How to do it
- Set an adjustable bench to 30 degrees — steeper turns it into a shoulder press.
- Start with the dumbbells at the outside of your shoulders, palms facing forward.
- Press up and in, then lower slowly until you feel a stretch across the collarbone.
Cues that matter
- Keep your ribcage down; do not arch to turn it back into a flat press.
- Pause for a beat at the bottom to kill momentum.
Common mistakes
- Setting the bench too steep and losing all upper-chest tension.
- Shrugging the shoulders up towards the ears at lockout.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Chest
- Upper chest
Also works
- Front delts
- Triceps
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts Incline Dumbbell Press in a session, with 150 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 4–6 reps
- Build muscle
- 6–10 reps
- Endurance
- 12–20 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the chest with different equipment — for a day the dumbbell is taken, or a gym that does not have one.