How to do an Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About this exercise
- Sets Logged
- 801,110
- Popularity Rank
- 257th
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Chest Strength
- 80 mSCORE 31st
- Equipment Required
Dumbbells
Incline Bench
Workouts with Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press
Instructions for Proper Form
Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press is a variation on the more standard Bench Press. Like other Bench Press variations, this compound exercise primarily targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. The incline position emphasizes the upper chest and shoulders, while the act of squeezing the dumbbells together helps to maintain tension in the chest throughout the movement. This is a great exercise for building both strength and muscle mass in the upper chest.
- Set a bench to a 45 degree incline and grab a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing in and resting the dumbbells on your chest.
- Press the dumbbells together and extend your arms while keeping the dumbbells over top of your chest.
- Continue pressing the dumbbells together and return to the starting position.
Common Form Mistakes
Focus on the Squeeze
Most of the tension on your chest is coming from squeezing the dumbbells together, not from the weight itself. Focus your efforts on squeezing the dumbbells together before increasing the weight.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Incline Dumbbell Squeeze 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.
- beginner8reps20lbs1 Rep Max25lbs
- intermediate8reps30lbs40lbs
- advanced8reps35lbs45lbs
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Alternatives & Variations to Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press
1. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
99 mSCORESWAPPED 1,979 TIMESDumbbell 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.
2. Dumbbell Squeeze Press
91.1 mSCORESWAPPED 906 TIMESSimilar to other Bench Press variations, this compound exercise primarily targets your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Unlike many other variations, some of the tension from this exercise is caused by pressing two dumbbells together rather than simply relying on the weight of those dumbbells. This helps maintain more tension in your chest throughout the movement without relying on other pieces of equipment. The positioning of the dumbbells can also take some tension out of your shoulders, and helps to further isolate your chest.
3. Dumbbell Bench Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 589 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.
4. Machine Fly
98.2 mSCORESWAPPED 513 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.
5. Dumbbell Fly
98.3 mSCORESWAPPED 487 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.
6. Barbell Incline Bench Press
98.9 mSCORESWAPPED 484 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.
7. Dumbbell Incline Fly
91.1 mSCORESWAPPED 449 TIMESDumbbell Incline Fly emphasizes the upper chest, improving muscle definition and shoulder flexibility. Performed on an incline, it targets the upper pectorals while also engaging deltoids and triceps, offering a comprehensive upper body workout that enhances strength and aesthetics.
8. Cable Crossover Fly
97.3 mSCORESWAPPED 346 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.
9. Machine Bench Press
93.5 mSCORESWAPPED 339 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.
10. Hammerstrength Incline Chest Press
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 285 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.