Dumbbell Incline Press
The dumbbell incline press is a bench press on a bench set to roughly 30 degrees. It shifts more work to the upper chest, with the front delts and triceps assisting. Choose it when your upper pecs lag or when a barbell incline bothers your shoulders.
Muscles worked
The dumbbell incline press trains the chest, with shoulders, triceps helping.
Weekly sets for chest
Hard sets per week that Swole.fit plans for chest, counting every exercise that trains it. Start a cycle near the growth line and climb toward the recovery limit before a deload.
How to do the dumbbell incline press
- 01Set an adjustable bench to about 30 degrees, sit back and kick the dumbbells up from your thighs to your shoulders.
- 02Squeeze your shoulder blades together and down, and keep your hips and upper back in contact with the pad.
- 03Press the dumbbells up over your upper chest until your elbows are straight, palms facing forward or slightly in.
- 04Lower slowly until the dumbbells sit beside your upper chest with your forearms close to vertical.
- 05Drive back up without letting your lower back peel away from the bench.
Coaching cues
- Low incline, about 30 degrees
- Lower to the collarbone line
- Keep your chest up toward the ceiling
Common mistakes
- Setting the bench too steep turns it into a shoulder press, so keep the incline around 30 degrees for chest work.
- Arching hard and lifting your hips flattens the incline, so keep your glutes on the seat and brace your abs.
- Pressing out over your face shifts the load forward, so push up in line with your upper chest and shoulders.
How Swole.fit programs it
Log it once and the app plans the next session for you.
- Most sets land between 8 and 15 reps, the range the plan steers compound lifts toward for size.
- Week one starts around 2 to 3 reps in reserve. Each week you train a little closer to failure, ending around 0 to 1 in reserve before a deload week.
- Hit the top of the range on every set and the next session adds the smallest real jump in weight, rounded to the plates, dumbbells or stack you actually have.
- Sets for this exercise count toward your weekly volume for every muscle it trains: a full set for the primary muscles, half a set for the helpers.
The full method, with the maths, is in how mesocycles work.
Dumbbell Incline Press alternatives
Same muscles, different tool. Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or your joints want a change.
Free programs that use it
Ready-made splits from the Swole.fit library. Pick one and the app runs the progression.
- Beach Emergency3 days a week, chest, shoulders, biceps
- Core Four3 days a week, chest, back, shoulders, quadriceps
- Full Body Power3 days a week, chest, back, quadriceps, hamstrings
- Leg Destroyer3 days a week, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes
- Minimalist Gains3 days a week, chest, back, quadriceps, hamstrings
- Pull Domination3 days a week, back, biceps
Log it. Let the app plan the next one.
Track your dumbbell incline press free. Swole.fit picks the next weight, counts your weekly sets and tells you when to deload.