move the same weight you would with a barbell. Keep your weights on the lighter side, and focus on stability and control.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Dumbbell Incline Bench Press standards by male, female, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner8reps22.5lbs1 Rep Max30lbs
- intermediate8reps35lbs45lbs
- advanced8reps40lbs50lbs
Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
Alternative Exercises to Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
1. Barbell Incline Bench Press
98.9 mSCORESWAPPED 11,525 TIMESBarbell Incline Bench Press is a variation on a standard Bench Press. Similar to Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets your chest, but this variation places much more emphasis on your shoulders and upper chest.
2. Dumbbell Bench Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 6,972 TIMESDumbbell Bench Press is a variation on the standard Bench Press. Like Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, while also training the triceps and shoulders. The use of dumbbells allows for greater instability which can help you become more stable on pushing movements in general, while also isolating each side of the body to prevent you from compensating for any weaknesses between sides.
3. Hammerstrength Incline Chest Press
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 5,150 TIMESHammerstrength Incline Chest Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Incline Bench Press. This compound movement primarily targets your chest, shoulders and triceps. The incline allows you to further emphasize your upper chest and shoulders. The use of a Hammerstrength Machine forces you to use a fixed range of motion which adds stability, and allows you to focus more on exertion.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Hammerstrength (Leverage) Machine (all forms)
4. Barbell Bench Press
99.2 mSCORESWAPPED 4,358 TIMESBench Press is one of the three Powerlifting movements, and one of the most common upper body exercises. It’s a fantastic compound exercise that can help you build strength in your chest, shoulders, and triceps. It’s a staple in most fitness programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking upper body strength in general.
5. Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
96.4 mSCORESWAPPED 3,809 TIMESSmith Machine Bench Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Incline Bench Press. Like other variations, this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, shoulders and triceps. The added stability from the Smith Machine makes this a great exercise for learning, or for focusing on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Smith Machine
6. Machine Fly
98.2 mSCORESWAPPED 2,583 TIMESMachine Fly is a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Fly. This isolation chest exercise primarily targets the chest, but also recruits the shoulders. The use of a machine makes the exercise more stable allowing you to focus on exertion or learn the movement with minimal risk of injury. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to learn the movement, or advanced lifters looking to push this movement to it’s limit.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Fly Machine
7. Machine Bench Press
93.5 mSCORESWAPPED 2,486 TIMESMachine Bench Press is a compound exercise the primarily targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The use of a machine forces you to use a fixed range of motion which can be a great way to learn the movement, or to focus your effort on exertion rather than stability.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Bench Press Machine
8. Hammerstrength Chest Press
94.3 mSCORESWAPPED 2,317 TIMESHammerstrength Chest Press is a variation on the more standard Barbell Bench Press. Similar to Bench Press, this compound exercise primarily targets your chest, shoulders, and triceps. The use of a Hammerstrength machine forces you to use a fixed range of motion. This can help you either learn the movement, or focus your efforts on exertion rather than stability.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Hammerstrength (Leverage) Machine (all forms)
9. Dumbbell Fly
98.3 mSCORESWAPPED 2,186 TIMESDumbbell Fly’s are one of the most common isolation chest exercises, and for good. It primarily targets the muscles in the chest, but also recruits the shoulders for stability. The use of dumbbells ensures that you’re targeting each side of the body independently, and prevents compensating for any weaknesses between sides. In addition the isolated nature of this exercise is a great way to fatigue your chest, and focus on building both muscle mass and increasing strength in your chest.
10. Cable Crossover Fly
97.3 mSCORESWAPPED 1,807 TIMESCable Crossover Fly is an isolation exercise that targets the chest. It’s a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Fly, and can easily be adapted to further isolate specific areas of the chest. Using cables to add resistance allows you to keep more consistent tension on your chest, as well as control the angle that the resistance is coming from.
- Beginner
- Chest
- Cable Crossover