The Dumbbell Incline Bench Press is a beginner-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the chest, with the shoulders and triceps working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesChest
Secondary musclesShoulders, Triceps
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Set a bench to a 30 to 45 degree incline and sit with a dumbbell resting on each thigh.
Kick the dumbbells up to your shoulders one at a time, then lie back with the weights at chest height.
Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench with feet planted flat on the floor.
Press both dumbbells straight up until the arms are fully extended and the weights nearly touch overhead.
Lower under control to chest level with elbows tracked at about 45 to 60 degrees from the torso.
Pause briefly at the bottom, then press back up powerfully, finishing each rep with a strong lockout.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds upper-chest size and visible top-line definition.
Develops front-delt and triceps strength alongside the chest.
Trains each side independently, fixing left-right pressing imbalances.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Letting the elbows flare straight out, which strains the front shoulders and shifts work off the chest.
Setting the bench too steep, which turns the press into a shoulder press and loses the upper-chest focus.
Bouncing the dumbbells at the bottom or stopping short, missing the productive stretch on the chest.
Pressing the dumbbells out wide rather than straight up, which destabilizes the lift and shortens the press.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
