Elevate Your Upper Body: Mastering the Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

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Elevate Your Upper Body: Mastering the Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Written by Herman Leir

In many ways, the incline dumbbell bench press is similar to the barbell bench press, but the equipment (and motion) are slightly different. For one, you need to have a gym bench that can be inclined at least 30 degrees; in addition, the barbell should be replaced by dumbbells (dumbbell weight is up to you).

Warm-Up

While warming up before exercises like the incline dumbbell bench press is commonly advised, scientific evidence regarding its effectiveness in enhancing performance or preventing injuries is mixed. For instance, a 2015 systematic review on upper body warm-ups found limited evidence supporting their role in injury prevention, though some benefits for performance were noted. Additionally, a 2015 systematic review concluded that warm-ups might not significantly prevent injuries in sports. Therefore, while warm-ups are widely practiced, their efficacy in injury prevention and performance enhancement remains inconclusive.

How to perform the incline dumbbell bench press (video):

Personal trainer from the HermQ team showing how to do the incline dumbbell bench press.

How to Do Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses

Image of a guy in a gym doing Incline Dumbbell Bench Press workout — **Incline Power**: Keep the bench at a 30–45° angle, lower the dumbbells slowly, and squeeze your chest at the top.

Wanna do incline dumbbell bench presses like a pro? Don’t worry, it’s hardly rocket science! Here’s how you do it, step by step:

Setup stage: Adjust the bench inclination up to 45 degrees (and no less than 30 degrees) and pick the dumbbells. There are exercises you can try to decide on the perfect dumbbell weight for you.
Get on the bench: Once the equipment’s ready, lie down on the bench. The only things you need to keep in mind are: your feet should be entirely placed on the ground, your back should not be arched, and your upper back and shoulders should be entirely positioned against the bench.
Doing the presses: Start by placing the dumbbells against your chest (avoid the beginner’s mistake of placing the dumbbells in front of your face) and bend your elbows at around 90 degrees. Then, push the dumbbells up and down with as much control as possible.

The number of reps depends on many factors, including your physical shape and the weight of your dumbbells. However, experts recommend around 12 reps for hypertrophy training and around half that number for strength training (in this case, the dumbbells should be a bit heavier).

Things to Keep in Mind

Image of a guy in the gym doing the incline dumbbell bench press workout — **Upper Sculpt**: Lower the dumbbells in a controlled motion, and maintain chest tension throughout each rep.

If you’re not doing incline dumbbell bench presses right, you may end up wasting your time or, even worse, hurting yourself. So, here are some essentials to keep in mind:

Keep Your Movements Under Control

Remember: the perfect incline dumbbell bench press isn’t just about pressing the weight up, but also about controlling the dumbbells descent to perfection. Don’t rush your movements, and do your reps as slowly and controlled as possible to maximize results.

Core Engagement & Breathing

Core engagement and breathing are essential in any exercise, and the incline dumbbell bench press is no exception. Yes, the goal is to exercise your shoulders and upper chest, but that doesn’t mean you can forget about the rest of your body…

Strong abs are essential because they prevent your back from arching as you pull the dumbbells up; overall, core engagement has several other benefits.

Breathing may seem effortless, but it requires significant focus, especially as fatigue sets in. When performing the inclined dumbbell bench press, the key is to inhale as you lower the dumbbells and exhale as you press them up. Alternatively, you can hold your breath during the lowering phase and exhale once the weights reach the top position.

Remember That (Just) Exercising is Not Enough

You can do as many inclined dumbbell bench presses as you want, but if you don’t have a good diet and workout routine, they won’t have the desired effect. Like your body, the stuff you put your body through works like an ecosystem, so consider how much you should train and don’t snub the importance of your diet choices.

How Effective Are Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses?

Image of a dumbbell being carried by someone that will do some weight lifting workout — **Upper Advantage**: Doing the Incline Dumbbell Bench Press targets the chest and shoulders, promoting balanced muscle development and improved posture.

Incline dumbbell bench presses come with several benefits, including the following:

Chest development: The main benefit of this exercise is getting stronger, more well-developed, and more beautiful pectoral muscles;
Improved shoulder stability: Since the dumbbell motion also affects the anterior deltoid (especially due to the bench inclination), this exercise also improves shoulder stability, hence being an effective method for avoiding injury.

Want to make your fitness dreams come true? One exercise is not enough! Check out our 5-day workout split and obtain the muscle growth and strength development you desire.