What Are The Proper Form For Incline Dumbbell Bench Press?

The incline dumbbell bench press exercise is one of the best exercises for strengthening the upper body muscles. It is good for strengthening your chest and shoulders. Other muscles that you work with include biceps and triceps. In the following paragraphs, you will get the proper form of doing the incline dumbbell bench press. The proper form will make you realize the benefits of the exercise. In addition to that, there is also a list of dumbbell press variations and alternative exercises that you can do in place of the incline dumbbell bench press.

Additionally, you will also know more about bench press weight and the muscles that you work with by doing the dumbbell bench press exercises.

Incline Dumbbell Flyes.

The incline dumbbell fly is an isolation exercise that particularly works the chest muscles.  Besides working the chest muscles, this exercise is good for working the shoulders and triceps muscles. The good thing about this exercise is that it strengthens your shoulder muscles and also opens up your chest. It affords you to do your day-to-day activities of lifting and pushing things without having challenges.

You need a pair of dumbbells and a flat bench to do the exercise.

1. Lie on a bench on your back and plant the feet on the ground and make sure that your head is against the bench.
2. Hold a pair of dumbbells with your arms fully stretched and parallel to the ground.
3. Raise your arms up above your chest until your arms are fully stretched.
4. Then lower the arms below the shoulder height.
5. Repeat the movement until you reach the number of your preferred reps.

Incline Dumbbell Press Angle.

The incline dumbbell press is meant to be done while lying on an inclined bench. However, people incline the bench at different angles. Different bench angles have a different impact on your upper body muscles.

When doing the incline dumbbell bench, the bench angle can be set between 30 and 45 degrees. The bench inclined at 45 degrees or closer to the 45-degree angle will target your shoulders more than any other muscles. Then a bench that is inclined at 30 degrees or closer to that will work the pecs muscles to a greater extent than shoulder muscles. 

Decline Dumbbell Bench Press.

The decline dumbbell bench press is good for strengthening the chest muscles particularly the lower chest muscles.  In addition to that other muscles that benefit from the decline, dumbbell bench press include the anterior deltoid, biceps, and triceps.

To do the exercise;

1. Lie on a declined bench and keep your feet secure at the end of a bench.
2. Hold a pair of dumbbells with an overhand grip.
3. Extend your arms above your chest and keep them shoulder-width apart.
4. Lower the weight to the chest height. Push the weight up to the starting position.
5. Repeat the moves.

 Incline Dumbbell Press Muscles Worked.

The incline dumbbell press is good for working your upper body muscles. Primarily, the exercise works the pecs, particularly the upper chest muscles. Additionally, other muscles that are engaged while doing this exercise include the triceps and anterior deltoids. This exercise makes the upper body muscles mentioned above stronger

Incline Bench Press.

The incline bench press is another exercise that is good at working the pecs, triceps, and anterior deltoid. Interestingly, you can do the exercise using the dumbbells or the barbell.

To work your shoulder muscles as the main target, you will have to make sure that the bench angle is around 15 to 30 degrees. You can use a barbell or a pair of dumbbells to do the incline bench press. Make sure that you do the exercise in a proper form to avoid hurting your shoulders.

1. Lie on an inclined bench and make sure that your feet are secure.
2. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip and make sure that your hands are shoulder-width apart.
3. Lower the dumbbell towards your chest and keep your arms tucked by your body side. Pause when your elbows are bent to form a 45-degree angle.
4. Then push up the barbell to the starting position.
5. Repeat until you reach the number of your preferred reps.

 Dumbbell Shoulder Press.

This exercise primarily strengthens the shoulder muscles. In addition to that, the dumbbell shoulder press also works the triceps, chest, and upper back muscles but to a lesser extent. Interestingly, you can do this exercise can be done while seated or standing.

1. While holding a pair of dumbbells stand with your feet at shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your shoulders and bring the dumbbells to shoulder height. Make sure that the palms are facing away from your body.
3. Then press the dumbbells above your head until your arms are fully stretched.
4. Lower the dumbbells to the starting position.
5. Repeat to meet the number of preferred reps.

Incline Dumbbell Curl.

This is a strength workout that is good for your various arm muscles. The incline dumbbell curl primarily works the biceps muscles. Then the forearms, chest, and shoulders get worked to a lesser extent. This is how you execute the incline dumbbell curl;

1. Incline the bench to an angle of 45 degrees
2. Seat on the bench and grasp the dumbbells with a neutral. Let your arms hang down towards the floor.
3. Curl one dumbbell up towards your shoulder and rotate your arm so that the palm faces the shoulder at the top of the movement. Make sure that your arm is tight to isolate your bicep brachii muscles.
4. Lower your arm and raise the other one up towards the shoulder.
5. Repeat the moves and keep on alternating your arm until you reach a preferred number of reps and sets.

Flat Dumbbell Press.

The flat dumbbell press is good for strengthening the upper body muscles. It primarily targets the chest muscles. Then other muscles that you engage include the shoulders, abs, and triceps.

You will need a pair of dumbbells and a flat bench to do this exercise.

1. Lie on a bench on your back and hold a pair of dumbbells with an overhand grip.
2. Bring your arms to your side and bend them to form a 90-degree angle. Make sure that the palms are facing forward.
3. Then push the dumbbells up above your chest until your arms are fully straightened.
4. Lower the dumbbells to the starting position.
5. Repeat to reach the number of your targeted reps.

Bench Press Average Weight.

People’s bench press weight is different due to different factors. Some factors include weight, gender, and level of fitness. An average male can bench press around 90kgs while an average female can bench press around 75kgs. A more experienced person can bench press more.

The well-known Arnold Schwarzenegger bench press weight is 200kgs. This is due to his experience and training techniques. Another example; an athlete Steph Curry bench press around 180kgs. This is also a result of consistency in training. As such, if you are consistent in training, you may bench more as time goes on.

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press Alternatives.

There are different exercises that you can do in place of the incline dumbbell bench press workout. These exercises can also work the same muscles as the incline dumbbell bench press such as the biceps, chest, and shoulders. Below are some alternative exercises to incline dumbbell bench press;

Reverse Grip Dumbbell Bench Press.

The reverse grip dumbbell bench press is also known as the dumbbell flat bench chest press or flat bench dumbbell press. The exercise is good for strengthening the pecs muscles. Additionally, it is good at protecting shoulder joints. More so, the exercise works the triceps and biceps muscles. As such, the exercise is a good alternative to incline dumbbell bench press due to the fact that it works the similar upper body muscles.

The reverse grip dumbbell bench press is a bit difficult for beginners. It can be done by trainers who have experience. This is how you can execute the reverse grip dumbbell press;

1. Lie on a flat bench on your back and grasp a dumbbell with an overhand grip. Make sure that your hands are griping a bit wider than your shoulder-width apart.
2. Lower the bar to your chest and then change from an overhand grip to a reverse grip.
3. Push the bar up as far as you can and bring it back to the chest position.
4. Repeat as much as you can.

In addition to the reverse grip dumbbell bench press, other exercises that you can do in place of the incline dumbbell bench press include single-arm dumbbell bench press, barbell floor press, cable flys, incline bench flys, and many others.

Final Thoughts

Doing incline dumbbell bench press is good for your upper body muscles such as the shoulders, chest, triceps, and biceps. However, you may only realize the benefits of the exercise if you do it in proper form.

To do the incline dumbbell bench press also involve the angle of your bench. You should know that if the bench is at a 30-degree angle you work your pecs muscles more than any other muscles. Then when the bench is at 45 degrees angle, you work shoulders more than any other muscles. As such, the angle of your bench matters when you consider the proper form of the exercise.